Feast Week has just concluded, and it was exciting like always. From tournaments like the Battle 4 Atlantis to the Maui Invitational, we got to see plenty of action. Some teams have made some promising strides over the week, and others leave a lot for us to question. Let’s break down all the exciting moments from the tournaments and highlight the winners of some of the big tournaments.
Battle 4 Atlantis is probably one of the biggest tournaments we have. 12 teams fought it out in Atlantis across 3 days to crown a winner, with Vanderbilt being the team to raise the trophy. After a convincing 96-71 win over Saint Mary’s, Vanderbilt will continue their winning streak of 8-0. Students agree that Vanderbilt is a contender for the title, with senior Steele Torrence saying that they were “probably the most dominant team over the week,” and that “they could be dangerous in March.” Duke Miles led the commodores by scoring 25 points and grabbing 4 boards. Jalen Washington came off the bench as 7/11 from the field and got 19 points. Vanderbilt didn’t have a hard tournament, since they beat Western Kentucky on day one 83-78 and VCU 89-74.
Players Era Festival was another insane tournament. Michigan absolutely dominated this one by beating Gonzaga 101-61. Most people didn’t expect this much of an upset for the Zags, but Michigan made sure to put on a performance. Kansas made a statement by beating Number 17 Tennessee in the third-place match. Some other big teams were there like St. Johns, Alabama, and Auburn, so it is safe to say this was the tournament of the week. “I watched pretty much all the Players Era Festival, and it was crazy the whole time,” said Wyatt Clarke (12).
The last tournament to highlight is the Maui Invitational. USC crowned themselves the champion over Arizona State and Seton Hall got third place. This tournament had a few good games, but a major upset was in the fifth-place match. Texas defeated number twenty-three in the country, NC State, in a high scoring 102-97 thriller. Jordan Pope led the Longhorns with 28 points and Quadir Copeland bagged 28 points and 6 assists for the Wolfpack, but it wasn’t enough. “I liked watching the Maui Invitational, it is always an exciting tournament,” Torrence remarked.
This college basketball season is shaping up to be an exciting one like always, and it was interesting to get an early look at some of the programs and how they play in bracket setting at a neutral site. I’m excited to see how everything plays out this season and I think Feast Week was a great way to get an early look.
