Many believe that Thanksgiving week has become almost as much about the college basketball tournaments the football. Those people are wrong. Still, I love these get-togethers. As the week begins, you put off as much work as possible and prepare for Black Friday, here’s a few quick-hit thoughts on all the overwhelming basketball that’s about to go down. Which is your favorite? Maui kind of doesn’t count, because it’s clearly the best. The Gus Johnson Excitability Factor is on a scale of 1-11. Because Gus clearly goes to 11. Maybe even 13.
What: CBE Classic
When: Semifinals and finals Monday and Tuesday in Kansas City.
Who: Texas, Pittsburgh, Wichita State, Iowa.
The skinny: This tournament’’s kind of a fucking joke, really. And pardon the language, but Iowa is playing in in the semifinals despite getting handled by Texas-San Antonio and Duquesne. Sweet justice would be Texas smoking Iowa by 30 points. That will probably happen.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 7.2
What: Legends Classic
When: Semifinals and finals Friday and Saturday in Newark, N.J.
Who: Massachusetts, Rutgers, Michigan State, Florida.
The skinny: Well, what do we have here … another farce! Yes, the Gazelle Group, which puts on the CBE Classic and this shuck and jive show put Rutgers into the final four despite Vermont winning over the Scarlet Knights Sunday. Also: Cornell beat UMass last week. May put in a call this week to Gazelle Group about this.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 6.2
What: Cancun Challenge
When: Tuesday-Saturday Cancun, Mexico.
Who: Kentucky, Stanford, Virginia, Cleveland State, Oral Roberts, Sam Houston State, Rider, Florida A&M.
The skinny: A rough field, even with sexy Kentucky involved. Hard to get excited about it. I won’t try and sell you.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 5.4
What: Paradise Jam
When: Semifinals and finals Sunday and Monday in the Virgin Islands.
Who: DePaul, Purdue, Saint Joseph’s, Tennessee.
The skinny: Tennessee is a running team. Such teams can flame out in these kinds of circumstances. Is DePaul better than we thought? The Northern Iowa win was impressive. Not sure if they can slow the Vols down, though. Purdue-St. Joe’s is a game that can’t be avoided.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 7.7
Sean Miller gets his chance on the national state in Hawaii.
What: Maui Invitational
When: Monday-Wednesday in Maui.
Who: Arizona, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Colorado, Chaminade.
The skinny: It’s the flagship tournament of this week. Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas and Sean McDonough knock off the rust, throw a few barbs at each other and reinforce the idea that they are the best broadcasting team in all of college sports. This field looked a lot better three years ago, when Wisconsin, Vandy, Maryland and Arizona all set up camp in the top 25. Regardless, something about that tiny little gym stirs up something sweet about the college game. Plus, there’s the charm of Chaminade, who will upset again one day, I promise. You have to consider Gonzaga the favorite.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 9.1 for “Onions!” “A lil kiss!” and “Mantoman!” alone.
What: Preseason NIT
When: Wednesday and Friday in New York City.
Who: UConn, Duke, Arizona State, LSU.
The skinny: The Garden could use some more quality basketball, as the Coaches vs. Cancer came up a little short in the drama department. Duke-Arizona St. and UConn-LSU are the matchups, with everyone hoping the East-Coast bullies hold serve. I should be there Friday night, so I wouldn’t say not to Blue Devils-Huskies. The best thing about the week, potentially? Nolan Smith’s tweets.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 9.2.
Jarvis Varnado is perhaps the best shot-blocker in the country.
What: South Padre Invitational
When: Friday and Saturday at South Padre Island, Texas.
Who: Richmond, Missouri, Mississippi State, Old Dominion, Longwood, Texas Pan American, Bethune Cookman, Chattanooga.
The skinny: This is a tournament that Mississippi State should win. If it wants to be taken seriously, it needs to roll through this group. Missouri will provide a challenge, but the Bulldogs are the better team.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 7.2.
What: 76 Classic
When: Nov. Thursday, Friday and Sunday in Anaheim, Calif.
Who: UCLA, Clemson, Butler, West Virginia, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Long Beach State, Portland.
The skinny: Minnesota-Butler is a terrific first-round matchup in this one. I think the 76 Classic has been the most overlooked tournament in the past couple years. You have five schools who could realistically win this, and everyone seems capable of an upset. Portland is a hot team worth keeping your eye on. They just knocked off Oregon and get another Pac-10 foe in UCLA in the first round here.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 9.5.
What: Old Spice Classic
When: Nov. Thursday, Friday and Sunday in Orlando.
Who: Florida State, Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Iona, Marquette, Michigan, Xavier.
The skinny: Marquette-Xavier is the one to really look forward to among the quarterfinal games. If the terribly scheduled Turkey Day football games flame out, you could get a surprise here or there. Want to see Michigan and FSU. They’re still enigmas, really, but both have high ceilings for this year.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 7.6.
What: Great Alaska Shootout
When: Wednesday-Saturday in Anchorage.
Who: Oklahoma, San Diego, Houston, Washington State, Buffalo, Anchorage.
The skinny: Oklahoma’s a good get, but this thing has totally flamed out. Alaska and Maui used to compete for the big-name schools.
Gus Johnson excitability factor: 5.3.
