Just a month into the season, it feels like we’ve seen every top ranked team drop a game, especially during Feast Week. We didn’t have as many ranked matchups as past years, but that is mostly a product of all the upsets in the Thanksgiving tournaments. As a result, the AP rankings for this upcoming week have seen quite a bit of volatility. Here are the teams that feasted and the ones that were left hungry.
Winner: Auburn Tigers
The clear winner of the week is Auburn. While they were already ranked fourth in the country coming into the Maui Invitational, they proved that they belong in the conversation for the best team in college hoops. With wins over No. 5 Iowa State, No. 12 North Carolina and Memphis, the Tigers secured the tournament trophy and now boast three victories against top-15 opponents. That was enough for them to move up to No. 2 in the AP rankings, behind Kansas.
Winner: Oregon Ducks
Although Oregon entered the Players Era Festival undefeated, few expected them to walk away with the $1.5 million NIL prize. Oregon faced No. 20 Texas A&M, San Diego State and No. 9 Alabama, and still managed to win the tournament. Just like that, they’re ranked No. 12 in the country.
Loser: UConn Huskies
In an overtime thriller last Monday, Coach Dan Hurley and his UConn team barely lost to a quality Memphis team. It happens. But it didn’t end there. UConn proceeded to drop two more consecutive games to Colorado and Dayton. Three unranked opponents, three losses. In a nearly unprecedented fall, the 2024 reigning champs plummeted from No. 2 in the country to No. 25. Hurley and his squad need to figure things out quickly if they want to see a three-peat.
Loser: Indiana Hoosiers
For the Hoosiers, the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament offered an opportunity to strengthen their resume, with few signature wins until that point. Instead, Mike Woodson and his team ended the week unranked, capped off by a 28-point loss to a Louisville team that went 8–24 last season. With losses to Louisville and Gonzaga, Indiana’s shiny new roster didn’t shine much during Feast Week. If Woodson doesn’t turn things around soon, he might be job hunting come March.
