MEMPHIS, Tenn — Feast Week was stuffed with exciting Top 25 showdowns. My top four courses of MTEs from Thanksgiving week: The Phil Knight Invitational and Phil Knight Legacy brackets, The Maui Invitational and The Battle 4 Atlantis.
There were terrific championship games and surprising upsets, the latter headlined by Alabama's quadruple overtime win over No. 1 North Carolina. It was the Tarheels second-straight loss after falling to then-unranked Iowa State on Saturday night. Even before this week, UNC has not looked like the preseason No. 1 team we anticipated. They fall to No. 23 in my ballot, with a chance to regain ground Wednesday in Bloomington, Ind.
Arizona emerged with the Jim Maui Invitational title, but I saw three teams capable of reaching the Final Four. Creighton's semifinal win over Arkansas may have been the most competitive regulation game of Thanksgiving Week. That's why both teams are on the rise in my ballot despite taking losses.
Also new to my Top 10: Purdue and UConn. After losing four of their top seven scorers, the Boilermakers did not have the preseason hype they have become accustomed to. But with an 18-point win over Gonzaga and a 19-point win over Duke, Matt Painter's team showed why they belong among the nation's best.
UConn defeated Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State by a combined margin of 57 points to win the Phil Knight Invitational title. The Huskies are the deepest and most talent squad of Dan Hurley's Connecticut tenure, and their record reflects that. Connecticut is 8-0, their best start since their national championship season in 2013-14.
MY AP TOP 25 BALLOT:
1.Houston
2.Texas
3.Arizona
4.Virginia
5.Purdue
6.Creighton
7.UConn
8.Arkansas
9.Baylor
10.Kansas
11.Indiana
12.Gonzaga
13.Alabama
14.Auburn
15.Illinois
16.Michigan State
17.Kentucky
18.Tennessee
19.Duke
20.UCLA
21.Maryland
22.Iowa State
23.UNC
24.San Diego State
25.TCU
IN THE MIX: Iowa, Texas Tech, Saint Mary’s, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, St. John’s, Wisconsin, Michigan