Which college basketball teams had the best Feast Week?

By Kels Dayton
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Updated: November 28, 2016

Baylor forward Johnathan Motley (5) celebrates his dunk as Oregon’s Jordan Bell (1), Casey Benson (2) and Kavell Bigby-Williams, right rear, watch in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday Nov. 15, 2016, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Thanksgiving week is over, and if you’re like us, you’re probably feeling a little bit of sadness after saying goodbye to your relatives and polishing off the last piece of pie crust with six and a half scoops of ice cream.

Nah, it’s not because you won’t see them again until Christmas. Or because the ice cream’s gone.

It’s that the non-stop, noon-to-midnight college hoops action that graced your TV screen over the past week-plus is no more. “Feast Week” is one of the best times of the year, and now it’s just a memory you won’t think about until you see it on TimeHop next year, when you’ll wonder why you sent out 23 tweets during the UConn-Oregon game.

But, we digress.

Which teams had the best Feast Week this year? Check it out below:

Baylor.

The Bears may not have started out strong in three games in the Bahamas, but man, did they finish. Baylor outscored VCU 43-27, Michigan State 43-25 and Louisville 42-24 in the second half of games during their run to the Battle 4 Atlantis title. They came back from 22 points down in the final against the Cardinals on Friday, emerging with a stunning 66-63 win in what might have been the best game of the young season so far.

The Bahamas sweep, combined with a 66-49 demolition of then-No. 4 Oregon during the tip-off marathon, has vaulted the 6-0 Bears to the No. 9 spot in this week’s AP poll. We think they might deserve to be higher.

Baylor is deep, big, and can wear teams down with its physical strength inside. Battle 4 Atlantis tournament MVP Jonathan Motley (17.8 ppg, 7 rpg) looks like a legitimate candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, and at 6-10, 238 lbs., he could be a first-round NBA Draft pick.

Miami transfer Manu Lecomte has done a nice job running the offense while also picking his spots (he had a game-high 18 against Oregon). He’s averaging 13 points and 5.7 dimes so far.

North Carolina.

While everybody else spent the offseason freaking out about how good Duke, Kentucky and Kansas were going to be, North Carolina quietly returned four double-figure scorers and added 6-10 freshman Tony Bradley, who’s averaging a solid 10.7 points in 17 minutes per.

The ‘Heels were downright scary in Maui, embarrassing Oklahoma State (107-75) and Wisconsin (71-56) and flying back to the mainland with the trophy in what might have been the least competitive Maui Invitational in history. Not that that’s UNC’s problem. The Tar Heels look like a legitimate national championship contender behind Joel Berry (17.1 ppg), Justin Jackson (15.4), and Isaiah Hicks (14.6).

We’ll get another look at Carolina on Wednesday, when they travel to Indiana in what should be a barnburner (haha–Indiana jokes).

South Carolina.

It took a little while, but Frank Martin seems to have things rolling in Columbia now. The Gamecocks suffocated No. 25 Michigan, 61-46 last Sunday, holding the Wolverines to abominable 10-for-52 shooting and just 19 points in the second half. They then cruised past No. 18 Syracuse, 64-50, on Saturday in Brooklyn, holding the ‘Cuse to just 14-of-44 from the field.

Defense has clearly been the key for the Gamecocks, but their offensive star has been senior guard Sindarius Thornwell (20 ppg, 7 rpg), who’s shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 48% from three. He’s a bruising, rugged presence and should be a first-team All-SEC contender.

“Every game we come out and guard, that’s what our coaching staff and our team prides itself on, defense,” guard PJ Dozier told the AP after the Syracuse lockdown. “We make our offense out of our defense.”

The Gamecocks check in at No. 20 in this week’s AP poll. They’ll face Seton Hall on Dec. 12, in what should be a decent test.

UCLA.

The Bruins are ballin’ behind freshman point guard Lonzo Ball, who has more than lived up to the hype. The 6-6 guard is averaging 16 points and 9 assists per game, and was named Pac-12 Player of the Week after leading UCLA to the Wooden Legacy title with a 74-67 win over a talented Texas A&M squad.

This UCLA team is loaded–with sharpshooter Bryce Alford, capable big man T.J. Leaf (their leading scorer at 17.1 ppg) and valuable swingman Isaac Hamilton flanking Ball. They’ve got a chance to make a deep run come March.

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