College basketball has served some delicious appetizers thus far from the Champions Classic to Florida-Arizona to BYU-UConn and so on. But the sport’s frenzied schedule delivers a veritable cornucopia of hoops with the arrival of Feast Week. Thanksgiving may be the more relevant calendar landmark to most, but to college hoops aficionados, the non-stop basketball is an exquisite complement to the long holiday weekend. Below is an overview of the various events heading our way, with some notes on the most anticipated matchups during this festive time in the sport. Eat up, fans — and help yourself to seconds!

Special thanks to Chris Dobbertean’s MTE tracker, a fantastic resource for Feast Week and beyond.

HeadlinersPlayers Era Festival (Las Vegas, Nov. 24-27)

Teams (18): Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee, UNLV

Format: The newest crown jewel of Feast Week, the Players Era Festival has made Las Vegas a major destination for college basketball media and fans alike. The Athletic will have plenty of coverage from the event itself, but for viewers, the format is a little tricky to follow.

Every team is scheduled for two “group play” games on Monday and Tuesday. The results of those games will set the matchups for Wednesday, with a “championship” coming between the two teams with the best records and point differentials from those Monday-Tuesday contests. That means multiple teams could go 2-0 and not see each other in the Era title game.

The records and tiebreakers will filter down the standings to set up the rest of the Wednesday slate, with other games taking place on Thursday.

Favorites: So far, Gonzaga has been the best team in this field. The Bulldogs have drubbed Oklahoma and Creighton, and they comfortably handled Arizona State on the road. They get Alabama in the opener on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET) in what is essentially an elimination game for the championship. The Tide proved their mettle in a road win at St. John’s, but their defense has been very leaky. The schedule eases on Tuesday for both, when they face shorthanded opponents (Maryland for Gonzaga, UNLV for Alabama).

Houston and Tennessee both possess elite defenses, and they square off on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET). Expect both to roll through their Monday matchups (the Cougars get Syracuse, while the Vols face Rutgers), setting up a showdown that could decide one championship participant.

Kansas may not be the best team in Vegas, but the Jayhawks have an appealing schedule for the point differential format. The Jayhawks get Notre Dame and Syracuse, arguably the easiest opening schedule of any participant. They’ll need a healthy Darryn Peterson, but Kansas could be a threat given the funky format.

The Rest: Two major elimination games go down on Monday. Michigan and its stable of big men take on San Diego State’s elite defense, while St. John’s and Rick Pitino take on Iowa State. All four of those squads could be top-15 teams by the time the season concludes.

Elsewhere, Creighton-Baylor and Auburn-Oregon present some intrigue. Baylor has been excellent in the early going, headlined by a wire-to-wire win over Washington. The Bears’ potent offense should outgun the Bluejays, who were no match for Gonzaga. Auburn has rallied under new coach Steven Pearl after a season-opening survival against Bethune-Cookman, while Oregon remains undefeated, albeit in unimpressive fashion.

Maui Invitational (Lahaina, Hawaii, Nov. 24-26)

Teams (8): Arizona State, Boise State, Chaminade, NC State, Seton Hall, Texas, USC, Washington State

Format: Long the premier event of Feast Week, Maui’s format is the purest form of November tournament play: eight-team bracket, three games for everyone. After years of the championship game coming late in the night on the East Coast, it is now the second tip on Wednesday, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Favorites: While Maui lacks the blue-blood headliners of years past, this event could ultimately have two top-20 teams via NC State and USC, both of whom look sharp to start the season. Will Wade’s Wolfpack are shredding opponents to start the year — even UAB, an annual tough out, stood no chance. For the Trojans, the Muss Bus is finally in gear after stalling last season in Eric Musselman’s debut. Both teams bring a ton of versatility and backcourt scoring to the proceedings, and their similar rosters and demonstrative coaches could lead to fireworks on the Lahaina Civic Center’s legendarily soft rims.

The rest: Will Bobby Hurley and Arizona State follow in the footsteps of his brother’s UConn team last year and go 0-3 on the island? Can Boise State start building an at-large resume despite losing to Division II Hawaii Pacific, or could they end up losing to a second D-II team from Hawaii? How good is Sean Miller’s first Texas squad? Does Shaheen Holloway sneakily have an at-large contender at his alma mater Seton Hall? The top two teams at this event seem clear, but upsets could still happen.

Battle 4 Atlantis (Nassau, Bahamas, Nov. 26-28)

Teams (8): Colorado State, Saint Mary’s, South Florida, Vanderbilt, VCU, Virginia Tech, Western Kentucky, Wichita State

Format: Like Maui, Atlantis is an eight-team bracketed event at a sublime vacation destination. Unlike Maui, Atlantis is played in a ballroom rather than a gymnasium, but that setting actually has some charm of its own.

Favorites: What initially appeared to be a lackluster field in the Bahamas has seen some major appreciation in value. Vanderbilt sits 12th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin, and Saint Mary’s recently entered the site’s top 25. Colorado State and Virginia Tech have gotten off to impressive starts, VCU is a consistent winner and South Florida might be the best team in the American. The Hokies in particular have major star appeal via hyper-athlete Tobi Lawal and Greek prospect Neo Avdalas. Even WKU and Wichita State appear to be drastically improved.

If Vanderbilt and Saint Mary’s reach the title game, basketball purists will get a delightful stylistic clash between two fantastic coaches in a rematch of a round of 64 game last March. The Commodores want to force turnovers and play in transition, while Randy Bennett’s Gaels are a bastion of half-court execution and strict defensive discipline.

Others to watch

Baha Mar Bahamas Championships (Nassau, Bahamas, Nov. 20-21)

With apologies to Memphis and Wake Forest, two feisty underdogs that put forth impressive efforts in Thursday’s opening games, this event has always been about the two headliners: Purdue and Texas Tech. Featuring arguably the two best returning players in the sport in the Boilermakers’ Braden Smith and the Red Raiders’ JT Toppin, Friday night’s championship clash could be a classic. TTU has Christian Anderson as an answer to Smith, while Trey Kaufman-Renn will duel Toppin in the paint.

Charleston Classic (Charleston, S.C., Nov. 21 and 23)

Always a sign of Feast Week’s arrival, the Charleston Classic kicks off on Friday, though it is now two separate four-team events after a long run as an eight-team tournament. In the Palmetto bracket, three of the four teams — Clemson, Georgia and West Virginia — look solid this year, but poor Xavier is in a clear rebuild under new coach Richard Pitino. Meanwhile, in the Lowcountry bracket, Utah State is the clear favorite. The Aggies may not get much help toward their postseason resume with Boston College, Tulane and Davidson in their field.

Greenbrier Tip-Off, Mountain Division (White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., Nov. 21 and 23)

One of Feast Week’s openers, this event brings in four power-conference squads in Butler, Northwestern, South Carolina and Virginia for its second edition. The new-look Cavaliers hung 104 points on Marshall on Saturday, and Ryan Odom has made an immediate impact in Charlottesville. But do not count out the other three squads, all of whom have hopes of making the NCAA Tournament. The only loss so far among that trio is Butler’s defeat at SMU.

This is not a bracketed event, however. The matchups are as follows: Butler-South Carolina and Northwestern-Virginia on Friday, Butler-Virginia and Northwestern-South Carolina on Sunday.

Acrisure Series (Palm Desert, Calif., Nov. 25-28)

The headliners of this solid collection of four-team bracketed fields are in the Acrisure Classic, where a first-round meeting between Iowa and Ole Miss pits two outstanding coaches in Ben McCollum and Chris Beard. The winner faces the winner of Utah vs. Grand Canyon, but the showcase game is guaranteed on Tuesday.

The undercards have some appeal, as well. The Acrisure Invitational features four at-large hopefuls in Saint Louis, Santa Clara, Stanford and Minnesota. Josh Schertz’s Billikens and Herb Sendek’s Broncos have gotten off to outstanding starts. Stanford, meanwhile, features star freshman Ebuka Okorie, one of the nation’s top scorers (25.5 PPG).

Fort Myers Tip-Off, Beach Division (Fort Myers, Fla., Nov. 25 and 27)

The clear standout from this non-bracketed event is the North Carolina-Michigan State showdown on Thanksgiving. The Tip-Off also features St. Bonaventure and East Carolina, but the Tar Heels and Spartans have a guaranteed matchup regardless of what happens in the Tuesday undercards.

The Spartans’ ultra-athletic Coen Carr is must-see TV. Tom Izzo’s team lacks shooting but is terrifyingly physical and stingy on the defensive end. The bruising duo of Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler will face a stiff test against UNC’s Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, one of the most productive frontcourt duos in the country.

Rady Children’s Invitational (San Diego, Nov. 27-28)

The ideal headliner of this four-team bracketed field would be a Florida vs. Wisconsin championship game. With a controlling victory over in-state foe Miami, the reigning champion Gators have started to look more like themselves, and they could really take off if they ever start making shots (23.5 percent from 3 through four games).

Wisconsin, meanwhile, has been cruising along against buy game competition. The Badgers get a pre-Feast Week test in Salt Lake City via an NCAA Tournament rematch with BYU, but win or lose there, this would be a heavyweight showdown. Of course, Florida and Wisconsin will have to get by tests from TCU and Providence, two high-major squads that will be desperate for marquee wins after underwhelming starts.

ESPN Events Invitational, Magic Bracket (Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Nov. 27-28)

This field has been boosted by a stellar start from Georgetown, with the Hoyas looking like a top-three Big East team in the early portion of the season. Pair that with the offensive fireworks of BYU and AJ Dybantsa, and the Wide World of Sports could host a stellar championship game. However, Dayton and Miami could be dangerous.

Duke vs. Arkansas (Chicago, Nov. 27)

John Calipari against Jon Scheyer and Duke at the United Center needs very little introduction. Unsurprisingly, this matchup is loaded with freshmen talent, and it could feature as many as four 2026 NBA Draft lottery picks: Duke’s Cam Boozer is a surefire high selection, and teammate Dame Sarr plus Razorbacks Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas have their supporters as well. Throw in Trevon Brazile, Karter Knox, Cayden Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Nik Khamenia and Pat Ngongba, and the court is going to be flush with future pros. Calipari’s teams will never be out-athleted, and this could be a barnburner while you serve yourself seconds (or thirds).

Notably, this is part of a doubleheader, with a nightcap featuring Oklahoma State and Northwestern. Those two programs entered the year with lower expectations but could sneak into the NCAA Tournament picture with underrated rosters and coaches.