We’ve been anxiously waiting for Feast Week since… well, since last year’s Feast Week. The Thanksgiving hoopapalooza is always delectable, but this year the servings are especially prodigious. On top of the usual fare from Maui and The Bahamas, the city of Las Vegas has significantly ramped up its menu. The inaugural Players Era Festival is an eight-team event in which teams will be paid seven figures in NIL money. That has never happened before. We also have a one-off blueblood clash between Duke and Kansas in Vegas tomorrow night. And that’s not to mention the women’s events that include numerous matchups between highly-ranked teams.

Speaking of which, it was quite a weekend in my adopted hometown of L.A., where Notre Dame and UCLA upended women’s hoops with wins over USC and South Carolina, respectively. Our Senior Women’s Correspondent Eden Laase explains below what those results mean for the sport. Eden also has her new Top 25 women’s rankings, which as usual will run alongside my men’s rankings as well as my weekly Hoop Thoughts column.

As for Feast Week, Staff Writer Alex Squadron has a preview of the week's top tournaments. Trust me, you’ll want to read it before you tune in (and bet if you’re so inclined). It’s going to be a great week to watch hoops and be grateful, which, as usual, go together like turkey and stuffing. Gobble gobble!

— Seth

UCLA IS NOW THE BEST TEAM IN WOMEN'S HOOPS

By Eden Laase

UCLA coach Cori Close has spent the past few seasons building a powerhouse. In 2021, she signed three top recruits, including the No. 2 player in Kiki Rice and a swaggy sharp shooter in Londynn Jones. Then the Bruins added Lauren Betts, a transfer from Stanford, in 2023, and two more transfers, Timea Gardiner (Oregon State) and Janiah Barker (Texas A&M) heading into this season. They’ve got freshman Elina Aarnisalo, who has years of pro experience in Finland and runs the offense like she was born in a UCLA uniform. Gabriela Jaquez is a do-it-all player who makes all the right plays and gets very little credit. Then there’s Charlisse Leger-Walker, another high-scoring transfer who has yet to see the court due to injury.

This team had everything it needed except a signature moment. That finally arrived on Sunday.

GAME OF THE DAY: No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 5 Iowa State: What a way to kick off Feast Week! Led by star Johni Broome, Auburn has already toppled an elite defensive squad in Houston. The only team allowing fewer points per game than the Cougars? Iowa State. This should be a great one. 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.