9 places every men's college basketball fan will want to be around the Thanksgiving holiday

Here comes Thanksgiving week. Meaning here comes a line of tournaments that resemble a college basketball Macy’s parade. Consider the possibilities, from Maui to Nassau, in chronological order...

Another hey-see-what-Pitino’s-up-to moment in the Bahamas

If No. 22 St. John’s can beat No. 13 Baylor on Thursday, it’d be the first Red Storm victory in a ranked matchup in nearly 14 years, while suggesting that down the road they’re even more of a threat to give Rick Pitino an unprecedented sixth different school in the NCAA tournament. This is also a clash of coaching dynasties. The Drew clan — father Homer and sons Scott from Baylor and Bryce from Grand Canyon — have 1,368 wins among them. The Pitinos — father Rick and son Richard at New Mexico — have 1,081.

READ MORE: Andy Katz's latest power rankings

Maybe another Syracuse-Texas game owned by a freshman

These two, who play Thursday night at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, haven’t met since the 2003 Final Four. Syracuse won that one with 33 points from rookie Carmelo Anthony. It’s Texas with the hot freshman this time, Tre Johnson averaging 23.5 points and shooting 58.6 percent on 3-pointers.

A going-away bash for Texas and Texas Tech.

They have played 157 times in basketball but not anymore with Texas off to the SEC. If both win or lose their games in Brooklyn on Thursday, it’ll be a date on Friday.

Maui being Maui.

Auburn is ranked No. 4. Iowa State is No. 5. That sounds like a fine championship game but in this tournament there are seldom warmup laps. Not with four of the Associated Press top-10 in the same zip code. Welcome to the Maui Invitational.

The breakfast menu will still be serving when No. 2 Connecticut and Memphis tip off at 9:30 a.m. Maui time. The Huskies’ scary early numbers — winning by an average of 37.8 points and dominating in blocked shots 43-6 to name a couple — came against Le Moyne, East Texas A&M and the rest of the assortment off the hors d‘oeuvres platter. The lifting starts getting heavier against the Tigers. Later in the bracket, Connecticut could see Michigan State or Colorado and then maybe Auburn or Iowa State or North Carolina. Get through all that and the pounding on the three-peat drum can begin. As always, Maui is a great place for luaus, snorkeling and making a statement in the early basketball season. At the moment, the Huskies men aren’t even getting the big basketball headlines on campus. They might be two-time national champions, but the women now have the all-time winningest coach in the history of Division I basketball. Some basketball holy land, that Storrs.

The chance to see a big game in Las Vegas. Unless you want to walk down the street to the other big game

Google says it's a 14 minute stroll from the MGM Grand Garden Arena to the T-Mobile Arena. That’ll be the hottest couple of blocks in college basketball Tuesday night. The Players Era Festival — a tribute to basketball, bright lights and NIL money — will be going on all day at the MGM, with the main event Houston vs. Alabama during happy hour at 5 p.m. Cougars defense, meet Mark Sears. But an hour later and under a mile away at T-Mobile Arena, it’s the Vegas Showdown with No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 12 Duke. That’s one of the top non-conference games of the season, but it’s barely the best game in the same town that day. Kansas and Duke are alike in color of uniforms and blood — decidedly blue — but very different in experience. The Jayhawks have Bill Self, who just hit 800 wins. Duke has Jon Scheyer, who is at 57. Kansas’ lineup the other night had five guys who have started a combined 445 games in college. Duke has three freshmen who will be starting their sixth college games.

Rutgers’ new freshman duet act playing Vegas

If Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey thrive in the bright lights and do something naughty like knock off a Houston or Alabama, who knows where it might lead? What happens in Vegas might not stay in Vegas.

Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner missing a shot

Perhaps even several. The Bluejays are in the Players Era, too, and will face San Diego State and then Texas A&M and then someone from the other bracket. It’d be interesting if it were Houston, matching Kalkbrenner’s 89-percent shooting against the Cougars defense that rarely rests.

Gonzaga polishing its resume for No. 1 in case anything happens to Kansas and Connecticut

If so, it’ll happen in a ballroom in the Bahamas. To win the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Zags will have to dispose of West Virginia and then either Indiana or Louisville and then maybe Arizona, and wouldn’t that be a nifty clash of guards? Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard and his shiny 47-6 assist-turnover ratio and Arizona All-America Caleb Love. Gonzaga and Indiana haven’t met in 16 years. The Hoosiers are unbeaten but the schedule so far is nothing to dazzle. Just like some people are saying about their football team. If Gonzaga plans on bringing anything back from the Bahamas it’d better be momentum because next come Kentucky and UConn.

The 2024 Final Four revisited

It was Purdue 63, North Carolina State 50 last April. Many things will be different when they meet again in San Diego, starting with who’ll be jumping center.