Appetizers for Feast Week

One of the biggest mistakes we make in the first couple of weeks of the season is declaring certain teams "dead." Be careful with your assumptions, because the program that you don't think is good could have a couple of hot days and win an MTE.

Ask Arizona State, which just won the Legends Classic. And we have 10-plus days of action to see who else surprises and makes us eat our words, starting now.

Let's get to the news.

1. Some surprises kick off "Feast Week"

The unofficial start of all-day events began Wednesday, but the Myrtle Beach Invitational and Charleston Classic brought us some delicious early results when four clear favorites lost on Thursday. Let's break them down.

UMass 66, Colorado 63: The first big win of the Frank Martin era. Noah Fernandes led all scorers with 22 points, and freshman guard RJ Luis had a huge effort off the bench with 18. As for Colorado, it's the current leader for the "most confusing team to analyze" in the country, with a win over Tennessee and a loss to Grambling on its resume.

Murray State 88, Texas A&M 79: It's Steve Prohm's second stint at Murray State, and he got a program-defining victory in his third game back, beating a nationally-ranked Texas A&M squad. Murray State controlled the game for the most part and had three players with at least 17 points, led by Jacobi Wood with 23. 

"When we were matching their toughness and competing the right way, trying to defend, when guys are starting to make the next play, the extra pass, I knew we had the chance," Prohm said on AFTER DARK.

Watch his full interview below.

Charlotte 54, Boise State 42: Whether you want to blame the Broncos or credit the 49ers for the 11 total points Boise State scored in the first half, the low-scoring battle went in favor of the C-USA team. Brice Williams led Charlotte with 12 points off the bench, while forward Aly Khalifa had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Coach Leon Rice tried to explain the loss:

Tulsa 85, Loyola-Chicago 66: It was tied at halftime, but the Golden Hurricane exploded for 55 second-half points, turning it into a blowout. Sam Griffin (20 points) was a star for the AAC team, but Brandon Betson's (18) and Tim Dalger's (17) contributions were the difference makers. Phillip Alston (18 points) was the lone Rambler in double figures.

This creates some interesting matchups going forward. Either Charlotte or Tulsa will make the Myrtle Beach finals and get at least two wins in this event, while UMass and Murray State now become the favorites to win the Charleston Classic. Just as important: one of Colorado, Boise State, Texas A&M and Loyola-Chicago is now guaranteed to go 0-3 this week. And considering that each of them had preseason at-large hopes, these games will be pivotal just to salvage something.

2. The surprises don't stop there ...

We already touched on four favorites losing, but there wasn't a more stunning final score than the Legends Classic finale at the Barclays Center. 

Arizona State entered the event fresh off a loss at Texas Southern. Yet it beat VCU and then trounced No. 20 Michigan on Thursday, 87-62.

The Sun Devils (4-1) raced out to an early double-digit lead and not only held on for all 40 minutes, but led the Wolverines (3-1) by as much as 30 points. Desmond Cambridge (20 points) and DJ Horne (19 points) led ASU, along with 15 off the bench from Austin Nunez. Michigan center Hunter Dickinson had 14 points, five rebounds, one steal and one prediction gone horribly wrong. 

So what happened with the Wolverines? John Fanta, Randolph Childress and John Henson weigh in.

Also from Thursday (we told you there were more surprises):

Sam Houston State 65, Utah 55: It's the second upset over a power conference opponent for the Bearkats (4-0), having beaten Oklahoma a week prior. While many view Grand Canyon and New Mexico State as the WAC favorites, Sam Houston State, led by star guard Qua Grant (22 points) is a legit contender. It's the first setback for Utah (3-1), but it did get a nice game from Rollie Worster (14-7-5). 

Colorado State 85, South Carolina 53: Even without injured point guard Isaiah Stevens, the Rams (4-0) look formidable. GG Jackson's dunk 25 seconds into the game was the closest South Carolina (2-1) ever got. James Moors (24 points) led the way for CSU, which made 58 percent of its shots and turned the ball over just eight times. Jackson had 20 for SC.

Penn State 73, Furman 68: The Nittany Lions were up by 17 points at halftime, but Furman (2-1) closed the gap to 3 points late. Thanks to 20 points each from Jalen Pickett and Seth Lundy, Penn State (4-0) remains unbeaten and has been one of the more impressive Big Ten teams.

VCU 71, Pittsburgh 67: Both teams were without their best players, and it was an ugly night offensively. They traded runs throughout the second half but the Rams (3-1) got the final one to get 3rd place in the Legends Classic Tournament.

Charleston 89, Davidson 66: The ebbs and flows here were strange. The Cougars (3-1) were favored, and they frustrated Foster Loyer (two early fouls) and the Wildcats throughout the first half, leading by 14. The Wildcats (3-1) cut it to 54-51 with just over 12 minutes left but hit just four of their final 14 shots. Dalton Bolon and Ryan Larson each had 21 for Charleston, which plays Colorado State tonight.

Utah State 91, San Diego 89 (OT): Oregon transfer Eric Williams had the best scoring night in San Diego (3-1) history, tallying 43 points and making two clutch 3-pointers to take the game into overtime. But the Aggies (4-0) continued their blazing offensive start to the season, with Dan Akin going for 21 and 15 off the bench.

3. Cancel those Friday night plans (unless it involves hoops)

The "Feast Week" appetizers started Thursday. And there's a whole first course on Friday, featuring several key matchups on the national radar.

Indiana (2-0) is the Big Ten favorite and a Final Four hopeful. Meanwhile, Xavier (3-0) looks to make its first national statement under new coach Sean Miller. It'll be the battle of the veteran frontcourts as the Hoosiers' Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson will have to deal with Zach Freemantle (fresh off a triple-double) and Jack Nunge of the Musketeers. (6 pm ET, FS1)

Virginia (2-0) has one of the oldest rosters in D-I. But will that experience be enough to overcome a potential backcourt onslaught from Baylor (3-0)? It's the first of two excellent semifinal matchups in the Continental Tire Main Event Tournament. (7 pm ET, ESPN2).

You know about Michigan State (2-1). The Spartans are coming off a Champions Classic victory over No. 4 Kentucky and should have plenty of confidence vs. Villanova. The Wildcats (2-1) had a setback last week on the road at Temple, giving new coach Kyle Neptune his first loss. The status of 5-star freshman wing Cam Whitmore is unclear for this game, which would give the home Spartans the edge. (8 pm ET, FS1)

The other Continental Tire semifinal features UCLA (3-0) and Illinois (3-0) in perhaps the most interesting game of the night. This is the first true test for both teams and will be a nice challenge for the 5-star freshmen of the Bruins (Amari Bailey and Adem Bona) and the Illini transfers (Terrence Shannon, Dain Dainja and Matthew Mayer). (9:30 pm ET approx, ESPNU)

4. Toledo "Rockets" up the mid-major rankings

Fewer than 30 teams have averaged at least 90 ppg this season. Most of them are teams playing vastly inferior D-I competition or even D-II or III opponents to start the year. That makes what Toledo is doing all the more impressive.

The Rockets have wins over Valpo, UAB, and Oakland, averaging a whopping 96.7 ppg. And that Oakland win was a historically good performance. 

The Rockets ranked tenth in scoring last season (79.9 ppg) but lost its best player, Ryan Rollins, to the pro ranks. They returned a trio of starters that averaged at least 12 ppg in JT Shumate, RayJ Dennis and Sedric Milner. Each of them has helped replaced Rollins' production, combining to average 60 ppg in three games, while also shooting around 50 percent from deep.

One could argue that Toledo is not just the MAC favorite, but also the top mid-major team in the country. They were third in the Field of 68's latest Top-25 mid-major poll behind Furman (who lost to Penn State) and Drake. 

Toledo's impressive start should have basketball fans on notice, both in the league and nationally. The team has a few tough road challenges coming up, but if it can remain unbeaten, a Top 25 ranking in the AP poll could be in its future. And coach Tod Kowalczyk has made it a goal for this team: "I won't be happy until we crack those polls." 

5. Keyon Menifield, the freshman nobody's talking about (yet)

A number of freshmen have grabbed headlines, such as Keyonte George (Baylor), Kyle Filipowski (Duke), Gradey Dick (Kansas) and Brandon Miller (Alabama). But every year, there are guys who weren't 5-star prospects that end up putting up massive numbers.

Take Keyon Menifield, a 6-1 point guard out of Flint, Mich. He was listed as a 3-star recruit per 247sports and ranked outside of the top 200. But on a Washington team that lost 21 ppg from Terrell Brown in the backcourt, there was an opportunity for the freshman to not only come in and get immediate minutes but to make an impact as well.

Menifield is averaging 15.8 ppg through four games. That already includes a 21-point effort versus North Florida and 26 points in the comeback win over Utah Tech, logging all 40 minutes in the effort. His play has made a lot of Washington supporters happy, including coach Mike Hopkins.

“The thing that makes him special is he always smiles,” Hopkins said. “He never gets down. It’s a great lesson for anybody out there watching, coaching kids or whatnot, just a great attitude.” 

Menifield is an electric guard who can score in bunches, something this new-look Huskies roster will need. He had his first off-game of the season, scoring 8 points on 4/14 shooting in last night's loss to Cal Baptist. It showed both his importance and the team's potential down the road this season if the freshman guard continues to improve. 

And there are plenty of signs that his development can continue. He reportedly arrived on campus at around 140 pounds and has already bulked up enough to survive the season-long beatings he'll take on the court in the Pac-12.

"No, I don't have a PS5."

How do you make the best of a Twitter hack? Take a lesson from Creighton's social media crew, which got coach Greg McDermott to have some fun with it.

The Bluejays beat UC Riverside on Thursday night. We didn't follow up to see who got the PS5.

This wasn't the script for Gonzaga and Kentucky

Gonzaga and Kentucky both began the season as Top 5 teams. But after Sunday evening in Spokane, one of them will likely be out of the top 10 and on a two-game losing streak. The Cats (3-1) lost to unranked Michigan State in overtime in the Champions Classic, while the Bulldogs (2-1) got run out of the arena at Texas. The status of Zags starting point guard Nolan Hickman (ankle) is in question, while the Wildcats should be at full strength with bigs Oscar Tshiebwe and Daimion Collins now back.

The matchup between Tshiebwe and Drew Timme will be one to watch, but there's a good chance that the backcourt play from both sides will ultimately decide this matchup (how many Gonzaga fans pack the arena in Spokane also might be a factor). Tune into ESPN at 7:30 pm ET on Sunday.

The other games to watch this weekend (All times ET)

SATURDAY

• Maryland (3-0) vs Saint Louis (3-0), 1 pm (ESPNews)

• Miami (3-0) vs Providence (3-0), 4 pm (ESPNews)

SUNDAY

• North Carolina (3-0) vs James Madison (4-0), Noon (ACC Network)

• VCU (3-1) at Memphis (1-1), 5 pm (ESPN+)

• Houston (4-0) vs Oregon (2-1), 9:30 pm (ESPN)

Early overreactions

Texas is the favorite to win the title! Duke and Kentucky are frauds! Those are the easy takes, so let's hit play on some serious conversations around what's happened thus far week, with the help of Robbie Hummel (and maybe Jeff Goodman).

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube and click here subscribe to the Goodman and Hummel podcast.

Links as you count down the hours left on Twitter, according to many on Twitter.

• The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (the one in K.C., not Springfield, Mass.) will induct eight people into its 2022 class on Sunday.

• Boise State added Chris Lockett Jr., a consensus top 150 prospect.

• Duquesne assistant Dru Joyce playing a leading role in team's early strong start.

• Wichita State transfer Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler got a waiver to play last night, scoring four points in eight minutes off the bench in the upset win over Richmond.

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