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Statements and surprises
Michigan dominates Gonzaga for a Players Era title, and $1 million in NIL prize money. So how good is Dusty May's squad? Plus: Kansas leaves Vegas 3-0, USC claims the Maui crown, Vandy avoids an Atlantis misstep, all the Wednesday tourney results, and the NCAA may tweak the transfer portal window again.
Mike Miller
November 27, 2025
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Good morning! If you spent the night watching Stranger Things, that’s cool. (I guess.) But it probably means you missed all the college hoops games.
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1. Michigan sure looks like the team to beat
Michigan made mincemeat of its Players Era Festival opponents, but perhaps nothing was more impressive than Wednesday’s 101-61 win over No. 12 Gonzaga.
Sure, the Wolverines (7-0) had already logged a 40-point win during the event, and beat Auburn by 30 on Tuesday. They made it look effortless against the Zags. They hit 13 3-pointers, shot 60% from the field and lead by 24 at halftime.
That lead only grew in the second half as Gonzaga (7-1) struggled to establish anything inside. It needed to try something. It couldn’t hit 3s (14%) and seemed to give up midway through the second half when it was evident that Michigan was going to win. It not only won the event title, it claimed a $1 million prize in NIL money for its players.
And maybe made its case as the nation’s top team? They’re No. 1 on KenPom, Torvik and EvanMiya. Maybe AP voters will elevate them as well in perhaps the most dominant stretch of three games in three days the sport’s seen.
“A lot went right,” coach Dusty May said. “The shots were going in for us. We figured out some things that could make an immediate impact, so we did those.”
Shooting was the dominant aspect (71% eFG, bolstered by going 13-of-27 on 3s), and that the Wolverines shot so well was the only reason they didn’t win all four game factors.
It was the largest margin of defeat in Mark Few’s Gonzaga tenure, and the first time it lost by 40 since 1990. "Literally every aspect of the game I could talk about was lacking, so maybe write that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kansas left Las Vegas a little richer, both in NIL winnings and confidence after an 81-76 win over No. 17 Tennessee.
The Jayhawks (6-2) didn’t have leading scorer Darryn Peterson, or senior guard Jayden Dawson. Yet they got strong performances this week from Flory Bidunga (18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Notre Dame), Tre White (15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists vs. Syracuse) and a big second half on Wednesday night from guards Melvin Council and Elmarko Jackson.
They combined for 34 points, including 23 points during a second-half run that turned a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead.
Safe to say, coach Bill Self is optimistic about his team’s ceiling after this week and the looming return of Peterson.
Tennessee (7-1) suffered its first loss of the season on a night when it struggled with shooting and fouls (KU was 26-of-30 from the line).
More from the Players Era:
No. 15 Iowa State 95, Syracuse 64: Should the Cyclones (7-0) have been played for third? It looked like it had something to prove by dismantling Cuse (4-3), which went winless in Vegas. Joshua Jefferson (13 points, 6 boards, 10 assists) was superb again without guard Tamin Lipsey running the show due to an injury. Iowa State won’t rush Lipsey back from his groin injury.
No. 3 Houston 66, Notre Dame 56: The Cougars (7-1) opened with a 26-4 run and handled Notre Dame (5-3) in a game where the final margin could’ve been much greater.
No. 8 Alabama 105, Maryland 72: Aden Holloway’s double-double (17 points, 10 assists) and Labaron Philon’s 20 points carried the Tide (5-2). Maryland (5-3) lost back-to-back games by a combined 72 points.
No. 21 Auburn 85, No. 14 St. John’s 74: Tahaad Pettiford erupted for 27 points, most of them coming in a decisive second half that saw the Tigers (6-2) dump 55 points on the Johnnies (4-3), who are 0-3 vs. top 100 KenPom teams.
Baylor 91, San Diego State 81: Five Bears scored in double figures as Baylor (5-1) ripped off 1.28 ppp against the Aztecs (3-3).
Also notable: The Players Era may change its event format for next year.
2. USC outruns Arizona State for Maui title
Chad Baker-Mazara made some history at the Maui Invitational.
