SOMEWHERE OVER THE MIDWEST — Flying home from Las Vegas on Thursday, after three epic days of games, I couldn’t stop reminiscing.
Just not about the basketball I binged during Players Era Festival.
Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking back to last Feast Week: specifically, how I felt this time a year ago, leaving one of the best Maui Invitationals in recent memory. And given all the criticism Players Era faced this week — about its controversial point differential format, or how it’s hurting Maui and other long-celebrated MTEs — maybe that’s only a natural point of comparison.
I won’t pretend that the atmosphere inside MGM Grand Garden Arena, or even around Las Vegas broadly, was anywhere close to the scene in Maui a year ago. Respectfully, it’s hard to beat watching games inside the Lahaina Civic Center, the site of four decades’ worth of “Maui magic.” And although there were some certifiable banger games in Las Vegas this week — unfortunately, Michigan’s 40-point championship beatdown of Gonzaga wasn’t one of them — it’s just impossible for a brand-new college basketball tournament to dominate Sin City the way some of these historic events do in Hawaii and the Bahamas.
And let’s be clear: There’s no guarantee that Players Era, which is growing to 32 teams next season, will ever hold the same place in college basketball fans’ hearts as some of those traditional tournaments.
But at the same time, there’s no arguing with the product. Fans from San Diego to New York who flocked to Vegas were treated to some of the best, most exciting nonconference games we’ve seen so far this year, games that more than stand up to some of Maui’s best last season. With the quality of the field Players Era had this year and has signed for future iterations, it’s difficult to see that changing. And if the ultimate goal is “trying to bring November basketball to more casual fans,” as PE founder Seth Berger said on Tuesday, then mission accomplished. Players Era games turned the sleepy few sports days before Thanksgiving into must-watch TV for thousands of fans. Over time, as the tournament gains more name recognition, that sentiment should only continue to grow.
All of which is to say, I’m torn — and it’s OK for college hoops fans to be, too. But the only indisputable thing about Players Era?
The games, the most important part of all this, more than delivered.
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, the human cheat code
After Michigan’s dominant three-game stint in Las Vegas this week — including consecutive wins by 30-plus against ranked teams for the first time in Division I men’s college basketball history — it’s clear the Wolverines are one of the frontrunners to win it all. As of this writing, they’re the No. 1 team on KenPom for the first time in program history.
Head coach Dusty May’s roster is littered with talent, but the guy who makes everything work is 6-foot-9 forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who has thrived as a jumbo-sized wing alongside 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara and 6-foot-9 forward Morez Johnson Jr. since transferring in from UAB. As The Athletic wrote of Lendeborg in October when we named him a preseason First-Team All-American, “It’s hard to think of a better match between player skill set and coach creativity than Lendeborg with Dusty May.”
Lendeborg’s combination of strength, skill and athleticism makes him one of the most overpowering players in the country. Per CBB Analytics, he’s one of just five high-major players averaging at least 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game — but of that group, which includes future lottery picks Cameron Boozer (Duke) and Nate Ament (Tennessee), Lendeborg has the best 3-point percentage, at 39.4 percent on almost five attempts per game. He’s also one of just three high-major players 6-foot-9 or taller who are shooting at least 85 percent from 2 and 39 percent from 3. (Illinois twins Tomislav and Zvonomir Ivisic are the others.) And in perhaps the best show of Lendeborg’s well-roundedness, consider this: Per Synergy, he leads the Wolverines in isolation scoring, but also ranks second in points off spot-up shots, in transition, on offensive putbacks and as a pick-and-roll handler.
Truly a little bit of everything.
Oh, and don’t forget that he’s also doing stuff like this in-game, against a top-12 opponent that could very well still make the Final Four:
ARE YOU KIDDING!? 😱 @umichbball pic.twitter.com/SNkj4zDHpR
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 27, 2025
Wednesday’s championship game, though, was Lendeborg’s masterpiece: 20 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks, looking every bit like the best player on the floor. In doing so, he became the first high-major player in the modern era (dating back to 1985) with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks in a win over a ranked opponent. The only other person to do so in Division I history? UCLA’s Marques Johnson, who won the inaugural Wooden Award in 1977 before becoming a five-time NBA All-Star.
At this rate, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Lendeborg’s team winds up where Johnson’s eventually did: hoisting the national championship trophy.
2. The biggest NBA Draft riser of the week was…
Houston freshman guard Kingston Flemings, unequivocally. As one NBA scout put it to The Athletic, “He’s instant juice.”
That was evident all week, but never more so than against No. 17 Tennessee in Tuesday’s battle of top 10 defenses. After Houston went eight second-half minutes without a point, coach Kelvin Sampson turned to his stud freshman, spamming high pick-and-rolls to get Flemings going downhill toward the hoop.
After a pair of Milos Uzan free throws with just over eight minutes left, Houston put the ball in Flemings’ hands on five of the next six possessions, four of which involved high ball screens. That stretch encapsulated what makes the 6-foot guard a potential lottery pick.
On the first, Tennessee soft-hedged the ball screen, Flemings read it perfectly and delivered a pinpoint pass to fellow freshman Chris Cenac Jr. for an easy dunk:
The next possession, Flemings used his lightning-quick first step to create separation from his defender, then drove using the high ball screen from JoJo Tugler. Once Tugler sealed that same defender, who was trying to trail Flemings from behind, Flemings noticed Tennessee’s big waiting in drop coverage at the rim and took the easy midrange jumper instead.
Three possessions later, Flemings drove again but this time slowed down to allow his big to roll to the rim, drawing Tennessee’s drop defender away from the rim and giving him a clear path to the hoop:
Against one of the best defenses Houston will see all season, Flemings had a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting in a losing effort, including 3-of-4 from 3. Now, he’s still a freshman who needs to be more consistent — he only made three of his 15 shots in Houston’s other two Players Era games — but the flashes Flemings showed against the Vols are what NBA personnel will remember most.
3. No Peterson, no problem for Kansas
Darryn Peterson Watch continues, as the Jayhawks’ star freshman missed Players Era with his lingering hamstring injury. But not only did KU surprisingly go 3-0 this week without him, but its typical co-star proved he’s more than comfortable moonlighting as a leading man.
That would be sophomore big man Flory Bidunga, who our resident Kansas expert, CJ Moore, has been thoroughly impressed with this year.
Noticeable difference this year in Flory Bidunga’s confidence and comfort on the floor. Has a slower heartbeat. Dominated both ends today. Emerging as one of the best bigs in the country.
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) November 24, 2025
Bidunga averaged 13.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.3 blocks per game across KU’s three wins this week, including a dominant effort against Notre Dame in the Jayhawks’ opener: 18 points, nine rebounds, five assists, five blocks and only two turnovers. The interior scoring — Bidunga is one of just four high-major players shooting 63 percent or better on 2s while taking at least 10 per game — is obviously impressive, but what stood out in Vegas was how comfortable Bidunga looked as a passer. The big man only had two multi-assist games in 34 appearances as a freshman last season, including 26 games without a single dime, but he already has multiple assists in half of Kansas’ first eight games. Specifically, Bidunga is punishing teams when they send a double-team, which should pay massive dividends once Peterson returns.
That’s both from a set position on the low block:
And as a short roller in ball-screen scenarios:
During Kansas’ comeback win on Wednesday, Bidunga also burned Tennessee at least four times on backdoor assists like this:
The Jayhawks are still far from a finished product, but once Peterson returns, he and Bidunga should be one of the best tandems in the country.
4. Players Era superlatives
Regrettably, I can’t split myself in two, so I couldn’t watch every game in Las Vegas. But from what I did see…
Biggest individual surprise: Iowa State freshman guard Killyan Toure, who averaged 19.5 points in wins over Creighton and Syracuse. After star Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey went down with a groin injury late against St. John’s, causing him to miss ISU’s final two PE games, Toure — a sub-100 recruit originally from France — stepped up. His two-way impact was especially pronounced against the Orange on Wednesday, when he finished with 19 points, six assists and three steals. Only three other high-major freshman guards have had a game so far this season with at least 15-5-3: Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arkansas’ Meleek Thomas and Arizona’s Brayden Burries. That trio has earned first-round NBA Draft buzz so far, and while Toure isn’t there yet, it’s clear Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger has another under-the-radar gem on his hands.
Biggest team surprise: Kansas going 3-0 without Peterson. Beating Notre Dame and Syracuse is fine and all, but KU’s 81-76 comeback win over previously undefeated Tennessee in the third-place game was one of the more impressive victories all week. Kansas trailed by as many as 12 points with 15 minutes left to play, only for then-leading scorer Tre White to foul out with eight and a half minutes left. But at that point, the Jayhawks rattled off a 12-2 run that completely flipped the script, giving Self’s team a signature win. For as “soft” as the Jayhawks looked at times against North Carolina and Duke — Self’s word, not mine — Wednesday’s win showed they may be tougher than anyone has given them credit for.
Best game: Call it a cop-out, but I can’t pick just one. St. John’s vs. Iowa State was epic, especially the Cyclones finding a way to win in the final two minutes without Lipsey. But so was Houston vs. Tennessee: the Vols’ best win so far this season, and one which suggests Rick Barnes’ team may be the class of the SEC. Gonzaga vs. Alabama was pretty damn fun for 30 minutes until the Zags put the clamps on Labaron Philon and pulled away. Kansas vs. Tennessee, obviously. Heck, even Syracuse vs. Houston was surprisingly good, with the Cougs hanging on in overtime despite six Syracuse players scoring in double figures. If I had to pick one, I guess I go … Houston vs. Tennessee? It’s a good thing that it’s a hard choice.
Most disappointing team: St. John’s. Consider us officially worried about the Johnnies, whose backcourt and rebounding have been far more inconsistent than even pessimists would’ve anticipated. Losing by one to Iowa State is nothing to be ashamed of, but Auburn — keyed by Tahaad Pettiford’s career-high 27 points, including one second-half stretch in which he scored 14 points in eight possessions — totally shredded Rick Pitino’s defense to the tune of 55 second-half points on Wednesday. Per BartTorvik, St. John’s is 303rd nationally in defensive rebounding percentage through three games, and Pitino barking at reporters about it on Monday shows how frustrated the Hall of Famer is. Tuesday’s win over Baylor at least gave the Johnnies something to go home with on their NCAA Tournament resume, but three losses so far to top-25 KenPom teams suggest the floor in Queens might be lower than anyone thought.
Matchup I wish we’d seen: Gonzaga vs. Houston. The actual title game was one of the two championship matchups I was hoping for entering the week, only for Michigan to make it a laughingstock minutes in. But this would’ve been the other: Gonzaga’s offense vs. Houston’s defense, the epitome of strength on strength. Plus, revenge! Remember that Houston’s win over Gonzaga in the round of 32 in March snapped the Zags’ nine-season Sweet 16 streak, which tied the longest of the modern era. Usually, I hesitate to overplay the “revenge” thing, especially in an era with so much turnover, but both of these teams actually have multiple contributors back from last season. But, hey, maybe we’ll get lucky and see this matchup in the NCAA Tournament (again) this season.
Only not in the round of 32.
