As our American friends down south celebrate Thanksgiving, I was certainly thankful for a wild day of sports from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. that night. So let’s just dive into what was a chaotic day of college basketball. Plus I take a look at the wild day of football that we were treated to on this regular Thursday in Canada.

NCAA Basketball at its finest

#5 Maryland def. Temple 76-69

The first game of the day was #5 Maryland taking on Temple in the quarterfinal of the Orlando Invitational. This was the first real test for the Terrapins this season and boy did Temple ever push them to their limit. Maryland needed all of Anthony Cowan Jr.’s 30 points to snag a win as he took over the game in the second half while shooting 11/19 overall.

Maryland is a team that prides themselves on their size and effectiveness around the rim, or at least that’s what they used to be known for in seasons past. But with a very talented big man in Jalen Smith, the Terrapins should not have been out-rebounded 39-32 and 14-10 on the offensive glass. However, they survived and at the end of the day the win will look good on the resume. Now they must quickly turn their focus to an 11:30 a.m. matchup with a good Harvard team who might be the best team in the Ivy League.

Michigan def. #6 North Carolina 73-64

I am a huge fan of Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines and they just pulled off a huge win… a season defining win. In his first season as the head coach of the Wolverines, Juwan Howard has his first signature win over one of the powerhouse programs in the country. It’s not like Howard has had to build this program from scratch. He takes over a roster that John Beilein left when he transitioned to the NBA and it is full of talent. Franz Wagner, Zavier Simpson and Eli Brooks are three exceptional guards and any two you have on the court at anytime could be the best tandem at least in the Big 10. Then you’ve got the big boys in Isaiah Livers and Jon Teske, when those two get rolling they are tough to stop. I especially like Jon Teske’s game: he’s an agile center with the ability to out-muscle you and can shoot with high efficiency.

This Michigan team may have been overlooked heading into the season but with this win and their play this season so far they may be the top team in the Big 10 especially with Michigan State’s two early losses. Maryland might have something to say about that but we’ll have to wait until conference play to see who the top dog is. Speaking of top dog, the top dog North Carolina Tar Heels are lost right now. This is not as talented of a team that Roy Williams has had even in recent years and the cracks are starting to show. Cole Anthony, who might be the most fun player to watch in college basketball, is trying too hard to carry this team on his back. This is not a Tar Heels squad that is deep, which has been their strength in Final Four runs in the past. If guys like Leaky Black and Brandon Robinson can step up they’ll be fine, but right now things are troubling for North Carolina.

#16 Memphis def. N.C. State 83-78

Just a quick note on this game. This is an extremely impressive win for Memphis as they were without two of their freshman starters in James Wiseman (suspension) and Lestor Quinones (broken hand). They came into the matchup as underdogs in most sportbooks against an N.C. State team that is ranked #40 on KenPom. Yet, the Tigers played exceptionally well and shot the three at a high rate to grab a huge win.

Without Wiseman in the lineup, the Tigers are looking to avoid as many losses as they can until his suspension comes to an end. This was a game that many thought they would lose, but instead they come out with the win. A win that could be huge for seeding in March.

#8 Gonzaga def. #11 Oregon 73-72 (OT)

This was easily the game of the day and it featured two teams with legitimate Final Four hopes. Oregon was fresh off their thrilling come-from-behind victory over #13 Seton Hall last night and they took it to the Zags. Peyton Pritchard is proving to be one of the top point guards in the country with his performance these past two nights and he will be the key if the Ducks want to have any success in March. Yet despite how well he played he did have moment where he struggled against Gonzaga’s defence and he wasn’t the only one. You have to give credit to Mark Few’s Bulldogs as they showed that they can play timely defence and win a close one against a top opponent.

What makes Gonzaga so scary is that Mark Few always finds the best international recruits and their lineup is full of them. Killian Tillie, Filip Petrusev, Joel Ayayi are three players with international flare who I think will continue to improve and will make noise in the postseason. We’re starting to see more and more international players take the basketball world by storm with Pascal Siakam and Luka Doncic heading that front. I think Mark Few is way ahead of his competitors in this facet of the game and this win proves that.

An interesting fact to point out from this game: Gonzaga used only seven players. This being in the second game of a back-to-back against a nationally ranked competitor. That’s gutsy but it worked out. Mark Few knows which guys he wants to rely on in big games and that’s what good coaches do.

Iowa def. #12 Texas Tech 72-61

Chris Beard’s Texas Tech squad suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday night against an Iowa squad who had numerous returning players from a Round of 32 team from last season. My initial reactions from this game is that Texas Tech worries me this season. They lost a good portion of their team including Jarrett Culver and with it they lost a good chunk of three-point shooting. They shot just 17% from behind the arc last night and that’s a recipe for disaster against a trap team like Iowa. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes are no different than they were last season. Their size and on-ball skills won’t overwhelm you but their three-point shooting can knock you out of games (just ask the Tennessee Volunteers if the Hawkeyes are to be taken lightly). They can shoot the lights out and be in any game against any team, but if they struggle with their shots they can quickly be blown out because they lack the size to play down low. Tonight was an example of a team, in this case the Red Raiders, who couldn’t keep up with the Hawkeyes’ 41% shooting from three and it cost them.

#14 Arizona def. Pepperdine 93-91

We have already seen some wild upsets so far this college season with Evansville taking down #1 Kentucky, Virginia Tech over #3 Michigan State and Stephen F. Austin winning in miraculous fashion over #1 Duke. We almost saw this happen on Thursday night as little ole’ Pepperdine almost took down the powerhouse from the Pac-12, Sean Miller and his Arizona Wildcats. You look at the box score and you couldn’t imagine the score being so close. Arizona shot 61% from the field, 55% from three, they out-rebounded Pepperdine and the turnovers were almost identical. So how was the game so close? Arizona struggled from the free throw line and that allowed the Waves to hand around.

Pepperdine played an excellent offensive game as they never allowed Arizona to pull away. They always stayed close by and never let the Wildcats get too comfortable with a small lead. They missed only one free throw going 18/19 while Arizona went 14/24 to put the idea of an upset in everyone’s mind. In the late stages of the game, each team traded buckets and built up the tension. Dylan Smith hits a three with two and a half minutes left. A couple of possessions later, Skylar Chavez nails a three to tie things up for Pepperdine. In the final minute Zeke Nnaji (who had a monster game and a double-double) slammed home a massive dunk to give Arizona a 91-89 lead with 20 seconds left. Pepperdine then goes down the court and Colbey Ross pulls from 11 feet and nails a jumper to tie things up. It honestly looked like the upset was destined to happen. However, Nico Mannion managed to hit an awkward layup with just two seconds remaining to avoid a colossal loss. It was one hell of a way to wrap up a crazy day of basketball.

Thanksgiving in the NFL was very, very interesting

Bears def. Lions 24-20

Even with rookie David Blough starting in his first ever NFL game, on a short week, against one of the top defences in the league, the Lions should’ve beaten the Bears.

This game may not mean much at season’s end with the Bears playoff hopes at a mere 4% according to FiveThirtyEight.com, but it did confirm to us that Mitch Trubisky can play in this league, no matter how stressful it may be. He was good! 29/38 for 338 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. He looked better out there yet the game was such a struggle for Chicago, why was that? Well the defence looked tired and unprepared. They had to trot out there at least four times each quarter which can be exhausting especially for defensive linemen. When Trubisky had success it turned out to be a lengthy drive, otherwise it was always a quick three and out. That can be so deflating for a defence having to constantly throw your helmet back on after stopping their offence just two minutes earlier.

The win should not have been that difficult but Trubisky did show flashes of brilliance, i.e. his two spectacular throws to Anthony Miller on the game-winning drive. Will that be enough for him to keep his job going into next season? Maybe not, but what other options do they have right now?

Bills def. Cowboys 26-15

The great question that will come from this game is: are the Bills really good or are the Cowboys just bad? There are arguments to be made on both sides so let’s see what each has to offer.

First, the Bills have the 3rd ranked defence in the league. They cause turnovers, their defensive line is strong and their defensive backs are ballhawks who are out to add an interception to a QB’s stat line. But is there offence good? I say it is good and it is slowly getting better. If you include his passing and rushing touchdowns, Josh Allen has 8 total touchdowns over his past 3 games. That’s pretty good and he finally was able to show a national audience on Thursday afternoon what he is capable of. He’s a quarterback with a strong arm and a fantastic sense to get out of the pocket and run for a first down. His decision making is getting better with just 1 interception over the past 7 games. He has a strong running game with Frank Gore and the rookie Devin Singletary. So yes, this Bills team is really good and their 9-3 record proves it.

Now, the Cowboys are in trouble and while I don’t think they’re bad, they are definitely not performing to the level that their roster should be. On paper the Cowboys have one of the top lineups in all of football. Their offence is riddled with stars while their defence has playmakers and straight up DUDES. Yet each week they struggle and have found themselves in a position where they’re 6-6 with just a single game above the Eagles who have looked horrendous. Their defence doesn’t make opposing QBs look uncomfortable and Josh Allen is proof of that. It is time for a coaching change. They need someone to revitalize that defence. You should not have guys like Demarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch and have no defensive success.

I don’t think the Cowboys are bad, in fact under the right system this team could legitimately be a contender. They have the top offence in the NFL and the pieces on defence to make a deep run. It’s their coach who is holding them back with poor decision making and a flawed system. If Thursday wasn’t a wake-up call for Jerry Jones I don’t know what will.

Saints def. Falcons 26-18

Any time the Saints play the Falcons it’s a tough and close game, so I wasn’t surprised here that the Saints were unable to put their foot on the gas pedal and blow the Falcons out. But they were able to grab the win and secured the NFC South for a third consecutive year. Our first team has entered the playoff tree and they’re looking for revenge after what happened to them last year in the NFC Championship game.