Your guide to men's college basketball Feast Week: The 9 best games to watch - ESPN

Another Feast Week, another buffet of elite nonconference matchups that offers college basketball teams the chance to pad their NCAA tournament résumés with high-quality wins.

The best action will come out of Las Vegas, where 18 of the nation's top teams — including eight of the AP Top 25 — will play in the Players Era Festival, which guarantees each participating program $1 million. The marquee matchups include Alabama vs. Gonzaga on Monday and Houston vs. Tennessee on Tuesday, culminating in a championship game on Wednesday.

While the talent is concentrated in the desert, there are still notable matchups elsewhere this Thanksgiving week. ESPN's Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and Joe Lunardi preview the must-watch contests below — and analyze results as they happen.

All times in Eastern.

Jump to: Results and analysis

8 p.m. | Players Era Festival

Both teams are looking to notch their first noteworthy win of the campaign, as Oregon swept through a soft opening to its schedule while Auburn came up just short against Houston in its one big game so far. With Tigers leading scorer Keyshawn Hall expected to miss this one after suffering an injury in the loss to Houston, they will need Tahaad Pettiford to break out of his early-season slump. One of the nation's most talented point guards, Pettiford is averaging only 10.8 points and shooting just 28.8% from the field. Pettiford will go against Ducks star Jackson Shelstad, who appears to be developing into a consistent scorer and playmaker. — Borzello

9:30 p.m. | Players Era Festival

This game has the makings of an offensive thriller with two of the most capable scoring outfits in college basketball. Gonzaga (94.0 points per game) and Alabama (91.0 PPG) are not only ranked in