The Saturday following Thanksgiving is typically slow for college basketball, partly due to numerous schools participating in tournaments earlier in the week and football dominating sports broadcasts. Only three teams participated in Sunday morning’s CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where all three faced off in mismatched games.

In the spotlight is Arizona, which decisively defeated Norfolk State 98-61 at home, improving its record to 7-0 and maintaining its top ranking. This success can be credited to three victories over top-35 KenPom teams. Arizona junior Motiejus Krivas scored a game-high 20 points, while five-star freshman Koa Peat contributed 16 points along with four rebounds and four assists.

Next, Arizona faces back-to-back SEC opponents: first against Auburn this Saturday, and then on December 13 meeting Alabama in Birmingham. If they secure victories in both matches, they will hold a 9-0 record with five wins against teams that were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, specifically against Florida (No. 3), UConn (No. 4), UCLA (No. 12), Alabama (No. 15), and Auburn (No. 20).

On the other hand, Nebraska, ranked 20th, achieved an 8-0 status with a 72-63 triumph over South Carolina State. However, there was unfortunate news as Connor Essegian suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

“I’m heartbroken for him,” commented teammate Pryce Sandfort.

Essegian got injured in the second half of Tuesday’s victory against Winthrop. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 10.7 points across 22.5 minutes per game last season. Coach Fred Hoiberg indicated that Essegian would seek a medical redshirt, as he’s only played in seven games this season, making it likely he will receive approval.