With Hunter Dickinson’s Heroics Taking Over Maui Invitational, Which Teams Have Advanced to the Semi Final

Tipped off on November 20, the Maui Invitational tournament has seen quite nail-biters as well as a few lop-sided matches. The eight teams put up their show albeit only 4 of them advanced to the semi-finals to be played on November 21. The matches were a delight to watch for college basketball fans. Hunter Dickinson’s court exploits especially lifted the mood of the tournament.

As an early-season college basketball competition, the Maui Invitational calls eight NCAA Division 1 on the island of Maui in Hawaii around Thanksgiving. But this year’s tournament was moved to Stan Sheriff Center due to wildfires in Maui. Despite the venue shift, some of the contests have already gone down as the compelling encounters.

Tennessee Volunteers vs Syracuse Orange 73-56

The Tennessee Volunteers contested against the Syracuse Orange on November 20. The Volunteers looked in control throughout the match as they upended the Syracuse by a respectable margin of 73-56. The Tennessee’s guard Dalton Knecht scored the highest points in the game with a tally of 17. Another important player that caught all eyes was their point guard Josaih-Jordan James who grabbed 12 rebounds and smoked 15 points, thus achieving a double-double.

Though the Volunteers were well within reach at the end of the first half standing at the score of 30-25, the former decimated the Orange during the second half with 43-31 tally. The Tennessee won their fourth NCAA match in a row whereas with this defeat the Syracuse was positioned at 3-1.

The Rick Barnes-coached team will fight it out with the Purdue Boilermakers in the semi-finals of the Maui Invitational on November 21.

Purdue Boilermakers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs 73-63

The Purdue Boilermakers clashed with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their first match of the Maui Invitational. Though the Bulldogs put up a decent fight, the Purdue overcame them and emerged victorious in the match with the final tally resting at 73-63.

The Gonzaga stunned the Purdue in the first half, potting 35 points in comparison to the Purdue’s 30 points. The Boilermakers’ Zach Edey was instrumental in propelling his team to their win by potting 25 points with 14 points thus reaching his third double-double of the NCAA tournament.

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During the second half the Purdue were charged up and had a clear dominance, besotting a humongous 43 points while the Gonzaga could only basket 28. Following this match, the Purdue will be meet the Tennessee Volunteers in the semi finals which will be a treat for college basketball fans.

Kansas Jayhawks vs Chaminade Silverswords 83-56

The Kansas Jayhawks locked horns with the Chaminade Silverswords in a lopsided match, extending their unbeaten run to 4-0 in the NCAA regular season. The Jayhawks commanded both the halves with their centre Hunter Dickinson putting up an admirable display.

While the Jayhawks had unassailable lead of 39-27 during the first half, the Bill Self– coached team extended their run to 44-29. Dickinson was the hero as he potted 31 points with 11 rebounds, accomplishing a double-double in the process.

Another player to stand out was their shooting guard Kevin McCullar Jr. who smashed 22 points with 11 rebounds. The Chaminade played as a team and tried to chip in with three players scoring a decent 12 points. But fell short in the entirety of the match.

The Kansas will take on the Marquette Golden Eagles in what is expected to be an exciting semi final.

UCLA Bruins vs Marquette Golden Eagles 69-71

The Marquette Golden Eagles edged past the UCLA Bruins in a closely contested match on November 20. Though the Golden Eagles lacked in the first half by a tally of 30-35, they came back during the second half and led the scoreboard by 41-34.

Their forward David Joplin was a surprise package during the match as he smoked a team high of 19 points with 4 rebounds. Another forward Oso Ighodaro played the second fiddle, totting 14 points, propelling his team to win the match by a close 71-69.

The Bruins tried to best to retaliate with their guard Sebastian Mack boasting a match-high of 25 points. But his efforts went in vain as the Golden Eagles won the match at last.

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The Marquette will now square off with the Kansas in the semifinals on November 21, and going by their current form it looks like another close match is nearing in this tournament.