College basketball is a perfect recipe for a thriller. A lot of cliff-hangers can be expected as the Maui Invitational tournament kicks off on November 20. Fans and critics are excited and waiting for the tournament to unfold. And in all probability, the team that wins the Maui Invitational might also be a tough competitor in the NCAA regular season.
The Maui Invitational is an early-season college basketball tournament that takes place on the island of Maui in Hawaii. It’s an eight-team tournament that begins around Thanksgiving and has NCAA Division 1 teams competing against each other. It’s officially hosted by the Chaminade University of Honolulu. The competition was previously to be played at Lahaina Civic Center from November 20 to 22, 2023, but was shifted to the Stan Sheriff Center due to wildfires around Maui.
The seven teams that will participate in the tournament apart from the Chaminade are as follows:-
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Tennessee Volunteers basketball team
The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team last participated in the Maui Invitational in 2016 when they stood at the seventh position, losing their first game to the Wisconsin and the next to the Oregon. They won their only contest against the Chaminade with a respectable margin of 95-81. The closest Volunteers have come to the title was in 2004 when they were positioned at the fourth spot.
This year the Tennessee have emerged victorious in all their three games consecutively and are a force to reckon with. The Tennessee won their season opener against the Tennessee Tech in a lop-sided game with a score of 82-40. The Tennessee then edged past the Wisconsin comfortably in a close game by 80-70. They afterwards decimated the Wofford conveniently by a decent margin of 82-61.
They will clash against the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team in their first game on November 20 in the first round at Maui and have +300 odds of winning as per Bet MGM.
Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team had their most recent outing at Maui in 2013 when they were crowned the Champions. Other than 2013, they also emerged as the champions in 1990 and 1998.
The Syracuse have an unbeaten record of 3-0 this NCAA regular season. They have emerged triumphant in all their games by a more or less relatively same margin. They defeated the North Hampshire in their season opener before upending the Canisius and the Colgate.
According to Bet MGM, the Adrian Autry-coached team have a +6600 odds of clinching the tournament.
The Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball team
The Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball team last contested in the Maui Invitational in 2014. They stood at the fifth position by sneaking past the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team by 87-85. The closest they have ever come to winning the tournament was when they were declared the runner ups in 1999.
The Boilermakers have extended their lead to 3-0 after clobbering the Xavier Musketeers by a decent margin of 83-71. Their centre Zach Edey has scored the highest points for them in all three games with a total of 62 points. He also achieved a double-double in their most recent contest against the Xavier.
Their first matchup against the Gonzaga will be a treat to watch for fans. And Edey at his best will be unstoppable.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball team
The Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball team had their most recent Maui Invitational outing in 2018 when they emerged triumphant in all their games, and named the Champions. Previously, they were also labelled as the best team in 2009.
The Bulldogs have only played 2 games in the NCAA regular season, winning both with honorable margins. Notably, they thrashed the Eastern Oregon by a humongous margin of 123-57. They have performed brilliantly as a team till now which will be tested when they battle it out against the Boilermakers.
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They have one of the best forwards in Ben Gregg who can keep Edey away from the basket and it will be a head-to-head match-up. The Mark Few-coached team has a +1000 odds of capturing the title as per Bet MGM.
The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team
The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team last appeared in the Maui Invitational tournament in 2019 and stunned all by subduing the Dayton. In addition to this, they have also earned the Champion title in 1996, and 2015.
They have a clean 3-0 record in the NCAA tournament till now since they have overpowered the North Carolina Central, the Manhattan, and the Kentucky. Their center Hunter Dickinson let his demons lose in the third contest against the Kentucky, grabbing 21 rebounds and basketing 27 points.
Critics are anticipating the Finale to be contested between the Kansas and the Purdue where they can watch the two possibly best college basketball players clash with each other – Dickinson vs Edey. The title match, if between the Kansas and the Purdue, would be considered one of the biggest games in college men’s basketball, attracting a lot of viewership.
As per Bet MGM, the Jayhawks have a +170 odds of being successful in the tournament.
The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team
The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team last showed up in the Maui Invitational tournament in 2019. They could only advance till the sixth position when they were outfoxed by the Michigan State. However, the UCLA have been the champions in 2006.
They have been unequaled in all their three contests till now and have a great power forward in Adem Bona who scored a double-double in their game against the LIU Sharks.
They would be contesting their first game against the highly admired Marquette and have +2500 odds of winning the Maui title.
The Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team
The Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball team made their most recent appearance in the Maui Invitational tournament in 2017 when they stood third by whacking the LSU after losing to the Wichita State.
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The Marquette’s have their best player in their guard Tyler Kolek who injured his ankle in their exceptional 95-65 win over the Rider. Though, he continued his game against the Illinois and gave his season-best performance of 24 points, it is still a concern since there are a lot of matches remaining to be played.
If the Marquette win over the UCLA, they are most likely to clash with the Kansas in the semifinals and it would be quite a nail-biter watching him battle it out against the Kansas’s point guard Dajuan Harris Jr.
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The Golde Eagles have +600 odds of taking home the Maui Invitational title.
