LAHAINA, Hawaii — I waited decades to come to Maui and see this fabled basketball event in person.
To be treated to Monday’s trio of epic comebacks was beyond all expectations.
Monday’s quarterfinals provided what’s probably the best Day 1 in the history of this incredible event, now in its 41st iteration. The greatest in-season college basketball event has delivered once again, as it always does, and somehow managed to outdo its reputation. To have it happen this year, of all years, carries a lot of meaning. The Invitational is back at the Lahaina Civic Center. Remember, COVID and the tragic 2023 wildfires prevented this hallowed, humble gymnasium from hosting its premier event in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
After Monday’s action, and with some tributes to Maui mainstay, the late Bill Walton, I’m all the more appreciative that the Lahaina natives are once again hosting such a magical event. This region deserves this. All of it. Monday was a karma boomerang to those who’ve put on this event for so long. And it’s a privilege to be able to cover it in person for the first time. All feels right with the LCC being the center of the college hoops world on the week of Thanksgiving.
After 12 hours and four games of thrilling ball, here are some observations and quotes from my one-on-one with coaches here in paradise.
Auburn makes school history with late rally over Iowa State
Maui Magic is so real. That was proven again with UConn-Memphis and Auburn-Iowa State. I’ve got more on UConn below. Let’s talk Tigers and Cyclones.
After being down to No. 5 Iowa State by as many as 18 with 4:18 left in the first half, No. 4 Auburn stormed back, took a 75-73 lead with 4:01 remaining and ultimately won on a Johni Broome put-back with less than two seconds to pull off an 83-81 win. A top-five matchup that came down to the final play during the biggest week of the nonconference season. We can’t ask for better.
The scene was incredible, as they often are in this cozy gym on the western coast of one of the most picturesque islands in the world.
God. Bless. Maui.
Broome played 36 minutes — a personal-high in an Auburn uniform. He had to limp into and out of the postgame press conference due to full-blown body cramps. Broome finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
“He worked really hard in this offseason to be in the best shape of his life and it paid off big time there,” Pearl said of Broome’s timely tip-in off Denver Jones’ miss. This game felt like Iowa State’s for most of the night. The Cyclones scored 49 (!) in the first half. To see them lose after doing that is hard to understand. TJ Otzelberger’s teams don’t blow games like this.
So, when did Pearl think a win was truly on the table? About five minutes into the second half, when his team came out firing and had an 18-2 run.
“We immediately changed the complexion of the game defensively,” Pearl told me. “Iowa State played great in the first half, but we helped a little bit. We panicked a little bit, and their ball pressure will do that to you, the way they just extended and disrupted us. But we got pieces. We got some character.”
Pearl admitted his team wasn’t as up for the game to start as ISU, which bore out. The Cyclones shot 58% in the first half vs. just 32% in the second half.
Remember when Auburn had the plane mishap that led to the suspension of two role players? All that’s happened since is a win against top-five Houston and top-five Iowa State. Auburn is the fourth team in AP poll history (since 1948-49) to start a season 5-0 with multiple wins vs. top-five teams in that span. The last team to do it was Kansas in 1989-90.
Pearl said he’s never had an Auburn team show this much heart in November in his decade of running the program. Auburn might have something special building in its locker room. We’ll see how the Tigers recover for Tuesday’s 11 p.m. EST/6 p.m. HST tipoff vs. No. 12 North Carolina.
Carolina’s epic comeback dooms Dayton
A 21-point comeback, obscenely emotional swings in the final five minutes, 23 combined 3-pointers and Roy Williams getting steamrolled in the first row. This game had almost everything!
Dayton had this game. HAD IT. North Carolina just chipped and chipped and chipped and kept pushing. Nate Santos hit a crazy-tough shot from the corner … that was just barely a 2-pointer.
Instead of 90-90, it was 90-89 in favor of UNC in the closing 30 seconds. Then RJ Davis hit two foul shots and that was it. The Tar Heels’ 92-90 victory vs. Dayton tied the record for second-biggest comeback in Carolina history was complete. (The biggest is 22 points vs. Wake Forest in 1992.)
Of all people, it was freshman Drake Powell who hit a corner 3-pointer to give UNC its first lead of the game
Powell’s bucket was big, but the best player on the floor was Seth Trimble, who had a career-high 27 points and shot 10-of-14 to pair with 10 rebounds. Davis added 30, 10 of which came at the foul line.
“It was electric,” Trimble said. “It was like a high school atmosphere, so something we all miss. It was a super-loud gym.”
The vibes were incredible. Trimble said he and Davis spoke up in the locker room at the half, after UNC got off to a miserable start, including 12 first half turnovers that contributed to an 18-point deficit. Even more ridiculous: UNC did this while navigating through foul trouble with Davis, Trimble and Elliot Cadeau down the stretch.
“I’ve said to this group that the growth and the step that this team needs to take is getting to that level that allowed us getting back into the game,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said.
Listen, the loss is just brutal for Dayton, which really could have flipped its nonconference outlook with a win over UNC. Now it has to turn around in 18 hours and play Iowa State? That’s going to be brutal. Flyers coach Anthony Grant was understandably tight-lipped afterward. To be up 20-plus on UNC and have that lead disintegrate will probably prevent Grant from sleeping on Monday night.
The Carolina comeback was the last great game of the night, closing the circle on an all-time day. Meantime, let’s rewind to the first tip.
Dan Hurley’s villain turn good for college hoops
If you’d like to read up on Memphis’ 99-97 amazing overtime win over the No. 2 UConn Huskies, you can see my gamer right here.
I’d like to dedicate about 250 words right now to Hurley’s antics from Monday. UConn had seven team fouls within the first six minutes against the Tigers; Hurley was lava-like toward the officials even earlier than that. He hunted a technical foul, finally earning an ill-timed T with 40 seconds remaining in a 92-92 overtime game. Afterward, Hurley told me he didn’t think the T cost his team the game. He credited Memphis’ effort and execution, but also said his team didn’t get a fair shake from the zebras.
“I don’t know too many back-to-back national championship teams that get that type of a whistle,” Hurley said outside the team bus.
At the press conference, he said this about the officiating crew: “I’ve never seen the one ref before. I didn’t even know he was a college ref. I’m familiar with the other two, so I’m not surprised.”
This, obviously, led to opposing fans dunking all over Hurley on social media, calling him a whiner, loser, crybaby, entitled and worse.
My reaction? This is a good development for college basketball. Hurley’s always had his critics because of his sideline outbursts, but now it might be taking on a new faction of haters.
The loss was UConn’s first loss in 288 days, its first November loss since 2021 and its first neutral-court loss since the 2023 Big East Tournament. Hurley’s program has dominated the sport. He was so good, the Los Angeles Lakers wanted him to run their franchise. He said no, came back to college basketball and is now on a warpath to keep Connecticut at the top of the mountain.
Hurley’s paroxysms are over the top but undeniably entertaining. He’s a classic college hoops character. Best of all, he wins a lot more than he loses. If people want to blast him for being a sore loser or chide him for how he comports himself on the sideline, it’s totally inbounds. Hurley wouldn’t run from that criticism, by the way.
Regardless of how you feel, he makes the sport more marketable and worth watching. His teams are meticulously prepared and out for blood in every game. He can go over the line and it’s probably going to get him in trouble again at some point. You can’t accuse him of being inauthentic and you can’t downplay his greatness as a coach.
Now we await to see what transpires with the Huskies and how Hurley responds. Colorado could be in for a long morning Tuesday. Speaking of …
Michigan State cruises past Colorado
This was the least compelling of the four Monday games, easily. The Spartans won 72-56 to improve to 5-1 with Magic Johnson sitting behind Sparty’s bench.
This is Tom Izzo’s fifth time coaching in the Maui Invitational. He’s the most experienced coach in the history of the event. This was the only game of the four on Monday with no surprises. MSU is too veteran-laden to not show up and play well and at least win one game in this stacked field. With UConn going down, Sparty has a realistic shot to be the surprise winner of the Maui bracket, but it won’t be easy.
Memphis awaits, and here’s the stat to know: MSU ranks 362nd in the nation in 3-point accuracy (20.0%) through five games. Meantime, Memphis is No. 2 with an outrageous 47.9% success clip from beyond the arc. I asked Izzo if that 3-point discrepancy would be the defining facet to Tuesday’s semifinal.
“When you talk about it, and I don’t mind talking about it here because I feel comfortable that the last week and a half we’ve been shooting it better, yet when you talk about it to your team, then does it become an albatross on you,” Izzo said, but with a caveat. There will be no sugar-coating with his team.
“I’m going to go back to being who I am and say, would you make the damn shot, please,” Izzo said.
That means Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler need to come ready to bomb it from deep against a Memphis team that’s going to look to shoot it aplenty from deep. Big contrasts await between the Spartans and Tigers Tuesday afternoon.
“Of course it’s a concern,” Izzo said of his team’s lack of 3-point prowess. “So our defense better knuckle down and get better, and we’d better find a way to start making some shots.”
As for Colorado, Buffs coach Tad Boyle accurately called his defense “soft.” Colorado’s guys have less than 24 hours to gear up for a ticked off UConn team.
“Who’s going to be angrier, UConn or Colorado? That’s what we’ll find out at 10:30 tomorrow morning,” Boyle said.
I shudder to think about what the Huskies are going to do to the Buffs if properly motivated so soon after breakfast. Connecticut-Colorado is Tuesday’s first tipoff at 3:30 EST/10:30 a.m. HST.
2024 Maui Invitational bracket
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