In men’s college basketball, the Maui Invitational is a November tradition, and the 2023 edition was unmatched by previous Invitationals.
The event this year took place in Honolulu, approximately 80 miles away from Maui, because of the destructive wildfires that destroyed Lahaina in August. The Lahaina Civic Center, the customary host location, continues to play a crucial role in the ongoing efforts to restore western Maui.
On the Hawaiian island, fans witnessed the most intense Invitational Field in recent memory. A loaded bracket included three of the top four teams and five of the top eleven teams in the AP poll.
After the Jayhawk made a three, Shaka Smart seemed to take offense at Kevin McCullar Jr.’s remarks, bringing Marquette and Kansas dangerously close to a physical altercation. New guidelines for foul calls were established by Purdue and Tennessee, or more accurately, by the referees assigned to their semifinal match. Even though UCLA lost its opening game, the young team had a very impressive appearance. And the Boilermakers, led by Zach Edey, defeated the Golden Eagles to win it all.
We always say November isn’t that important, especially when good teams slip up occasionally. Does that, however, apply to this specific tournament? Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello, and John Gasaway, the panel of experts on ESPN, have some opinions.
Zach Edey resembles Trae Young in stature.
With his customary high totals for offensive rebounds, dunks, and blocks, Edey makes his way back to the mainland. Just make sure you don’t ignore any of the line’s points. Edey’s production this season on free throws is impressive, even if Matt Painter’s All-American didn’t have the good fortune to play in a foul-filled victory over Tennessee. The 7-4 Boilermaker is similar to Trae Young in this regard from his one season with Oklahoma. Similar to the former Sooner standout, Edey performs at his best when the timer is stopped.
Marquette’s hopes of winning the national title depend on Oso Ighodaro.
Marquette’s victory over top-ranked Kansas on Tuesday in Maui demonstrated the team’s ability to advance to the Final Four in March. And Ighodaro is essential to that. The 6-11 senior center (four rebounds, one block, and fourteen points) easily outplayed UCLA’s big man Adem Bona in the opening round. Then, Ighodaro (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) had the upper hand over Hunter Dickinson against the Jayhawks. Any run at the national championship will undoubtedly require a potent frontcourt, given the rosters of elite big men at Duke, Arizona, Purdue, Creighton, Kansas, Kentucky, and UConn. Wednesday’s championship game saw Ighodaro commit two quick fouls that hampered his team’s rhythm in the first half against Purdue. However, they also illustrated his significance. The ceiling for Marquette could be determined by his capacity to play all season long and against the best big men in the nation.
Turnovers are crucial for Marquette, both in favor of and against
Shaka Smart’s team did not give up more turnovers than the opposition in a single game during the course of the previous season, which lasted three whole months. Then, Marquette was eliminated in the round of 32 when Michigan State pulled off the incredible upset by winning the turnover battle. This pattern is repeating (so far) in 2023–2024. The Golden Eagles allowed opponents to score more points on each “effective” (turnover-less) possession in 205 total possessions against Illinois, UCLA, and Kansas. Naturally, Marquette’s disciplined ball handling and high turnover rate allowed them to win all three games. Even though Purdue outperformed Smart’s team in the championship game, any team facing this defense will still have a difficult time getting points in. However, as is frequently the case, Marquette benefits greatly when it gains an edge in turnovers.
Kansas’ ceiling will depend on the newcomers to its perimeter.
Hunter Dickinson, K.J. Adams Jr., Kevin McCullar Jr., and Dajuan Harris Jr. are the four well-known playwrights in Kansas. Preseason expectations were that one of the freshmen or transfers would establish themselves as a reliable wing auxiliary player, elevating the Jayhawks to the status of one of the nation’s most evenly matched teams. That is still a ways off. In the Champions Classic victory over Kentucky, as well as in the defeat to Marquette, the absence of shot producers and makers in the backcourt was evident, even though Harris saved them in that particular game. Elmarko Jackson and Johnny Furphy, the highly anticipated freshmen, are still developing, and Nick Timberlake, the transfer from Towson, isn’t currently making shots. Something to keep an eye on: Jamari McDowell, a rookie, played 27 minutes in the Tennessee game. Despite being the least-touted player among the newcomers, he contributed to the victory against the Vols by hitting two three-pointers and providing length on the wing.
The offense of Tennessee will proceed with Dalton Knecht.
Despite all the talk about Tennessee’s offense being better this year, the Vols managed to score less than 0.96 points per possession in each of their three games played in Hawaii. They occasionally bore a striking resemblance to the team from the previous season, which struggled mightily at that end of the court and lacked the strength to regularly defeat strong opponents. On paper, they do hold the power this year. However, that didn’t quite work against Kansas and Purdue. Despite being one of the best transfers in the nation through the first few weeks of the season, Dalton Knecht struggled mightily in the second half of both games, managing just six points on 2-for-13 shooting. It should come as no surprise that Tennessee had trouble making shots in both contests, going just six of twenty layup attempts against the Jayhawks and 17 of 63 (27%) from beyond the arc. With his ability to go for his own shot and his size and athleticism to make contested shots over strong defenders, Knecht is Tennessee’s separator. However, the Vols will suffer without him.
Sebastian Mack became the impact freshman at UCLA.
It was completely unclear going into the season how Mick Cronin was going to set up his rotation. That was all there was to it; Adem Bona was back inside. However, Sebastian Mack, a rookie guard, has quickly established himself as the Bruins’ go-to player on the perimeter. Against stronger opposition in Maui, he has only improved his game after scoring 18 points against Lafayette in the season’s opening game. In the opening round, he finished with 14 points and six rebounds against Marquette. Mack’s hot start appears to have some durability, but the majority of his damage is done inside the arc and at the free-throw line.
