Maui Invitational Preview: Day One

The 2011 Maui Invitational gets underway for real today, as all the regional games are out of the way and we get to the meat and potatoes of the tournament.

As is the case every year with this fantastic event, there are a lot of great matchups scheduled to take place, so there will be plenty of excitement in the air for day one.

So without any further, let’s jump right in and take a look at the first round games in the championship round:

• #10 Memphis vs. #17 Michigan – 3 PM ET, ESPN 2

Despite being ranked in the top ten in the nation, the people (including myself) didn’t seem to believe that they were the favorite in their opening round game against Belmont. But Memphis sent an emphatic message with a 97-81 win over the Bruins, with their scary good athleticism being the key factor in that one.

They take on a Michigan team that sits at 3-0, though they haven’t looked particularly outstanding in those three games. They struggled to beat Western Illinois by four, and quite honestly, haven’t really found their stride just yet.

With the amount of scoring balance that Memphis had in their opener (Will Barton with 23, Wesley Witherspoon with 22, Joe Jackson with 20), John Beilein will need to have his defense ready for the challenge. Defense really hasn’t been Michigan’s problem to this point, but obviously, Memphis is a different beast than Western Illinois or Towson.

I don’t think Memphis puts up 97 here. Even though Michigan hasn’t been great, the Tigers’ defense wasn’t all that impressive against Belmont. Given that it’s a 10 AM game in Maui, this one has ugly written all over it. And I wouldn’t expect Memphis to shoot it like they did at home.

This one should go right down to the wire.

Prediction: Memphis 67, Michigan 65

• #6 Duke vs. Tennessee – 5:30 PM ET, ESPN 2

Duke got all they could handle from Belmont in their opener, but have since looked much better in racking up three straight wins. And now that they no longer have to worry about the pursuit of 903 for Coach K, they can focus on simply taking care of business.

As for the Vols, they won their first two games of the season against UNC Greensboro and Louisiana-Monroe in dominant fashion. The margin of victory wasn’t the story, but Trae Golden‘s 29 and 17 points in those two games was. After losing the type of production that Tennessee lost from a season ago, the big question was who would step up and fill the scoring gap. Golden has done that so far.

However, as we mentioned with the last game, the talent of the opposition takes a huge step up here. Tennessee doesn’t have enough firepower on either end to match Duke, and while I don’t think it will be a complete blowout, it could be quite the struggle for Cuonzo Martin and company.

Prediction: Duke 73, Tennessee 59

• Chaminade vs. UCLA – 9:30 PM ET, ESPNU

Well, it’s a good thing this one is on ESPNU. The story of the 2011-2012 UCLA Bruins keeps getting stranger and stranger, as it was reported last night that Reeves Nelson missed the team bus to the airport. This comes after Nelson was suspended by Ben Howland for attitude problems, before being reinstated…..because, ya know, the panic had set in.

An 0-2 start with losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State is inexcusable for a top that was picked to finish near the top of the Pac-12. And it’s really inexcusable for a national power like UCLA.

Howland’s job security has been talked about a lot in this whole ordeal. And with a loss to Chaminade, those discussions could start to get pretty serious.

Is Howland going to lose his job this season? Can’t see it happening. But there’s no doubt that he’s starting to feel the pressure after this forgettable start, and he really needs his team to come out and blow this team away.

Given what we’ve seen from them thus far though, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Prediction: UCLA 70, Chaminade 61

• #11 Kansas vs. Georgetown – Midnight ET, ESPN 2

An intriguing matchup with a lot of unknowns. The Jayhawks are ranked 11th in the country right now, although the jury is still out as to just how good they’ll be this season. They beat Towson by 46, and then lost to Kentucky at MSG, so there isn’t much to go on up to this point.

Georgetown opened with blowout wins against Savannah State and UNC Greensboro, which of course, means absolutely nothing. Most people picked them as a middle of the road Big East team entering the season, which might not be a bad thing.

Honestly, this is one of those games that it’s really hard to get a feel for. We know Kansas is ranked, and Georgetown is not. But early in the season, that doesn’t account for a whole lot, especially when we’re talking about a neutral court matchup in Maui.

For Kansas, they need Tyshawn Taylor to be consistent on both ends of the floor, and the Jayhawks’ defense as a whole needs to be focused for the Princeton attack.

Not entirely sure how good Bill Self‘s team is, but they should have enough to hold off a pesky Georgetown bunch.

Prediction: Kansas 69, Georgetown 64

What are your thoughts on the first day of games in Maui?

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