Auburn vs. Xavier: Key storylines to watch in Maui Invitational matchup

SAN DIEGO, CA - MARCH 16: Aubie the Tiger, mascot for the Auburn Tigers, performs as they take on the Charleston Cougars in the first half in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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CINCINNATI, OH – FEBRUARY 28: Xavier Musketeers players celebrate after winning the Big East Conference regular season title with an 84-74 win over the Providence Friars at Cintas Center on February 28, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Importance of Maui Invitational for both teams

Xavier and Auburn each have different season goals at the moment. The Musketeers are looking to get back to the Big Dance while the Tigers have Final Four aspirations. What happens in the Maui Invitational will provide valuable insight for both.

For Auburn, they’ll have plenty of opportunities in the SEC to gather quality wins. But none of them at the moment look as good as the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, who would likely be the Tigers’ opponent in the second round with a win. It’s a tremendous opportunity to see where they stand against arguably the best team in the country. Also, a potential matchup with No. 3 Gonzaga is in the cards but only if the Tigers beat Xavier on Monday. A loss puts them in the loser brackets with less talented teams.

The Musketeers need to be careful in how they play in this tournament. It’s not out of the question for them to go 0-3, with no Chaminade playing this year. The Big East overall has had an awful week, with the league losing badly to the Big Ten in the Gavitt Games, along with Villanova losing a shocker to Furman at home on Saturday. It’s entirely possible that there will be no Big East programs in the next AP Top-25 poll that gets released.

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With a win against Auburn, Xavier gets a signature win that’ll likely hold up, then possibly future matchups versus Duke and Gonzaga, meaning that their resume wouldn’t take a hit whatsoever. If winning the tournament itself isn’t doable, then leaving it without a bad loss is the next best thing. Considering what happened with the Big East this past week, that ha to happen for the Musketeers and their at-large hopes.

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