Kansas vs Dayton: 2019-20 Maui Invitational game preview, TV schedule
It’s Kansas and Dayton in the finals of the 2019 Maui Invitational. Which team will end up with the title and a 3-0 record from the event?
TV schedule: Wednesday, November 27, 5:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii
The Maui Invitational, one of the most prestigious non-conference NCAA Basketball Tournaments, has their championship matchup of the two best teams in Dayton and Kansas. It sounds odd that the Flyers are mentioned like that considering that No. 3 Michigan State is in the event but no team has looked as impressive as the A-10 squad so far.
After beating Georgia by 19 points and holding star freshman Anthony Edwards to just six points on 2/10 shooting, Dayton then beats Virginia Tech, 89-62. The Flyers were already the No. 1 shooting team in the country coming into the game and only improved on that, making a whopping 64% from the field. Once again, they were led by breakout star Obi Toppin, who scored 24 points in the game and has gone for at least 20 in all five contests for the Flyers.
The supporting cast has been just as effective, including guards Trey Landers and Rodney Chatman. Even if foes opt to double Toppin in the post, the Dayton perimeter players and the constant ball movement will make them pay. It’s going to be a tough task for the frontcourt of Kansas, who had an easy time against D-II Chaminade and a BYU team who lacked much size without Yoeli Childs able to play.
But the Jayhawks still struggled from the field in the first 20 minutes against the Cougars last night. In the end, it was the defense that carried Kansas, allowing just eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. That and the size of David McCormack and Udoka Azubuike (27 points and 15 rebounds combined) ended up literally too much for BYU to handle.
Now, Kansas has to find a way to deal with Toppin, who can beat you in a variety of ways. Will the Jayhawks continue to use a big lineup or will they have to adjust by going smaller. At the same time, the Flyers aren’t the biggest team in the world and for the sake of avoiding foul trouble, probably wouldn’t want to have him dealing with Azubuike down low on his own.
Will Dayton’s red-hot shooting continue? Kansas showed in the second half that they have the ability to slow shooters down. But any droughts by the Jayhawks on the offensive end could be fatal. We’ve seen multiple mid-major upsets of juggernauts involving Stephen F. Austin-Duke and Evansville-Kentucky and the Flyers are far better than those underdogs. But between the Maui title being on the line and determined to avoid being the next heavyweight to fall, I have the Jayhawks sneaking out with a win.