NCAA Basketball: Biggest takeaways from 2019 Maui Invitational

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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 26: Cody Riley #2 of the UCLA Bruins hauls in a rebound during the second half against the Chaminade Silverswords at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 26, 2019 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

Michigan State – Spartans not a top-10 team without Joshua Langford

When Michigan State was dubbed the preseason No. 1 team in the country, it wasn’t a great deal of surprise. Especially since Cassius Winston, an All-American point guard was coming back as well. But the team getting that No. 1 spot also hinged on guard Joshua Langford being back as well recovery from a nagging foot injury. Unfortunately, he’s not going to be back until January, if even at all this season. That means that we all need to re-evaluate the Spartans going forward.

The three games in the Maui Invitational showed how reliant the team is on Winston to perform at a high level. Aaron Henry has shown the most promise of the underclassmen and big man Xavier Tillman is playing well down low. The others still need time to grow, including starters Rocket Watts and Marcus Bingham. Particularly on the defensive end, where they allowed freshmen Landers Nolley and Anthony Edwards to go off on them. They were considered the clear-cut favorites to win the Big Ten this season but both Ohio State and Maryland have made better arguments thus far.

UCLA – Bruins a complete work in progress

With losses to both BYU and Michigan State and being tied at 22 against Chaminade in the second-half, UCLA looks more likely to miss the NIT than make the NCAA Tournament. This team lacks a go-to scorer and is prone to give up multiple 10-0 runs defensively without finding a way to score on their own. Giving up 60% shooting from the field to a BYU team with no size at all is borderline embarrassing.

Head coach Mick Cronin is still in the process of finding his preferred rotation. We’ve seen Jules Bernard’s minutes fluctuate and freshman forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. got his first start against the Spartans. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bruins look before the start of Pac-12 play because they’ll have to improve a great deal in to have postseason aspirations.

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