Maui Invitational 2014: Updated Schedule, TV Info and Predictions
The only thing more beautiful than the Hawaiian sunsets that come across your television screen during the Maui Invitational may be the actual basketball on the court.
College hoops fans will be treated to a pre-Thanksgiving treat on Wednesday, as two Top 15 teams square off for the Maui Invitational championship. There will also be some appetizers featuring a Big 12 and ACC showdown between Kansas State and Pittsburgh as well as BYU testing its mettle against Purdue from the Big Ten.
With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule, broadcast information and predictions for all four games on Wednesday.
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| Missouri vs. Chaminade | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN U | Watch ESPN | Missouri |
| Purdue vs. BYU | 5 p.m. | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN | BYU |
| Kansas State vs. Pittsburgh | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN 2 | Watch ESPN | Kansas State |
| Arizona vs. San Diego State | 10 p.m. | ESPN | Watch ESPN | Arizona |
Championship Game Breakdown
Arizona and San Diego State headline a full slate of college basketball games on Wednesday and will face off for the fifth time in four seasons. The winner gets to add Maui Invitational champion to its early-season resume.
Arizona reached the finals after it crushed Missouri and then narrowly escaped Kansas State in the final minutes with a 72-68 win. San Diego State beat BYU in a double-overtime thriller and then dismantled Pittsburgh on Tuesday. It's the third game in three days for both teams, so fatigue may come into play in the second half.
Arizona is No. 3 in the country and on the short list of national title contenders, but San Diego State has a chance to pull the upset because of its suffocating defense.
If you take away the double-overtime game with BYU, where the Aztecs won 92-87, they are yet to allow more than 58 points in a single contest. They gave up only 57 against Pittsburgh and a measly 27 against CSU Bakersfield earlier in the season. In that Pittsburgh blowout, San Diego State forced 17 turnovers and blocked 10 shots.
Skylar Spencer is a defensive superstar who swatted five Pittsburgh shots and is averaging four blocks a game in the early going. He checks in as a 6'10" athlete who covers one side of the paint to the other and can chase down ball-handlers in the open floor. He is the perfect rim protector in an aggressive defense and allows the guards and forwards to take chances.
Incredibly, Tuesday's win over Pittsburgh was San Diego State's 16th in a row in the regular season with 24 hours or less of rest between games. That is a testament to the defense and the overall depth, athleticism and conditioning on the team.
However, Arizona has been a thorn in its side and has beaten San Diego State in 10 of the last 12 head-to-head games. The Wildcats even knocked the Aztecs out of last season's NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16.
If nothing else, San Diego State will be plenty motivated against one of the kings of the West and has likely been waiting for this opportunity all offseason. Forward Winston Shepard certainly suggested as much, via Mark Zeigler of U-T San Diego:
"For me, this will be my fourth time playing them. Oh-and-three so far ... I remember my old (high school) teammate Nick Johnson stealing a win from us in Hawaii. We had played great. Chase Tapley had a great look. Nick just made a great play. Me personally, I just want to redeem that."
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The Aztecs are No. 5 in Ken Pomeroy's pace-adjusted defensive efficiency rankings and will unleash that motivated defense on Wednesday evening.
Arizona will counter with a number of offensive weapons, including Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, T.J. McConnell, Brandon Ashley and Stanley Johnson. With all of those weapons, it is No. 5 in Pomeroy's offensive rankings and can score by attacking the rim, hitting perimeter jumpers or working the ball down low.
Something has to give between San Diego State's defense and Arizona's offense.
The difference in this game, though, will be on the other end. The Wildcats are No. 6 in Pomeroy's defensive rankings while the Aztecs are No. 59 offensively. Matt Moreno of GoAzCats.com suggested that Arizona's defense belongs right in the same conversation with San Diego State's:
Offensively, the Aztecs haven't found their go-to scorer quite yet after losing Xavier Thames. As a team, they are shooting 39.5 percent from the field and will have a difficult time facing the pressure defense that Arizona is bound to use.
That Arizona defense has a rim protector of its own in Kaleb Tarczewski as well as athletic and versatile forwards to cover the wings and harass ball-handlers in Johnson and Hollis-Jefferson, and it has McConnell as the senior guard spearheading the efforts on the perimeter. When engaged, the defense can be as effective as any in the country, which is a problem for a middling San Diego State offense.
Arizona thrives on both ends of the floor, and San Diego State is yet to fully figure out one. That will make the difference in this early showdown, much to the delight of Wildcats fans.
Prediction: Arizona 81, San Diego State 72
*Pomeroy numbers and overall statistics are as of Tuesday night.
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