Kansas vs. UCLA: Score, Highlights and Reaction from Maui Invitational 2015

A college basketball matchup between powerhouses such as Kansas and UCLA is typically reserved for the Final Four. Tuesday's Maui Invitational semifinal contest felt more like a preseason scrimmage.

The Jayhawks were dominant throughout in their 92-73 victory over the Bruins in a game that was never in doubt.

Perry Ellis led the way with 24 points and six rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, while Frank Mason III added 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in support. Coach Bill Self made sure 12 different players saw action Tuesday with the win well in hand, especially since the Jayhawks must play Vanderbilt in the championship game Wednesday.

As for UCLA, the performances from Isaac Hamilton and Tony Parker were the lone bright spots. Hamilton finished with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while Parker added 15 points and eight rebounds and held his own against a formidable Kansas front line.

The Maui Invitational featured Kansas, UCLA and Indiana among the field, but Matt Scott of 247Sports noted only one of them lived up to expectations after Tuesday's game:

UCLA now has two losses on the season, and Jack Wang of the L.A. Daily News highlighted one problem: 

Frankly, this matchup was over by halftime. The Jayhawks took a commanding 59-33 lead into the locker room behind 18 points from Ellis and eight three-pointers from the perimeter shooters. Kansas also held a 23-15 edge in the rebounding department and enforced its will in every facet of the game.

Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated summarized the first 20 minutes of basketball in Hawaii:

"

As Charles Barkley would say, Kansas is beating UCLA like they stole something.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 25, 2015"

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star pointed out it was business as usual for this season's Jayhawks team that already had two outings with more than 100 points coming into Tuesday's game:

As for UCLA, the lopsided score along with a stunning early loss to Monmouth had ESPN's Myron Medcalf tweeting things like this:

The Jayhawks continued to control the pace at the start of the second half, and UCLA looked overwhelmed attempting to compete on the boards, especially facing a 26-point deficit. Doug Gottlieb of CBS Sports Radio alluded to the Cheick Diallo eligibility concerns as Kansas waits for the NCAA to allow the freshman to take the court:

The game took on the intensity of an All-Star contest in the second half with Self's squad well in control. Scott commented on the proceedings:

The University Daily Kansan also described what can only be called a lack of intense defense:

However, Ellis was still doing work down low, and he increased his total to 22 points at the under-12-minute timeout with his team ahead 74-52. Scott was impressed with what he saw: 

Kansas continued to cruise even though UCLA cut the lead to 82-61. Ellis hit another difficult shot and drew an amusing reaction from his coach, per Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World:

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports compared the Bruins' effort to that of the Los Angeles Lakers, as Kobe Bryant's team struggled in the early going against the Golden State Warriors on the NBA side of things: 

Kansas began to empty its bench during the middle of the second half and extended its lead to 92-67 with less than three minutes remaining. The game was so well in hand that the Jayhawks fans started entertaining themselves in other ways, per the University Daily Kansan:

From there, UCLA actually closed with a mini run against the Jayhawks benchwarmers and crawled to within 20 as Kansas turned its attention toward Wednesday with the 92-73 victory.

What's Next?

The Maui Invitational comes to an end Wednesday in the championship showdown between Kansas and Vanderbilt. While the Jayhawks looked dominant against the Bruins, the Commodores are No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 and cruised to a 86-64 victory over Wake Forest in Tuesday's other semifinal contest.

Kansas will have to deal with big man Damian Jones, who put up a double-double against the Demon Deacons and scored in double figures in four of his team's five games this year. Jones was an All-SEC performer last season and is the main reason Vanderbilt is widely seen as the top competition for Kentucky in the league.

Ellis and the rest of the Kansas frontcourt will have their hands full against the star big man and will need to replicate Tuesday's strong performance on both ends of the floor to win the title.

Postgame Reaction

Kansas wasted little time establishing which team would win Tuesday’s game, and Ellis reflected on why his team was so impressive in the first half, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com: “Just defense. That was the key, getting stops and we were getting those stops and we were running, running great, running the floor great, and got some easy buckets.”

UCLA coach Steve Alford also weighed in, per Dodd: “You score 59 points in a half, you’re doing a lot of good things. Because you’re offense is clicking. They have five or six guys that make threes, and their guards do a very good job. They do a good job of dictating the pace. They can play at a really high-level pace.”

While the Jayhawks were overwhelming Tuesday, Self was already looking ahead to Wednesday’s championship clash in the aftermath, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com:

"

First of all, they're a lot bigger than we are. So we're going to have to play bigger than our standing height. We'll have to utilize our quickness inside. It's a hard matchup for us.

Vanderbilt would be extremely difficult to play and defeat no matter what. But (especially) with no day to prepare for a team that runs 100 different sets, and they're experienced and they share it.

"

The Jayhawks may not be completely prepared, but the talent on display against the Bruins alone could be enough to win the Maui Invitational.