Maui Invitational takeaways: UConn reeling, Tyrese Hunter puts Memphis in finals and Auburn’s case for No. 1

Matt Norlander’s Day 2 notebook from the Maui Invitational, including interviews and anecdotes from the biggest story-makers at the event. Be on the lookout for Day 3’s takeaways on Wednesday, which will begin with Colorado vs. No. 5 Iowa State for fifth place at 2:30 p.m. ET. 

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Two teams with the same nickname battling in their first Maui Invitational title game. It’ll be Tigers vs. Tigers on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET for the tournament title. 

About 4.5 hours after Memphis locked its spot by beating Michigan State, fourth-ranked Auburn won its late tip Tuesday night by outpacing No. 12 North Carolina with an 85-72 victory. It’s the undefeated Tigers’ third ranked win of the season in six games, all three coming against top-12 competition. That’s never happened before in program history. It’s fitting that Auburn is playing Memphis (more on those Tigers further down in the notebook), because those two schools could have the best résumés of anyone in the country. 

Wednesday’s winner will indisputably carry that claim. 

The best of Bruce Pearl’s bunch is who we expected. Johni Broome, who is vying with Tyrese Hunter (more on him below) for Maui MVP, put up an outlandish 23 points and 19 rebounds against an overmatched UNC front line. Broome was buttressed by 15 points from Miles Kelly, 14 from Chad Baker-Mazara and 11 from Chaney Johnson. Six Tigers in all landed double figures. North Carolina never threatened in the second half.

“He’s not fast enough, he’s not quick enough, he’s not good enough,” Pearl said afterward, paraphrasing how Broome was overlooked as a high school recruit. “He doesn’t make the top AAU teams in Florida. He’s a low-major and mid-major kid and all he’s every done his entire career is prove people wrong.”

As of Wednesday morning, Broome’s statistical lead at KenPom.com’s NPOY algorithm is larger in margin between No. 2 Cooper Flagg than Flagg is from the No. 10 player, RJ Luis of St. John’s.

“He’s the best player on the floor and it wasn’t even close,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Things looked slow to him. He wasn’t rushed, he was patient. … He’s in full command of his game.”

Remember, Davis has RJ Davis, who was a First Team All-American last season. On Tuesday, the fifth-year guard had just 12 points on 11 shots, muffled throughout by Denver Jones, who Pearl called “one of the best defensive guards in college basketball. He’s one of the reasons why our team has won the games we have won. Nobody talks about it, nobody writes about it.”

Everyone is raving about Auburn, though. Tuesday’s win got the Tigeres back to No. 1 at KenPom after reaching that perch on Nov. 13 by way of defeating Houston. 

If you think Pearl was content with the game, let me tell you … he was not. Pearl was Dan Hurley-level furious with the officials in a 15-point game with 1:22 remaining. After Pearl’s press conference, he pulled aside J.D. Collins, the former director of NCAA officiating who oversees the officials each year in Maui, to share his concerns in a private conversation just outside the media work room.

That’s something to keep an eye on in Wednesday’s title game. Memphis is a bruising group and a third game in as many days could benefit the more physical team. (Not that Auburn can’t bruise with the best of them. It will be ready.)

UConn falls to 0-2, Dan Hurley calls out zebras again

An opportunity in paradise is threatening to turn into a trip to hell for Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies. The (not for long) No. 2 team in the country is officially reeling after losing two games in two days by a combined three points to unranked opponents in the Maui Invitational.

“I just think we’re all shocked. We’re all stunned,” Hurley said as he walked to the team bus after UConn lost to Colorado 73-72 in the opening game of Tuesday’s consolation bracket play. “With the run that we’ve been on and how well we’ve played, the games are playing out way differently for us and we’ve got to be incredibly strong mentally right now.”

Coming into the week, UConn was 47-3 in its last 50 games. Now it’s in danger of falling out of the rankings.

A day after blowing a 13-point lead against Memphis, Colorado steadily came back from an 11-point deficit to beat the two-time champs. The winning margin was provided by a tough right-handed runner from Andrej Jakimovski with 8.5 remaining. The Macedonian beat UConn freshman Liam McNeeley. Jakimovski didn’t have to worry about a center fronting in that moment because, for the second straight day, UConn had its top two bigs, Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., foul out.

Here’s the winning play. If this stuff keeps up, we could have the best Maui Invitational ever. 

The Huskies tried for a game-saving 3-pointer, just like Solo Ball vs. Memphis, only this time Hassan Diarra‘s attempt fell awry. The Buffs came into the day ranked No. 82 at KenPom. The Huskies hadn’t dropped consecutive games since January 2023. Now they’ll try to avoid going 0-3 in Maui by mandate of playing in the seventh-place game, the last tipoff coming Wednesday night against Dayton.

If you’d like a serving of huh!, check it: Tuesday was only the third time Colorado’s defeated a top-two team in program history (No. 2 Arizona in 2022, No. 2 Oklahoma State in 1992).

“Coach trusted me to make the last play and I knew I had to go down there and finish,” Jakimovski said. “After a bad game yesterday we showed character and we defensed our ass off. UConn is probably one of the best offensive teams I’ve played in my college career.”

The Buffs will play the winner of Iowa State on Wednesday. 

Credit to Colorado, but the story is obviously UConn. For as much as I’m willing to take responsibility for the patented Writer’s Jinx, the Huskies have bigger issues. And it’s not only officiating, but yeah, Hurley took time to gripe about that again on Tuesday after the game. Whereas McNeeley got called for an over-the-back foul vs. Memphis that was Hurley’s breaking point, on Tuesday it was Colorado’s Trevor Baskin who made clear contact with McNeeley’s arm in an over-the-back scenario. No whistle. UConn led by one at the time. 

“It just speaks to how these last two days have gone for us, that yesterday the biggest play of the game was an over-the-back that was called against us, and then today it was more egregious because the kid Baskin pulled Liam’s arm down,” Hurley said. “I saw the replay of it. Obviously it’s ironic, but that’s not why — our defense has been just so dreadful, just so dreadful out here.”

Hurley has made himself a target by going after the officials after two close losses. He’s not putting complete accountability on himself and his players as a result. To his point: UConn has lost two games in two days despite making 26 3-pointers on 61 attempts. That’s a 42.6% rate, which will win you a lot of games. 

They’ve also allowed Memphis and Colorado to hit at least 1.20 points per possession, which will lose you a lot of games.

“Sometimes you’re not getting a great whistle and I don’t think out here we’ve gotten a great whistle, it just hasn’t bounced our way out here that way,” Hurley said. “It killed us to have so many guys in foul trouble during the game.”

UConn’s got so used to rolling opponents that it’s struggling to finish out close tilts. With a lot of new faces in prominent roles, this isn’t surprising, despite Hurley’s standard. But consider this: Colorado lost its top five scorers from a season ago. That didn’t hold Boyle’s Buffs back, you know?

“Dealing with the type of foul trouble that we’ve had out here has certainly not helped a team with so many young guys replacing so many critical parts,” Hurley said. “It’s made it even more challenging and has obviously exposed a lot of our vulnerabilities.”

We’re far from sky-is-falling territory in Storrs, but after UConn thrived on feasting any type of noncon opponent, it looks lost in its identity. Hurley told CBS Sports he thought two losses in Maui was very much a possibility, acknowledging it with a laugh, even. 

“In particular I’d say we were most nervous about the guard play coming in, losing what we lost with [Tristen Newton] at that position,” Hurley told me. “I think we’re searching at point right now.”

Hurley didn’t have point guard Aidan Mahaney in the Huskies’ starting five for the first time this season, starting Hassan Diarra instead. Diarra had 11 points, six assists and two turnovers. Mahaney didn’t score. 

“We really needed to gut out these last two games here as we tried to find ourselves and it’s definitely knocked us on our ass,” Hurley said. 

The bigs fouling out was also glaring. Johnson and Reed Jr. have been unavailable in crunch time and it’s handicapped Connecticut the past two days. Hurley’s been humbled, no doubt about that. He said multiple times that his team deserved to be the preseason No. 1 based on what it had done the past two years. Now that’s gone entirely. UConn is just another team right now, and at this stage isn’t close to a top-10 one. With one more game against a good team guaranteed, the Huskies have an opportunity to somewhat salvage this trip late Wednesday night.

The alternative would be disastrous for the Huskies’ résumé and mark the first time the program’s lost three straight games away from home since 2020. 

Memphis’ Hunter is best transfer so far

This tournament always provides big opportunities for teams and players to rewrite expectations on their seasons. Think: 2010-11 UConn and Kemba Walker; 2018-19 Dayton and Obi Toppin; and 2005-06 Gonzaga and Adam Morrison, just to name a few. 

Through two days, Memphis and Tyrese Hunter fit that bill. 

The Tigers’ 71-63 win over Michigan State on Tuesday vaulted the program into the Maui title game for the first time in school history. It’s obvious Memphis was overlooked in being unranked heading into the year. After snapping UConn’s 17-game winning streak on Monday and outpacing Michigan State with ease today, Penny Hardaway’s team has five top-100 KenPom wins. No other team can match that.

The biggest reason: Hunter’s detonation from deep. The senior lead guard is more than the breakout player in college basketball through the first three weeks of the season. He’s an All-American candidate, lifted by his amazing two-game run in Lahaina. 

“I’m him! I’ve always been him!” Hunter yelled to his teammates after a beautiful parabola from more than 23 feet fell through in the second half of Memphis’ win against UConn. On Tuesday, he provided a riveting encore. 

“Make everybody know. Put them on notice,” Hunter told me Tuesday. “Let them know I’m still here. It ain’t went nowhere.”

Hunter’s averaging 24.5 points, just 1.5 turnovers and shooting 60% from deep (12 for 20) here in Maui. On the season, he’s at a comfortable career-best 17.3 points. He’s doing it alongside PJ Haggerty, giving the Tigers one of the best backcourts in the country and easily the best duo that was picked up in the portal this past offseason (Hunter came from Texas, Haggerty via Tulsa). 

What’s gotten into Hunter? He was a volcano vs. UConn, and on Tuesday, Tom Izzo described his 5-of-10 3-point barrage “hellacious.”

“He made some shots that … I don’t know if Penny made those shots when he played, and I mean that,” Izzo said. “He was falling right, falling left, end of the shot clock, and he drained them. Give them credit. There’s a reason they beat UConn.”

He’s the easy favorite for Maui MVP heading into Wednesday. So, what’s changed from his promising but inconsistent growth periods at Iowa State and Texas?

“You start with taking the right shots,” Hunter said of when to shoot 3-pointers. “Coming in as a freshman, I think I shot 27%, I was shooting shots that I’d take in high school that you can’t take at the next level. … I was kind of immature on the shots that I was taking.”

Hunter developed a reputation as one of the best freshman defensive guards in the sport at ISU. He said at Texas, there were some nice spots, but also some “shaky stuff.” 

“I think I sacrificed a lot as a player,” he told me. 

He’s found his groove, something he calls a niche, but he’s more impactful than that. Memphis’ staff told me Hunter’s maturity and leadership is the No. 1 reason this team is as good as it is.He’s mentoring Haggerty along the way. Something genuine is building between the two and it’s turned the Tigers into a potential top-10 team. 

By being admittedly being “a little more selfish,” Memphis has its best offense and 3-point attack under Hardaway. The Tigers’ 45.4% 3-point clip is No. 3 nationally, boosted by Hunter’s hot-as-the-sun 52.6% accuracy from deep. There was a lot of offseason drama with this program, including bizarre staff dismissals and a still-looming potential NCAA case. 

“Everything that I ever did sacrifice was for winning and I’m proud of it,” Hunter told me. 

Now his bag is deep. He can move deftly off the dribble, has a great snatch-back release, can hit with accuracy on contests from the corner, is pure on screen-peels. I don’t know if there’s a more enjoyable player to watch in this young season than him. 

“I’m free out there, not looking over my shoulders,” Hunter said. “I know if I mess up, Coach has my back, whatever I got to do. I’m free-minded.”

Dayton, so close … 

No team had more to gain in Maui than the Dayton Flyers. The only of the group not in a power conference. Anthony Grant’s team blew a 21-point lead against North Carolina on Monday and lost 92-90 in a thriller. It soiled away a nine-point edge against Iowa State on Tuesday and came up short 89-84. Next up is UConn. With how the Huskies have played, a Dayton win is on the table. Even still, the Flyers are staring at an 0-3 trip with at least two terrific chances at Quad 1 victories. 

The A-10 has struggled to build up its nonconference heft in recent seasons, and with Dayton vying alongside VCU to be maybe the best in the league, this was a grand opportunity for the Atlantic 10. But that’s the chance you take in signing up for this. The fields are almost always loaded, meaning you’ve got an opportunity to change your season — like Memphis — or fly home 0-3. 

Having seen the Flyers push the Tar Heels and Cyclones to the edge, I’m a believer in their chances to make a second straight NCAA tourney under Anthony Grant. 

The Iowa State win also means we avoid Connecticut-ISU for seventh place. Those teams could have easily been playing for the title on Wednesday. Instead, the Cyclones will play Colorado on Wednesday for fifth place. Two Big 12 schools, but not a Big 12 game. This also guarantees ISU and Colorado will face each other three times this regular season, as they’ve got two conference dates (Dec. 30, Feb. 18). Also: Keshon Gilbert has taken another step in his growth as a senior. He had 24 vs. Dayton and wouldn’t falter, including when he took a hard Flagrant 1 foul from Zed Key in the closing minutes. 

2024 Maui Invitational bracket