Preview and predictions for college basketball's loaded Maui Invitational – 247Sports

The Maui Invitational will look much different after deadly, devastating wildfires swept across the island of Maui this summer. College basketball’s premier, Feast Week tournament will be held at the University of Hawaii while the legendary Lahaina Civic Center continues to serve as an epicenter of the recovery efforts.
Kansas played Illinois and Tennessee played Michigan State in preseason charity exhibitions to raise money for the victims impacted by the Maui wildfires.
“For decades, the Maui Invitational and the city of Lahaina have been very important to college basketball and our thoughts and prayers go to that entire community as they recover from such a tragic event,” KU coach Bill Self said. “(Illinois coach Brad Underwood) and I discussed how our private scrimmage could become an exhibition game to raise money to benefit the so many affected by the recent catastrophic fires in Maui. We both felt this would be a great way for our programs to create awareness to help this cause.”
The site might be different, but the competition will be elite. Tennessee, Purdue, Kansas, Gonzaga and Marquette are all top-10 teams on KenPom. UCLA and Syracuse are brimming with NBA talent as well.
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Here’s a breakdown of each team competing in the Maui Invitational and our picks to win:
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Opponents are shooting 68.9% at the rim against Syracuse through its first three games.
What we can learn: Syracuse enters the tournament unscathed, but it has not passed the eye test — especially on the defensive end. Syracuse arguably got one of the toughest draws in the Maui Invitational. But it’s a massive opportunity to boost the resume in a significant way. A date with a loaded Tennessee team awaits in Monday’s first round while Gonzaga or Purdue looms 24 hours later. The Orange have one of the youngest rosters in the field, but winning just one of those first two games could end up being the most impressive win of Syracuse’s season. Judah Mintz and JJ Starling form a dynamic backcourt but keep an eye on the now-eligible Benny Williams. Williams gives Adrian Autry a big-bodied wing who can also go for 20 in a heartbeat.
 
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Chaminade is averaging 8.7 made 3-pointers per game.
What we can learn: Chaminade is 8-95 historically at the Maui Invitational. Its last win in the event came in 2017 when it trounced Cal 96-72. In a field this good, it’s tough to imagine a 1-2 Chaminade squad will make noise. But it is Feast Week! So, everything is certainly on the table. Kansas is a brutal first-round matchup for the undersized Silverswords, but Chaminade will certainly let it fly from downtown.
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Gonzaga has made 54 layups or dunks in the first two games.
What we can learn: Gonzaga might not have a Hunter Dickinson or Zach Edey, but the Zags have a strong case to make for the best front court in the loaded Maui Invitational field. The now-healthy big man Graham Ike has wasted no time putting his stamp on things, averaging 18 points per game. Anton Watson (15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists) is a stud. Ben Gregg adds a floor-spacer, but the emergence of Braden Huff (21 points per game) has changed the complexion of Gonzaga’s front court picture. That quartet can ball and Creighton transfer point guard Ryan Nembhard has fit like a glove. The Zags desperately need Nolan Hickman to knock down shots from downtown after a gut-wrenching, season-ending injury to Steele Venters. We’ll learn a lot about whether Gonzaga’s depth is for real or a major question mark that could dampen the Zags’ Big Dance ceiling.
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Purdue has a +17.6 net rating in the 74 possessions with Zach Edey on the bench, per Pivot Analysis.
What we can learn: Purdue and Tennessee aren’t ranked No. 1 (that’s Kansas’ spot), but the Boilers or the Vols have looked the best so far. We could get a head-to-head matchup in the Maui Invitational semifinals which could be a flat-out war. Big man Zach Edey has been dominant, per usual, but Purdue can make a strong case that its even better because the supporting cast has taken a step in the right direction. Braden Smith has a 3-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio. The sophomore point guard is a legitimate triple-double threat now since his pull-up jumper has improved. Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones hasn’t shot it great, but his defense and transition buckets have been a real shot in the arm. Purdue still doesn’t have a great answer on whether Trey Kaufman-Renn is the best front court partner for Edey. Matt Painter can mix or match at the 4 with Kaufman-Renn, Caleb Furst, Cam Heide, Mason Gillis or Ethan Morton. Everyone will be needed if Purdue wants to emerge from Maui victorious.
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Marquette is averaging 1.026 points per possession in the halfcourt, via Synergy.
What we can learn: Marquette is a not-so-sneaky pick to win this whole thing. Marquette showed its Final Four upside with a gutty, road win over Illinois on Tuesday. Now, it gets a showdown against UCLA with Kansas likely looming if it can knock off Mick Cronin’s young bunch. Marquette wants to play space-and-pace. UCLA could trot out two centers. Who has to make the adjustment? Will Marquette flirt with some two-big lineups to combat UCLA’s pure, raw size? Will UCLA have to downsize to handle Marquette? If the Golden Eagles advance to play Kansas, we could get a juicy matchup between Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Dajuan Harris. The Kam Jones-Kevin McCullar showdown would be ridiculously fun as well. Oh, and Oso Ighodaro vs. Hunter Dickinson is an elite big man war. No one would be surprised if Marquette and Kansas meet up again in March or early April.
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: UCLA has made just seven 3-pointers in its first three games.
What we can learn: We’ll find out more about UCLA than maybe any other team in the field. The Bruins still don’t have prized freshman Berke Buyuktuncel who is still (it’s mid-November!) awaiting clearance from the NCAA. But UCLA’s three other international freshmen — Aday Mara, Ilane Fibleuil and Jan Vide — have already showcased glimpses of why Mick Cronin was so high on this group.
Dylan Andrews did not play on Wednesday against LIU due to a “coach’s decision,” and UCLA needs its sophomore point guard if it wants to hang with Marquette in the Maui opener. Regardless of who is playing or not, we know Cronin’s group will sit down and play very hard defensively. We know Adem Bona is a flat-out stud and Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic is steady and reliable. After that? It’s a blank slate, baby. Cronin is going to learn a ton about his youthful group in the next week.
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Tennessee star wing Dalton Knecht has converted 12 of his 14 layups through three games.
What we can learn: Tennessee can make its case for No. 1. Assuming that the Vols can take care of business against Syracuse in the first round, Tennessee will get Gonzaga or Purdue which will be a knock-em-out, drag-em-out brawl. If Tennessee emerges from that mess with a W, it could get Kansas, Marquette or UCLA in the championship game. Win that and there will be no debate about who deserves to be the top team.
Rick Barnes has stuck with a pretty strict minutes allotment for Zakai Zeigler, but we’ll see if the 5-foot-9, jitterbug point guard is able to eclipse the 20-minute-per-game threshold. When that happens, we’ll find out who Barnes really trusts. Dalton Knecht has been fabulous, but fellow transfer portal addition Jordan Gainey might be part of Tennessee’s best lineup. How will Barnes massage a rotation that has eight proven ballers?
Projected starting lineup:
Stat to know: Nick Timberlake played just 14 minutes in Kansas’ win over Kentucky in Tuesday’s Champions Classic. It was the fewest number of minutes in a single game for the Towson transfer since Jan. 23, 2020.
What we can learn: Let’s fast-forward to the semifinals and pretend an old Marquette team beats a young UCLA squad and that Kansas doesn’t play with its food in the first-round game against Chaminade.
That Marquette-Kansas game has a chance to be a straight-up banger. We know Marquette will double-team the post on almost every single touch. How does Kansas get creative against that? Hunter Dickinson is an elite passer out of double-teams, but Kansas’ lack of respectable floor-spacers is truly jarring. Timberlake is in a funk. KJ Adams isn’t shooting it and neither is Elmarko Jackson. Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar both have jumpers that come and go. So does that make it Jamari McDowell‘s time to shine? Bill Self has to sort all that mess out.
Marquette will put so much stress on Kansas. That never-ending pressure will make life tough for a team that is elite when it can get to the rim. Kansas thinks it has the best center, the best wing and the best point guard in the country. It’ll need them to play like it to knock off Marquette.
Bill Self knows what he has in Harris, Dickinson, Adams and McCullar, but he’s searching for a fifth guy he can trust. This is a huge stage for Timberlake, Jackson, McDowell or Johnny Furphy to make a case to be that fifth member of the trusted circle.
FIRST ROUND
SEMIFINALS
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
CHAMPIONSHIP
THIRD PLACE GAME
FIFTH PLACE GAME
SEVENTH PLACE GAME

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