The final matchups for the Maui Invitational are set, and with more action comes more takeaways for six of the nation’s top teams.
After Day 1 of the Maui Invitational gave us an incredible slugfest between UCLA and Marquette, Day 2 provided perhaps the strongest semifinal slate in nonconference MTE history.
Four Top 10 teams left it all on the floor for two spots in the finals. Similarly, Syracuse and Gonzaga had a hard-fought battle to avoid a zero-upside game against the host team Chaminade (which lost to UCLA later in the day). With just one more day of basketball action left on Oahu, Purdue and Marquette will take each other on for the right to hoist the trophy.
With the second-day matchups in the books, here are more key takeaways from the Maui Invitational.
MORE HEAT CHECK CBB:
- Heat Check CBB Top 25 rankings: Kansas takes over as No. 1
- Weekly Awards: Weber State’s Dillon Jones dazzles
- Rauf Report: Trio of budding stars are emerging
Gonzaga’s frontcourt shines
It is amazing what an offense can do when it doesn’t have to face the 7-4 defending National Player of the Year. Instead, the Zags’ forwards took it to 7-4 Naheem McLeod and the Orange — to the tune of 42 points and 32 rebounds on 18-of-35 (51.4 percent) shooting from the floor. Both Anton Watson and Graham Ike put together double-double performances, and even guard Nolan Hickman found success inside the 3-point arc. This is what Gonzaga was expected to look like coming into the season, with a deep frontline rotation and questionable guard depth. It was promising to see this performance after the Day 1 dud against Purdue.
Syracuse has serious issues on the defensive glass
There is one statistic that sums up Syracuse’s struggles today: the Orange pulled in 18 defensive rebounds while Gonzaga recorded 17 offensive boards. A 51 percent defensive rebound rate is worse than any school averaged last season. Even if you ignore this game, Syracuse let both Colgate and Tennessee pull in double-digit offensive rebounds. The Orange’s defensive rebound rate of 64.3 percent ranks outside the top 300 in the country, even despite the presence of the 7-4 McLeod, who has a paltry 10.3 percent defensive rebound rate. Even if Syracuse can figure out how to force more misses out of their opponents, that effort will be wiped away if the Orange can’t figure out how to prevent second chances.
Purdue saves its night on the boards
After matching Gonzaga in total rebounds during their first-round game, Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers outrebounded Tennessee 44-31 on Tuesday. Their 17 offensive boards helped them overcome an awful shooting split of .352/.267/.604 on the night. Obviously, Edey led the way with his 10 rebounds, but Trey Kaufman-Renn, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Caleb Furst each chipped in four or more boards of their own. It is tough to beat a top-50 shooting team most nights. When they can overcome a cold game with immense second-chance upside, that mountain becomes nearly impossible to climb.
Shooting woes continue for Tennessee’s guards
Santiago Vescovi is not unfamiliar with cold streaks, but he has never been this cold. Over the first five games of the season, Vescovi is shooting 17.6 percent from deep and has recorded zero made 3s in four of five contests. Prior to this season, the last time he failed to make a 3-pointer in a game was March 7, 2021. Tennessee has generally made up for the fifth-year senior’s struggles, but the Vols will need more from Vescovi if they aim to be a legitimate Final Four contender. Zakai Zeigler is also shooting a career-low from deep (22.2 percent), marking the worst stretch the two guards have had in their three years of playing together.
Kansas’ scoring depth may be its fatal flaw
The Jayhawks’ lack of scoring options was a huge topic coming out of their narrow win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic. However, Kansas’ loss to Marquette solidified it as a real issue. In those two games, Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris, Kevin McCullar and K.J. Adams combined to score 122 of the team’s 148 points. And in the loss to Marquette, Harris and Adams didn’t contribute much, leaving Dickinson and McCullar to score 37 of the 59 total points. As opponents realize how few options Kansas has, scoring opportunities will continue to dwindle for the top guys. The Jayhawks could struggle to put up enough points to beat other Final Four contenders.
Marquette has elite turnover margin potential
Marquette won the turnover battle for a fifth-straight game to start the season. The Golden Eagles are now a whopping plus-32 in turnover differential, or, 6.4 fewer giveaways per game. On offense, Marquette is turning the ball over at the 25th-lowest rate in the country (12.8 percent), while the defense is forcing turnovers at a 21.8 percent clip (48th in D-1). While the Golden Eagles’ pace will likely prevent them from leading the country in raw turnover differential, it would not be a shock if they led the country in differential per 100 possessions.