Forget about Thanksgiving, it is college basketball’s Feast Week! The usual headliner of the week is the Maui Invitational which tips off Monday afternoon and features Top 25 teams Syracuse, Gonzaga, and Baylor. It should be a competitive tournament as all seven Division One teams in the field have yet to lose a game this season. Here are my preview and predictions for the 2013 Maui Invitational.
MONDAY
Arkansas vs. California, 2:00 AM (all times CST), ESPN2
In typical Mike Anderson fashion, he has his Razorbacks playing “40 Minutes of Hell” basketball and wants to push tempo on both ends. Arkansas will go anywhere from 11-12 deep in hopes of wearing down their opponents. Houston transfer Alandise Harris has made an immediate impact inside for the Hogs averaging more than 18 points per game while sophomores Michael Qualls and Athlon Bell have stepped up their game on the wing.
Cal has used a balanced offensive attack as all five starters are averaging between 9-14 points per game. Leading the way has been McDonald’s All-American freshman, Jabari Bird who stepped in nicely to replace Allen Crabbe on the wing and has connected on nine of his 18 three-point attempts. The key for the Golden Bears though will be handling Arkansas’ pressure and allow the Razorbacks to create turnovers which often lead to easy buckets.
Prediction: Arkansas 71, California 68
Syracuse vs. Minnesota, 4:30 PM, ESPN2
I know the Gophers have looked fairly impressive early this season but I have no idea how the early line on this game was ‘Cuse -1. The Orange is the superior team in terms of talent. Since the Gophers don’t have much of a low post threat (it would be nice to have big man Mo Walker back from suspension but he won’t return to the lineup until Tuesday), they will need to shoot lights out against that long Syracuse 2-3 zone. Minnesota does have capable outside threats but I think the athleticism of the Orange frontcourt will be the difference in this one as long as ‘Cuse doesn’t fall in love with the three ball themselves. Look for them to extend full-court pressure which they have been doing more of this year.
Prediction: Syracuse 78, Minnesota 70
Baylor vs. Chaminade, 8:30 PM, ESPNU
The host Chaminade pulled off the massive upset last year when they knocked off Texas but don’t expect the same versus another Big 12 opponent this year. The size inside of Isaiah Austin and Cory Jefferson should cause plenty issues for the home team.
Prediction: Baylor 83, Chaminade 57
Gonzaga vs. Dayton, 11:00 PM, ESPN2
The Zags have been lighting up the scoreboard through four games as they are averaging 91 points per night. They have one of the best and perhaps most underappreciated backcourts in the country with Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. and have been using a smaller lineup more frequently this season due to a lack of depth inside.
The Flyers are coming off an impressive road win at Georgia Tech and have been balanced with five players averaging double digit points. Dayton doesn’t have a whole lot of talent inside so look for them to use a smaller lineup as well. I think this will be a close game and as tempted as I am to pick the upset…
Prediction: Gonzaga 86, Dayton 82
TUESDAY
Arkansas vs. Syracuse, 6:00 PM, ESPN
As long as the young point guard rotation of Tyler Ennis and Michael Gbinije keep their cool, expect the Orange to use their athleticism by attacking the Hogs’ pressure. Arkansas’ half-court offense must be on point against the ‘Cuse zone but the Razorbacks are more comfortable in the open floor than running offense in a slower pace.
Prediction: Syracuse 79, Arkansas 66
Baylor vs. Gonzaga, 8:30 PM, ESPN
The Bears haven’t exactly wowed me early this season and I fully expect the Zags to exploit their weaknesses. Austin and Jefferson will have their hands full down low with Polish big man Przemek Karnowski and the Zags guard play is more consistent than Baylor’s.
Prediction: Gonzaga 84, Baylor 65
WEDNESDAY
FIFTH PLACE GAME
California vs. Dayton, 4:00, ESPN2
As I mentioned earlier, the Flyers don’t have much in terms of an inside presence so look for Cal to rely on their frontcourt of David Kravish and Richard Solomon.
Prediction: California 63, Dayton 61
THIRD PLACE GAME
Arkansas vs. Baylor, 6:30 PM, ESPN2
The Bears will need a big game from Keny Cherry and Gary Franklin against the frantic pressure of Arkansas. With this being the third game in third days, I give the edge to the Razorbacks’ deep team that is built to play full-court.
Prediction: Arkansas 69, Baylor 67
CHAMPIONSHIP
Syracuse vs. Gonzaga, 9:00 PM, ESPN
The Zags have been going with Pangos, Bell, and David Stockton on the floor at the same time and all three guys are 6-2 or shorter. I just don’t see how that works against a ‘Cuse team that is long and athletic. Gonzaga does have the shooters to stretch that zone but the Orange should dominate on the boards and bring home the Maui Invitational title.
Prediction: Syracuse 70, Gonzaga 65
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.