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Sunday, December 22, 2024
Two Big 12 programs got big wins on Wednesday and hope each is a sign of better things to come. Plus more tournament action includes a few other championship games, a Tiger will be out as long as first thought, and wrist injuries sideline a couple of key veterans.
Tournaments may be the talk of the town, but Stephen F. Austin took that over for one night at least. Plus a big tournament delivers, one tournament is getting smaller, and a new assistant is coming to Omaha.
The first day of action in the Maui Invitational didn’t quite start off as expected, but that might help in a year where it may be surpassed in terms of having the best field. Plus more tournament action includes one championship, a program first in Richmond, and a Hawkeye is done for the season.
Gonzaga’s exciting 89-87 victory against Duke in the Maui Invitational final, entertaining as it was, still came down to defense. Plus, recaps of a host of tournament action including Creighton, Bradley and Toledo winning titles.
With two championship games on tap, one was won by a team that needed it and another was not. Plus the tournaments continue with some entertaining games out west, a captain will move on, and another big pickup for a new head coach.
The Maui Invitational is the last great preseason tournament left, and it opened with another terrific set of quarterfinals, even as it was missing something-host Chaminade. Plus more tourney recaps
Happy Thanksgiving. While the Battle 4 Atlantis has been one of the premier early season tourneys in recent years, this year’s event looked very top-loaded. Thursday proved otherwise.
It’s become almost a yearly occurrence now that Scott Drew’s Baylor squads are underrated heading into a season. The Bears perennially are undersold. They don’t have blueblood status steeped in decades of tradition. They just may not ‘look’ like a top 20 team in a modern game that values guards upon guards and has little use for teams defined by a quirky defense. Maybe it’s just the bad highlighter uniforms. Whatever the reason, it’s an error that needs to be corrected.
With the ancient Great Alaska Shootout at its end with its 40th and final edition later this week, the Maui Invitational soon will move to a role in college basketball as not just the sport’s best in-season tournament, but also its oldest among eight-team tourneys.
Wishing a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to all today. A pair of top 10 ACC teams faced similar opponents on Wednesday, with dramatically different-but ultimately successful-results.
