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Sunday, December 22, 2024
By its extremely lofty standards, this year’s Maui Invitational is rather light fare, though still one of the kings of the in-season tournaments. Maui is always a highlight of November and Thanksgiving week, dating back to its emergence in the late 1980s, and the tourney opened yesterday with quarterfinals. The best game of the four was the last one, as old WAC and Mountain West rivals San Diego State and BYU went at it good deep into the night for us on the mainland.
As a whole, this wasn’t the best year for the Missouri Valley Conference. But one team stood out in a big way nationally.
A mix of returning talent and departed experience makes the Redbirds a difficult team to peg entering the 2011-12 season. That means Missouri Valley foes must proceed with caution against Illinois State.
It’s been a few years since the Missouri Valley has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. Is this the year that changes? The same two teams that made big runs in 2006 could be poised for another attempt at it, while plenty of others will try their best.
