Maui Invitational Day 1

You know the college basketball season has arrived when you hear Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas calling games in the ESPN polos at midnight. This, of course, can only mean one thing: The Maui Jim Maui Invitational is back! The first day of games kicked off today, and we saw some pretty decent action. Let's recap here.

Quarterfinal 1: Marquette 94 VCU 83
Not surprisingly, Markus Howard led all scorers in this one with 22 points, but Marquette as a team had a solid outing against a frantic VCU team. Despite committing 17 turnovers, Marquette always had a decent handle on the game, and it felt that they were in the driver’s seat from the opening tip. 94 points against one of the most established defensive teams in the country is always a good sign, but the Golden Eagles will get a tougher test tomorrow.

Quarterfinal 2: Wichita State 92 California 82
The Shockers were down by as many as 18 early in the second half thanks to a tremendous performance by Cal guard Don Coleman, but they eventually woke up and used a fantastic 5-minute stretch at the end of the game to propel themselves to a 10-point win. I know Cal isn't a great team, but I loved the way Wichita State just turned it on and won that game. Shaquille Morris is playing way better than I gave him credit for at the beginning of the year, and Landry Shamet is one of the best guards in the country. Oh, and the Shockers aren't fully healthy yet.

Quarterfinal 3: Notre Dame 83 Chaminade 56
I would've loved to see a Chaminade win against the Irish today, but I think we all knew better than to expect it. When the Irish boast two of the best players in the ACC in Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson, and those two players combine for 50 points (Farrell 27, Colson 23), Chaminade had no chance of winning. The good news is that we are one step closer to the highly-anticipated Wichita State/Notre Dame championship game.

Quarterfinal 4: LSU 77  Michigan 75
Clearly the best game of the opening round, LSU edged Michigan by two behind a spectacular performance from freshman guard Tremont Waters, who had 21 points (15 in the 2nd half). I'm telling you, this guy is really good. Apparently he was a top-100 freshman who held offers from Duke and Kansas, but I had never heard of him before tonight. Anyway, Michigan looked pretty good too. And the fact that Kentucky transfer Charles Matthews had 28 points should be encouraging for the Wolverines moving forward. For now though, let's look forward to Tremont Waters taking on Notre Dame tomorrow.

Side Note: The most interesting game of the night didn't even come from Hawaii. Creighton “upset” UCLA tonight 100-89 in the Hall of Fame Classic. Creighton’s offense looks like a video game, and it's always nice to see UCLA lose. But seriously, Creighton’s offense might be the best in the NCAA. Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are a fantastic 1-2 punch that will strike fear into any opponent. And Mitchell Ballock will be college basketball’s next lovable superstar. If they stay healthy (they didn't last year), they should be in consideration to finish 2nd in the Big East. (Villanova is on a another level right now). If they beat Baylor tomorrow (which I think they will), it would be their third straight win against a ranked opponent. Something to keep an eye on.