College hoops fans rejoice as this week brings plenty of college basketball action to television screens during the week of Thanksgiving.
Several in-season tournaments, such as the Battle 4 Atlantis and the Sunshine Slam, will occur this week. However, Auburn fans will keep their attention on Maui, Hawaii, where the Tigers will compete in the Maui Invitational alongside several of college basketball’s top brands including North Carolina, UConn, and Michigan State.
The task at hand will be tough for Auburn. How well do they stack up against the field in Maui? Andy Patton of College Sports Wire broke down this week’s tournament and provided a positive report for Auburn fans.
When predicting the tournament outcome, Patton forecasted the Tigers to be the final team standing on Wednesday, taking down the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies in the final game.
“I project Auburn will be the big winner here, potentially pickup up victories over Iowa State, North Carolina, and UConn to win the championship,” Patton wrote.
Auburn begins their stay in Maui on Monday night at 8 p.m. CT by taking on the Iowa State Cyclones. Tuesday, Auburn will face either North Carolina or Dayton before moving on to the final day of competition on Wednesday. Auburn head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] says that the road to the Maui Invitational championship is similar to the road his team experienced during its Final Four run in 2019.
“It sort of reminds me a little bit about the road to the Final Four in 2019. Somebody had to beat Kansas, North Carolina, or Kentucky along the way. Somebody has to beat Iowa State, North Carolina, Dayton, or UConn,” Pearl said ahead of his team’s trip to Maui. “That’s how we approach it. I’m looking at it as one game at a time. What would constitute a successful trip? We’d love to play great basketball against the best teams in the country and see if you can get a couple.”
Click here for a full preview of the Maui Invitational including key players to watch.
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