Tag: Maui Invitational

Michigan State basketball left out of AP Poll’s top 25

MSU was left out of the AP top 25 after a third place finish in Maui

After a 2-1 week in the Maui Invitational that saw Michigan State basketball defeat Colorado and North Carolina, the unranked Spartans put themselves in the mind of voters.

While the Spartans may have shown a strong pulse, it still was not enough to be featured inside of the AP Poll’s top 25, although with 108 votes, the Spartans finished in 26th, just one spot outside of the AP Poll’s ranking.

Michigan State will begin Big Ten play this week when they go on the road Wednesday to play Minnesota before hosting Nebraska on Saturday.

Drake Powell’s offensive breakout Wednesday proved he is THE guy for UNC basketball

We knew about Drake Powell’s defense. On Wednesday night against Michigan State, we learned the offensive side of Powell’s game.

When seemingly nothing could go right for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday night, as they lost 94-91 to Michigan State in the Maui Invitational’s Third Place game, Drake Powell rose to the occasion.

Powell, UNC’s star freshman who played high school ball just 20 minutes south of the Dean Dome, set two career-highs in just his seventh collegiate game.

In the 33 minutes head coach Hubert Davis gave Powell off the bench, Powell scored 18 points – on 7-of-9 shooting and a 4-of-6 mark from the perimeter. Powell has the 3-pointer in his arsenal, but he’s been able to rely on his defense and ability to drive the line – until Wednesday.

Seemingly anytime Powell got the basketball in his hand, he was scoring or making the next pass to points. Powell only had one rebound, assist and block apiece, so Wednesday was a clear sign that 99 percent of Powell’s statistical contributions came offensively.

We witnessed flashes of Powell’s talent in North Carolina’s first six games, but Wednesday brought out the true, 5-star McDonalds All-American who Hubert recruited.

Powell wasn’t the only freshman with a big game against MSU, as fellow McDonalds All-American Ian Jackson added 14 points off the bench.

Coming into Wednesday, Powell had just 26 points in his first six games. What Powell didn’t generate in the scoring department those outings, he generated on the boards (25 rebounds, including career-best 11 against American).

It’s still super-early in the season, which means the Tar Heels have plenty of time, to discover the lineup combinations that work best for them.

There’s one thing I do know, though: I would be shocked if  Powell isn’t starting for UNC on Wednesday, Dec. 4 against Alabama.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Tom Izzo talks to Andy Katz after MSU’s thrilling win over UNC

Tom Izzo talks to Andy Katz after MSU’s OT thriller

Michigan State closed out their trip to the Maui Invitational with a 2-1 record after defeating North Carolina in an overtime thriller in the third place game, 94-91. Tom Izzo showed why he is a hall of fame coach on Wednesday night, pushing the right buttons while making the right decisions throughout the whole game.

After the win, a massive one for building the 2024-25 season into a successful campaign, Tom Izzo spoke to Andy Katz about the game, and what he saw from his perspective.

Watch the post game interview between Katz and Izzo via X by clicking here

Watch Tre Holloman talk postgame with Andy Katz

Tre Holloman spoke to Andy Katz after his career high performance against UNC

Michigan State closed out their trip to the Maui Invitational with a 2-1 record after defeating North Carolina in an overtime thriller in the third place game, 94-91.

The Spartans were able to win, in large part, due to the play of their co-captain and junior guard Tre Holloman, who finished with a career high 19-points in the contest.

Holloman was the stable and steady force for the Spartans in the absence of Jase Richardson.

The Spartans picked up a huge win, that will go a long way come March, and Holloman talked about it with Andy Katz after the game.

Watch the interview via X by clicking here

Watch highlights from MSU basketball’s OT thriller over UNC

Check out the highlights from MSU’s thrilling OT win over UNC

Michigan State basketball closed the Maui Invitational in style. The Spartans closed out the third place game with a 94-91 overtime victory over the No. 12 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels.

The win did not come easy, with the Spartans squandering a late three possession lead, but the team persevered and ultimately got the huge early season victory.

An outstanding performance from the team top to bottom, the Spartans had six players finish with more than a dozen points on their way to victory.

Check out the highlights from the win by clicking here 

Michigan State will close feast week feeling good after a 2-1 showing in Maui.

Michigan State basketball wins OT thriller over No. 12 North Carolina

MSU wins overtime thriller over North Carolina to conclude trip to Maui

Michigan State basketball went into the third place game of the Maui Invitational against No. 12 North Carolina without arguably their best player, Jase Richardson, but the Spartans still found a way to win in an overtime thriller.

The Spartans defeated North Carolina, 94-91, overcoming their own choke job to win a big time nonconference game.

Michigan State led 80-73 with just under 90 seconds to go, but closed the game terribly, resulting in an 82-82 game heading to overtime.

In overtime, the Spartans found a way to win the game, even with Jaden Akins fouling out of the game.

A big part of this game was the coming out party of Xavier Booker, who played 25 minutes, and every minute in overtime, en route to a 12 point, 7 rebound performance.

While the Spartans had six in double figures, Tre Holloman led the way with 19 points, meanwhile, Frankie Fidler had by far his best game of the year, scoring 13 points on 5/6 shooting.

Michigan State will leave Maui in third place with a 2-1 record in the tournament.

The Spartans will be back in action next Wednesday when they open up Big Ten play against Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Tigers gallop out of the gates early, trot past Tar Teels 85-72

The Tigers will have the chance to capture a championship tomorrow afternoon.

The Auburn Tigers are one win away from collecting their first trophy of the 2024-2025 basketball season.

After a thrilling win against Iowa State to open the ‘Maui Invitational’, Auburn played a much fuller, albeit still stressful, 40 minutes in round two against No. 13 ranked North Carolina. Johni Broome and company started off the night sizzling early, building a lead as high as 18 points early in the first half.

The Tar Heels did manage to fight back with their high-paced attack, but a first half double-double by Johni Broome was enough to land the Tigers a 40-32 lead going into the half time locker room. Auburn opened up the second stanza much like the first, using phenomenal perimeter defense and timely shooting by Miles Kelly (15 points) and Denver Jones (10 points) to open up another near 20-point lead once again.

UNC again managed to hang around however, even without the normal scoring impact of star guard RJ Davis (12 points). Junior Seth Trimble (17 points) and senior Jae’Lyn Withers (10 points) were able to attack the bucket enough to keep Auburn’s lead barely above 10, but a lack of scoring from the Tar Heels bench and front court options kept the game mostly out of reach.

As for the Tigers, Chad Baker-Mazara (15 points), Chaney Johnson (11 points), and freshman Tahaad Pettiford (10 points), joined Broome (23 points, 19 rebounds), Kelly, and Jones in double figures. Although Pettiford finished with the lowest total among Auburn’s double-digit scorers, he had possibly the biggest impact in the middle of the second half. With UNC making a push, the freshman hit multiple big buckets, including a near-half court long ball that pushed Auburn’s lead to an insurmountable 18 points.

The strong 40-minute effort was amazing to see from an Auburn team that came out flat in the first half against Iowa State on Monday. Bruce Pearl’s Tigers will now have the opportunity to win the ‘Maui Invitational’, and prove Tiger supremacy, with a win against also undefeated Memphis tomorrow afternoon.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Best photos from MSU basketball’s loss to Memphis

Check out the photos from the matchup between Michigan State and Memphis in the Maui Invitational

Michigan State basketball fell in the Maui Invitational semifinals in a matchup against Memphis on Tuesday night. The Spartans will now move on to the third place game tomorrow.

Check out the best photos from the game:

Michigan State basketball dominates Colorado to open Maui Invitational

MSU opens the Maui Invitational with a dominating win over Colorado

Michigan State basketball has taken the trip out west to the Pacific islands of Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. This is the sixth time the Spartans will be competing in Maui, having won the event in 1991.

To open the 2024 campaign in Maui, the Spartans matched up against the Colorado Buffaloes of the Big 12. In a dominating effort, Michigan State defeated Colorado, 72-56.

Michigan State was led by Jase Richardson, who was the lone scorer in double figures, finishing with 13 points. The Spartans had nine other players in the scoring column, getting a contribution for everyone.

The overall star, leading MSU to victory, was the team’s defense, which held Colorado to 56 points on 37% shooting from the field and just 21% from three. The Spartans also outrebounded the Buffaloes, 37-27.

MSU will now move on to face Memphis in the Maui Invitational semifinal tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Michigan State guard Jase Richardson cleared to play in Maui Invitational

Michigan State guard Jase Richardson (ankle) cleared to play in Maui Invitational

According to Jon Rothstein, Michigan State basketball’s freshman guard Jase Richardson will be available to play against Colorado in the Maui Invitational.

Jase suffered an ankle injury against Samford in what looked to be pretty serious, so it’s a huge relief for MSU fans to see Richardson available for today’s match-up.

Richardson has been a revelation for the Spartans this year, averaging 8.4 points per game and shooting 50-percent from three on a team that has struggled from distance.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.