When Boise State lost its season opener 79-78 to Division II Hawaii Pacific, it brought back memories of 1982, when Chaminade beat top-ranked Virginia in what is widely considered the greatest upset in college basketball history.
That game led to the creation of what is now known as the Maui Invitational, in which the Broncos (4-1) will meet Southern California (4-0) on Monday in Lahaina, Hawaii.
The Maui winner has gone on to claim the NCAA Tournament five times, with last year’s champion Auburn reaching the Final Four.
Other events, like the 18-team Players Era tournament in Las Vegas, have drawn some of the top teams away from Maui, but it still carries some cache.
“There’s some (tourneys) that have changed the landscape because of NIL and that’s a shame, a little bit. But that’s the way college athletics are now,” said Boise State coach Leon Rice, who previously traveled to Maui as a Gonzaga assistant. “But it was No. 1, top of the list. You look at the teams that have played there, you look at classic games that have played there. Over my career, people say, ‘What’s the greatest game you’ve ever been involved in,’ and right away I go us and Michigan State in Maui (a 109-106 triple overtime win for Gonzaga in the 2005 semifinals). It was near perfect on so many levels.”
Games are played in the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center, which survived the 2023 Maui wildfire.
“You play in these big, huge arenas all over the country, all over the world, and it takes you back to the small gyms where we all started from,” Rice said. “There’s appreciation for that and it’s just pure competition.”
The Broncos have won four in a row since that season-opening upset, including a 62-59 decision over Wichita State on Tuesday as Drew Fielder had 17 points and six rebounds and Andrew Meadow added 15 points, his fifth straight game in double-figure scoring. Dylan Andrews had 10 points and seven assists.
The Trojans are coming off a 107-106 triple-overtime victory against Troy as Jordan Marsh made a 3-pointer at the final buzzer.
Chad Baker-Mazara set career highs with 34 points, nine rebounds and five blocks, with Rodney Rice adding 26 points and nine assists and Ezra Ausar scoring 20 of his 22 points after halftime.
Like Rice, Trojans coach Eric Musselman has been to Maui when he was with Arkansas.
“It’s an intense environment. It will be sold out, it’s loud, it’s in a compact, unique arena, and you’ve got to be able to play through high-pressure situations because of the TV network that covers it,” said Musselman, referring to ESPN. “It’s not going to be hard to find this game. You’re going to know what station we’re on, and we’ve got to be ready to step up to the challenge.”
–Field Level Media
