Matchups were announced Wednesday for the Maui invitational and BYU will open versus Washington on Monday, November 23. The game tips off at 3pm MT on ESPN2.
BYU on the second day will face either Ole Miss or Clemson. The matchups on the other side of the bracket are Arizona vs Colorado State and Providence vs VCU. All games will be on ESPN networks.
Arizona is the clear top team in the tournament and the heavy favorite to win. BYU, on paper, is the second best team and would play Arizona in the championship if things go chalk. BYU plays Arizona twice in the regular season and would play the Wildcats a third time if the two teams play in Maui. Playing the Wildcats in the championship would boost BYU’s non-conference SOS and give the Cougs a chance at a Quad 1A win.
BYU should be favorites against the Huskies, who finished 16-17 last season and tied for 12th in the Big 10. The Huskies lost star freshman Hannes Steinbach to the NBA Draft and starting point guard Zoom Diallo to Kentucky. Their top returning player is guard Wesley Yates, who averaged 12.7 points on 37% shooting. The most notable incoming transfer is Texas Tech forward LeJuan Watts. Watts started 28 games for the Red Raiders, averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds. Washington finished 55 in NET last season. They need to be in top 50 to be a Quad 1 game and between 51-100 to land in Quad 2.
Two wins for BYU and a competitive championship game versus Arizona should be the goal for BYU to have a solid Maui showing.