Entering the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which starts today, the Cavaliers are decidedly underdogs. The Maui Invitational, however, was founded in celebration of underdogs.
In 1982, Chaminade University of Honolulu knocked off then-No. 1 Virginia in arguably one of the biggest basketball upsets of all time. The Maui Invitational sprung up in honor of Virginia's Ralph Sampson and Co. going down, and has been a Thanksgiving staple since 1984.
In their first appearance since 2002, the Cavaliers will look to be the one knocking off ranked teams. Virginia (2-1) kicks off the tournament against No. 17 Washington tonight and then will face either No. 12 Kentucky or Oklahoma. If the Cavaliers can win both games, they may face No. 2 Michigan State (2-0), if the Spartans win their two contests, as well.
To make a tournament run, the Cavaliers will need to bounce back after a 21-point loss to Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. Virginia held the Cardinal close at halftime, trailing just 37-34, but Stanford pulled away in the second half.
Senior forward Mike Scott leads the Cavaliers with 15 points and nine rebounds per game. Freshman guard Billy Baron had a sizzling start to his college career, shooting 75 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from three-point range during his first two games. Baron's hot hand fizzled against the Cardinal, though, as he went 0-for-4 from behind the arch.
Baron and the Cavaliers look to recoup against Washington (3-0), their first opponent in Maui and last year's Pac-10 tournament winners. The Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16 last season, led by junior guard Isaiah Thomas's 15.3 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. After netting first-team All-Pac 10 honors last year, Thomas enters the season as Washington's leading returning scorer.
Kentucky (2-0) progressed to the Elite Eight last season but lost guard John Wall as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Coach John Calipari seems to have found another prodigious freshman guard in Brandon Knight. The freshman guard was one of the country's top recruits and has lived up to the hype thus far, posting a team-high 19 points per game. Like Virginia, Kentucky relies on an infusion of new talent this season, and the team's top three leading scorers are all freshman.
Michigan State (2-0) went to the Final Four last year, and a return trip hinges on senior guard Kalin Lucas's successful recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. Lucas has averaged 11.5 points per game this season, and senior guard Durrell Summers leads the team with 19.5 points per game.
Chaminade, Connecticut and Wichita State round out the eight-team field. Those teams may not boast the recent tournament success of Virginia's other competitors, but as Virginia learned in 1982, expect upsets in Maui.
-compiled by Ashley Robertson
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