BYU Basketball Maui Invitational Preview: What to watch for, Opponent Synopses, Predictions

The BYU basketball team heads to Maui looking to pick up some quality wins. Lawless Republic breaks down the Cougars chances and previews the tournament. Check out the full bracket here.

3 Things to Watch For:

1. Defense. Can the Cougars defend well enough to make a run in this tournament? Past season woes on the defensive end seem to be lingering in early games of this year , as evidenced by the 90 points the Cougars gave up to the 49ers of Long Beach State in the season opener. The Cougars are one of the best offensive teams in the country, but they will need to be solid on the defensive end if they want to make a run in Maui. Expect to see a lot of zone, especially against San Diego State, considering the Aztecs are shooting only 23% from behind the arc on the season.
2. Kyle Collinsworth’s health. Will Kyle be full go in Maui? 8 months after undergoing ACL surgery, Coach Rose and the medical staff have been bringing Kyle along slowly, as evidenced by his season high of only 17 minutes played against Arkansas Little Rock. Skyler Halford has played well in relief of Kyle, but there is no doubt BYU will need a healthy Collinsworth if they want to knock off some of the elite teams going forward. Kyle’s ability to create at the rim and rebounding prowess are something that this Cougar squad will desperately need.
3. Tyler Haws. Is this Haws’ moment to shine on the national stage? Even as one of the great players in BYU basketball history, Haws is still relatively unknown to much of the country. This would be the perfect stage for Haws to make himself a household name. With every game on ESPN and marquee opponents on the slate, this could be Tyler Haws’ coming out party. With a lot of question marks still on this Cougar squad, Haws could have a magical week where puts the team on his back makes himself a fixture on SportsCenter each night. 3.5 years after the great Jimmer Fredette hung up his Cougar uniform, the stage is set for Haws to pick up the torch and make the Cougars a player on the national stage once again.

Opponent Synopses:

• San Diego State (3-0, 16^th in AP poll) Conference: Mountain West

The Aztecs are coming off a Sweet 16 season and a Mountain West Conference title. They are one of the best defensive teams in the country, but the offense leaves a lot to be desired. This a is a veteran-laden squad, as their 5 top scorers are all either juniors or seniors. BYU will have to limit thei Aztecs dribble penetration and 2^nd chance points if they want to pull of the upset.

Potential 2^nd Round Opponents:

• Pittsburgh (2-1, Unranked) Conference: ACC

The Panthers are coming off a season in which they made the NCAA tournament as an 8 seed before ultimately falling to Florida in the round of 32. The Panthers are a long, athletic team whose strength is its frontcourt. At any given moment, they can run three or more players standing 6’6 or taller. That kind of length helps explain why the 2013-14 Pitt squad ranked in the top thirty in steal-percentage and offensive rebounding. Their loss was a 74-70 setback on the road at the hands of Hawaii.

• Chaminade: Division II

Chaminade has been the annual host of the Maui Invitational since its inauguration in 1984. They own what is to be considered one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history. In 1982, they defeated the top ranked Virginia Cavaliers, who were led by Hall-of-Famer Ralph Sampson.

Other Teams:

• Purdue (3-0, Unranked) Conference: Big Ten

The Boilermakers are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 15-17 and failed to make a postseason tournament of any kind. Purdue is a young team full of freshmen and sophomores, and shouldn’t be much of a threat in this tournament barring some huge upsets.

• Kansas State (2-1, Unranked) Conference: Big 12

The Wildcats are coming off a 69-60 defeat on Long Beach State’s home court, a team the Cougars beat in their season opener. They made the NCAA tournament last year as a 9 seed, where they fell to Kentucky in the opening round. The Wildcats have a good inside-outside duo with Power Forward Thomas Gipson and guard Marcus Foster.

• Missouri (2-1, Unranked) Conference: SEC

The Tigers are coming off a season where they were on the NCAA tournament bubble, but ultimately missed the tourney and suffered a 2^nd Round NIT loss, finishing the season at 23-12. Missouri was upset by UMKC in their season opener. They have 2 players that average double figures; Freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar is averaging 16.3 points per game while sophomore Wes Clark averages 14.3.

• Arizona (3-0, 2^nd in AP Poll) Conference: Pac 12

The Wildcats are the premier team in the tournament. They are stacked at every position, and are the clear-cut favorites to get out of Maui unscathed. An overtime loss to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight ended their season last year, and they might be even better this year. If BYU plays Arizona and somehow knocks them off, it would be one of the great wins in program history.

Prediction: 1-2

BYU could easily go 2-1 if things fall their way, but I have the Cougars only winning one game in Maui. It’s pretty much guaranteed that the Cougars will win at least one game, as Chaminade would be the second game if the Cougars were to fall to the Aztecs. A victory over the Aztecs alone would make this tournament a success, but I think the Aztecs length and athleticism will ultimately prove to be too much for this team to handle. Assuming the Cougars lose to the Aztecs and get past Chaminade, the third game would likely be against Purdue, Missouri or Kansas State. Any one of those games would be a toss-up and is certainly winnable, but with so many question marks for this team, particularly defense and the health of Kyle Collinsworth, I’ll say the Cougars fall short in that game and leave Maui without a signature win.

What are your thoughts Cougar Nation? Are the Cougar Cagers poised to make some noise in Maui? Sound off in the comments below or let us know on twitter @LawlessRepublic.