For those of you who didn’t experience the late ‘60s or ‘70s, “Maui Wowie” is a particularly potent blend of cannabis. According to allbud.com, “the strain offers a high-end euphoria along with pineapple flavors that allow your mind to drift away to creative spaces.” Kinda like the vibe for this year’s rendition of the Maui Jim Invitational.
Here is the bracket:
https://mauiinvitational.com/documents/2024/8/20/2024_Maui_Bracket.pdf
These are the Ken Pom rankings for the 8 teams as of today:
(1) Auburn
(5) UConn
(7) Iowa State
(13) UNC
(37) Memphis
(39) Dayton
(45) MSU
(70) Colorado
UD has a 9-3 record in its previous four appearances at the Maui Jim Invitational:
- 2000: Finished third after beating No. 12 UConn and No. 6 Maryland
- 2003: Won the tournament title after beating Central Michigan, San Diego State, and Hawai’i
- 2013: Placed third again after beating No. 12 Gonzaga and Cal
- 2019: Ended up second after losing in overtime to fourth-ranked Kansas in the finals
Jablo in The DDN published this handy dandy history of Dayton’s past performance in paradise:
“From the Swamp” has never been to the Maui Invitational, although I have traveled to the island twice, many moons ago. Those visits prompted the following Flyer Faithful travel guides:
From 2003:
https://www.udpride.com/recipe-for-maui-magic/
https://www.udpride.com/its-maui-time/
From 2013:
https://www.udpride.com/aloha/
Tragically, the August 2023 Maui wildfires have drastically changed the landscape of Front Street in downtown Lahaina, so some of the above suggestions are no longer viable, as this drone footage can attest:
The fact that the tournament is even being held again at the Lahaina Civic Center is a testament to the island’s resiliency.
North Carolina is currently sporting a 2-1 record, having beat Elon and American while losing to #1 ranked Kansas by three. The Tarheels will play at Hawaii two days before they face the Flyers, which is clever travel planning on their part. Flyer Faithful with good memories will recall that the last time these two squads squared off it was the Red and Chapel Blue that prevailed 79-68 in the 2010 NIT Championship tilt.
Not only is this year’s Maui field imposing, but so are the potential tip-off times. UD will play UNC at 11:30pm EST on Monday. Should they be fortunate enough to win, the Flyers would then face the winner of Iowa State/Auburn at 11:00pm EST on Tuesday. Make it to the finals and our reward will be a more reasonable 5:00pm EST face off on Wednesday. So better rest up now, Flyer Faithful!
Some things we can look forward to during coverage by the ESPN family of networks in Maui:
– When they show a picture of the past champions banner and Dayton is listed as the 2003 winner (even though it was a really weak-ass field compared to this year). It would be nice if they also featured the MVP plaque:
– Jay Bilas singing the praises of the UD program, the late Don Donoher and current HC Anthony Grant
University of Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant is at the helm of his alma mater’s men’s basketball program after head coaching stops at VCU and Alabama. UD announced Anthony Grant as the 20th head coach in UD Basketball history on March 30, 2017..
– Unfortunately, resident ESPN goofball Bill Walton is no longer with us to provide his own particular brand of Maui Wowie:
https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/18110568
– We can only hope that ESPN shows highlights of the thrilling 2019 OT final vs. Kansas. If not, we always have this:
– Those ultra-soft Maui rims!
Aloha!
That’s it “From the Swamp.”
There was an alternate meaning and context to the phrase “Maui Wowie"
But that’s for a different subject …
Followed the Flyers to Maui every time since 2000. Not making the trip this year.
With the destruction of Lahaina, we couldn’t justify the trip. We always stayed at Lahaina Shores at the south end of Front Street. Lahaina Shores miraculously survived the fires, but everything around it and all of our favorite establishments are gone. Not fans of the big (and expensive) Kaanapali resorts and chains.
Back in 2000, the Booster tickets cost $60 ($20/game). This year, they cost $675 including all fees. Auburn, Colorado, and Memphis have booster tickets available.
God willing we’ll get another chance to attend.
The Flyers are going to have their work cut out for them. Upsets do happen, though and if they can play really good defense and hopefully use pressing and trapping that has worked well for them so far, then they might be able to pull it off. Honestly though 1-2 or 0-3 is a real possibility. We may all need a lid of that Maui Wowie after this.
I emailed Jablo and asked him how bad Front Street really is. He replied it’s basically vacant lots (as seen on the drone footage I linked to) but that the big old banyan tree survived.