Quarterfinals:
No. 25 NC State vs Seton Hall
What looked like a walk in the park for NC State has turned into an interesting matchup.
The Wolfpack are third in the country in scoring, averaging 100.8 points per game and Seton Hall is third in points allowed, averaging 54.6 points per game.
The Pirates also average 8.4 blocks per game. Freshman Najai Hines and senior Stephon Payne lead the block party, combining for 5.4 of those 8.4 blocks per game.
The issue is Seton Hall has not played teams at the same level as NC State. The Wolfpack will have an answer in the paint with seniors Darrion Williams and Ven-Allen Lubin.
Prediction: NC State 84, Seton Hall 63
USC vs Boise State
Speaking of blocks, USC averages the most blocks in the country with 9.3 a game. Three of the five Trojans that average a block or more are guards.
That is a huge issue for Boise State.
The Broncos are tall, but they lack physicality in the paint.
USC will force Boise to the perimeter and make them score from three, while the Trojan offense will live in the paint.
Prediction: USC 86, Boise State 69
Washington State vs Chaminade
This is a tricky spot for Washington State.
All the pressure is on the Cougars to beat Chaminade and not to be the front page of the college basketball news for losing to a D-II school.
The Silverswords have a high-scoring offense and want to speed up the tempo of the game. They scored 87 on Hawai’i in an exhibition and have scored triple digits in three of the five games they have played.
Washington State did not start the season the way they wanted to.
This game will be a lot closer than people think and maybe Chaminade can pull of a huge upset like their rival, Hawai’i Pacific, did against fellow Maui Invitational participant Boise State.
Prediction: Washington State 89, Chaminade 81
Arizona State vs Texas
Texas did not look as good as expected, and Arizona State looked better than expected to begin this season.
A few weeks ago, I thought Texas would win this game by double digits.
That was before the Sun Devils played a close game against No. 13 Gonzaga.
Texas will win but the 8:30 p.m. tipoff will be worth staying up for.
Prediction: Texas 71, Arizona State 67
Semifinals:
No. 25 NC State vs USC
What. A. Matchup.
The Wolfpack and Trojans are two of five teams to average 100 or more points per game.
If my neck doesn’t hurt from watching each team run up and down the court, I will be disappointed.
Bothe teams have a great frontcourt and USC has tall guards, but NC State has Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman and McNeese transfer Quadir Copeland. They are both guards who are great defensively and can score on offense.
The Wolfpack will win a back-and-forth game with plenty of lead changes throughout the game.
Prediction: NC State 94, USC 90
Washington State vs Texas
Congratulations to Washington State! The Maui Invitational semifinals is usually only for tournament teams and you are not one of those.
Texas is better than the Cougars at every position and WSU head coach David Riley has a below average defense.
This game will not be close.
Prediction: Texas 88, Washington State 65
Consolation Semifinals:
Boise State vs Seton Hall
Boise State is a tricky team to predict. They lost to Hawai’i Pacific but beat an improved Wichita State team.
Seton Hall is physical like USC but they don’t have the talent.
The Pirates will muck this game up and keep it close, but the Broncos will have too much offensive firepower for Seton Hall.
Prediction: Boise State 62, Seton Hall 57
Chaminade vs Arizona State
Washington State or Seton Hall will be the best shot Chaminade has at getting a win.
Arizona State has too much talent for the SIlverswords.
Prediction: Arizona State 80, Chaminade 63
Final:
No. 25 NC State vs Texas
NC State will be too quick for Texas. The Wolfpack want to get out in transition and speed the tempo of the game up. Texas likes to slow it down a little bit.
The talent between the two teams is even, but I trust Will Wade more between the two coaches and it will come down to schemes.
Prediction: NC State 79, Texas 70
Consolation:
Third Place game: Washington State vs USC
The Cougars got the luck of the draw to make it this far. They have no shot against any of the other semifinalists in the tournament.
Prediction: USC 87, Washington State 66
Fifth Place game: Boise State vs Arizona State
This will be an up-tempo game with a lot of points and it is important to leave Maui 2-1.
Prediction: Boise State 81, Arizona State 79
Seventh Place game: Seton Hall vs Chaminade
Chaminade will be the team that fans will be most surprised by. I can’t pull the trigger on them getting a win, but they will battle in every game and will get close to winning a few times.
Prediction: Seton Hall 68, Chaminade 62
