No. 4 Auburn, Memphis apply physicality to reach Maui Invitational final

LAHAINA, Hawaii — These Tigers have changed their stripes.

Memphis and No. 4 Auburn advanced to the championship of the Maui Invitational presented by Novavax with two brutally effective performances against two traditional powers in Lahaina Civic Center on Tuesday.

Michigan State and North Carolina were unable to match the twin Tigers’ in-your-face physicality, first in Memphis’ 71-63 victory at midday, then in Auburn’s 85-72 runaway to cap the day. Now two programs that had never reached the Maui final have a chance to hoist the Wayne Duke Trophy.

“We’re going to do what we do, they’re going to do what they do,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.

Tipoff is scheduled for noon Hawaii time on ESPN.

While No. 2 UConn lost to an unranked foe for the second straight day, 73-72 to Colorado, the overall surprise at the Civic Center on Day 2 of the storied tournament was just how thoroughly and effectively the Tigers, and then the other Tigers, mauled their opposition.

Memphis (6-0) had five Maui invites before this year, including two when it was known as Memphis State. Until now it never made the final on the Valley Isle, although future coach Penny Hardaway won co-MVP of the 1992 edition. Auburn (6-0) didn’t even merit an invitation to Maui until 2018, by which time Pearl had turned the SEC program into a rising power.

By contrast, Michigan State and North Carolina have five combined Maui titles. But their past success, memorialized in banners hanging in the Civic Center rafters, wasn’t even a thought for those playing below on Tuesday.

Memphis guard Tyrese Hunter and Auburn center Johni Broome have laid solid groundwork for tournament MVP cases.

Hunter has supplied his team fearless shot-making on demand. He poured in 23 points against the Spartans, completing a four-point play for the second straight day — over which time he sank 12 3-pointers.

“You’ve got to give Hunter a lot of credit,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. “He made some shots that I’m sure Penny — I don’t know if Penny made those shots when he played, and I mean that. He was falling right, falling left, end of the shot clock, and he drained them. Give them credit; there’s a reason they beat UConn.”

He called them the more physical team, too, which caused MSU trouble getting into its offense.

Broome had 18 points and 10 rebounds by halftime Tuesday and finished with 23 and 19, plus five assists and three blocked shots. There wasn’t any facet of the game he couldn’t impact.

Broome had the game-winning tip-in against Iowa State on Monday. After Tuesday’s game, UNC coach Hubert Davis called the 6-foot-10 big man a national player of the year candidate.

“He dominated this entire game. He was the best player on the floor. I don’t think it was even close,” Davis said.

Like Izzo, Davis found his team’s physicality wanting against a fearless opponent. All-America guard RJ Davis was held to 11 points a day after he and wingman Seth Trimble willed the Tar Heels back from 21 points down in the second half against Dayton. Auburn had an answer for every Carolina push.

North Carolina point guard RJ Davis found driving lanes difficult against Auburn’s active front line. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

“One of the things I always talk to the team about is for us to be good, we have to live and dwell in the trenches,” Davis said. “What’s in the trenches are the lose balls, rebounds, setting screens, getting through screens, those toughness plays. Auburn won all of them the entire game.”

Pearl noted that Memphis has a recovery advantage from having played much earlier in the day Tuesday. He handled the postgame interviews himself to give his players as much rest as possible on the quick turnaround.

Michigan State and North Carolina play for third place at 4:30 p.m. Colorado and Iowa State lead off the day at 9:30 a.m. for the fifth-place game and UConn and Dayton meet to try to salvage a win in the seventh-place game at 7 p.m.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo tried to make his case to a referee in the Spartans’ loss to Memphis on Tuesday. (Spectrum News/Brian McInnis)

Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.