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00:00with Thanksgiving just a few days away. Of course, you probably first and
00:10foremost think of the turkey day triple header of the National Football League
00:14in week number 12 coming to a close tonight on a Monday in Los Angeles. But
00:19as we shared last week, it is also that stage of the early portion of a
00:24college basketball season where you see great non conference tournaments and
00:29invitationals. Feast week has begun in feast week picks up in a big way on
00:37this Monday with the premier early season tournament in men's college
00:43hoops. The Maui Invitational begins today. And of course, last year the
00:49tournament was played not in Maui, not at the Lahainai Convention Center. It
00:54was played over in Oahu because last August in 2023 devastating and tragic
01:01wildfires, of course, really ravaged the area of downtown Lahaina, killing more
01:06than 100 people, displacing many, many more. So as the community continues to
01:12rebuild, they moved the tournament away from the Lahainai Convention or the
01:16Civic Center, excuse me, where it has been a staple of early season college
01:21basketball and made the correct decision to move it to Oahu. But today
01:26it returns to the island of Maui. It returns to the Lahainai Civic Center.
01:31You will see coaches in Hawaiian shirts. You will see lays around the
01:36broadcasters and teams in college sport or really sport at its best brings
01:41people together. It helps revitalize a community. It will be an emotional yet
01:47impactful week as the 2024 Maui Invitational returns to that island. It
01:55is going to be a ton of fun and the field feels fitting for it. It is a
02:01great, great eight team tournament that will face off in Maui over these next
02:08coming days. UConn is the favorite as they are the national championship
02:13favorites and a two-time reigning title winners at plus 170. But Auburn, they've
02:18already got some more key victories this year like going into Houston despite
02:23their travel woes and knocking off the Cougs. North Carolina, Iowa State, Michigan
02:29State, a Memphis team that has been a little bit tumultuous but still can play
02:33some good ball and two tournament teams from a season ago in the Dayton Flyers
02:38and the Colorado Buffaloes. What an invitational it is going to be. Again, the
02:44significance of being back in Lahaina, that is a beautiful thing. The basketball
02:49that we will see should also be a remarkable and beautiful sight. It starts
02:54bright and early on this Monday in the Maui Invitational. 2.30 p.m. Eastern
03:01Time, the first game tips. That's like 9.30 a.m. local time, maybe even 8.30 a.m.
03:07local time depending on daylight savings. 9.30 a.m. local time. I just did
03:12the math in my head for UConn taking on Memphis. Eight and a half points spread
03:17in favor of Dan Hurley's Huskies. This will be the first, well I'm not gonna
03:23call Memphis a power conference team. They play in the American. Technically
03:26they are not, but not your run of the mill mid-major that UConn has seen this
03:31year. They have been dominant as they are in non-conference action. If you expect
03:36that non-conference dominance to continue for a UConn team that is
03:40winning non-conference matchups by nearly 30 points per game, eight and a
03:45half might not be enough and Dan Hurley will have the Huskies
03:49ready to play. 149 and a half being that total. Michigan State, eight and a half
03:54point favorite as well, taking on Tad Boyle and the Buffs. 144 and a hook is
03:59that total. How about a top five tilt? Although Iowa State probably going to
04:04move back in the AP top 25 by the time they tip tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern
04:08between the Cyclones and the Tigers. Auburn, three and a half point
04:13favorite against ISU. 146 and a hook is that total. If the Cyclones stay in the
04:19game, I think you see some great defensive effort out of TJ Otzelberger
04:24and his Iowa State team. 146 and a hook is a number to pay attention to. North
04:29Carolina, seven and a half point favorite against the Dayton Flyers. 154
04:34and a half is that total. Those are the four games that we have on this Monday
04:39in the Maui Invitational. We will see these teams continue to play against one
04:43another both in the winners and losers bracket throughout this week at the
04:47Lahaina Civic Center and again it is just going to be a great, great sight. The
04:53community of Lahaina, the island of Maui continues to rebuild but they are very
04:58glad to welcome back in one of the staples of a college basketball early
05:03season, just really a college basketball season of any point in the Maui
05:08Invitational. It is going to be absolutely electric and albeit emotional
05:14and important. That does it for a Monday on the early line on Sports Grid. We'll
05:19be back tomorrow 8 a.m. Eastern time here on TEF.
05:28you