It's only November, but Tennessee will get as close to a Final Four-type atmosphere as it can get in the regular season this week in Honolulu.
The Vols are up against a star-studded field in the 2023 Maui Invitational, which begins Monday at Simplifi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Seventh-ranked Tennessee (3-0) will share the stage with Syracuse (3-0) in the opening game.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION
For the Vols, it offers up their next test after going on the road and beating Wisconsin in Madison less than two weeks ago. Tennessee, which has looked the part of a team that could make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament through three games, is led by transfer guard Dalton Knecht and a new-look offense that is currently averaging more than 80 points per game.
Tennessee is no stranger to playing high-profile tournaments. The Vols beat Butler, Southern California and Kansas on its way to a Battle 4 Atlantis title last season.
To finish with similar results in Hawaii on Wednesday, the Vols will potentially have to go through a number of top 15 teams, providing a clearer picture of this Tennessee team after a strong start.
Here is everything you need to know about the invitational and Tennessee's opening game against Syracuse.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Who: Syracuse (3-0) vs. No. 7 Tennessee (3-0)
When: Monday, Nov. 20 | 2:30 p.m. ET
Where: Simplifi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, Hawaii
TV: ESPN2 (Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, analyst; Angel Gray, reporter)
KenPom: Tennessee 79, Syracuse 65
Series: Tied, 3-3
PROJECTED LINEUP
2023 MAUI INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Monday, Nov. 20
Game 1: Syracuse vs. Tennessee | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 2: Gonzaga vs. Purdue | 5 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 3: Kansas vs. Chaminade | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 4: Marquette vs. UCLA | 11:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Tuesday, Nov. 21
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 | 5 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 7: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game. 2 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 | 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Wednesday, Nov. 22
Game 9: Third place game | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 10: Championship game | 5 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 11: Seventh place game | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU
Game 12: Fifth place game | 12 a.m. ET | ESPN2
A LOOK AT THE FIELD
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said he hadn't quite seen a field as stacked as the one the Vols will go up against this week.
Five of the eight teams competing are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 and reached the NCAA Tournament last season with Tennessee and UCLA reaching the Sweet 16 and Gonzaga finishing in the Elite Eight.
Kansas: The Jayhawks enter the invitational ranked No. 1 in both major polls. Kansas is led by 7-foot-2 center Hunter Dickinson, who is pacing the team in several categories, including scoring (22.0), rebounding (12.3) and steals (1.7). Kansas is 3-0, which includes a 89-84 win over No. 17 Kentucky in its last outing.
Purdue: The No. 2 Boilermakers are averaging 89.3 points per game. Offensively, Purdue is paced by 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey who averages 20.7 points and 10.0 rebounds along with 3.7 blocks on the defensive end. The 2023 Naismith Player of the Year scored 28 points in Purdue's 83-71 win over Xavier last week.
Marquette: The Golden Eagles are ranked No. 4 with a 71-64 win over No. 23 Illinois on its resume. Guard Kam Jones leads Marquette in scoring with 19.3 points per game and 6-foot-11 forward Oso Ighodaro averages more than eight rebounds. He had eight rebound vs. Illinois while Jones finished with 15 points on 46.2% shooting.
Tennessee: Barnes was intentional when he went to the transfer portal and pulled Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey. The intention was to add consistent shooters, something the Vols lacked at times last season. Both players have delivered, leading Tennessee in scoring. As a team, the Vols are shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.8 from 3-point range this season.
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Barnes, Vescovi preview Maui Invitational
Gonzaga: The 11th-ranked Bulldogs have yet to be battle tested, but have looked impressive in the two games they've played. Gonzaga thumped Eastern Oregon, 123-57 its last time out. Braden Huff, the 6-foot-10 forward leads the team with 21.0 points per game and 6-foot-9 Wyoming transfer forward Graham Ike finished with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in his last game.
UCLA: The Bruins are among the youngest teams in the invitational. Their starting lineup has featured two freshmen and the leading scorer is currently sophomore forward Adem Bona, who averages 18.0 points per game. Bona logged a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in UCLA's last game against Long Island.
Syracuse: After 47 years under Jim Boeheim, the Orange are under new leadership in first-year head coach Adrian Autry. Syracuse is 3-0, with wins over New Hampshire, Canisius and Colgate, which made the NCAA Tournament last season. Freshman guard Judah Mintz has made an immediate impact, averaging 23.0 points and five assists.
Chaminade: The Silverswords went 14-15 last season in NCAA Division II. They beat Alaska, 80-72 but are coming off of an overtime loss to Hawaii Hilo. Guard Isaac Amaral-Artharee averages 16.0 points per game.
–––––
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @ByNoahTaylor, @RealTBannerman, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media, @TylerIvens, @Hunter_DeNote.
–––––