The last time Illinois was in the Maui Invitational, they won the whole tournament in 2012. Gonzaga, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, will look to take care of business against the young Illini team in their return to Maui.
Illinois and Gonzaga will meet Monday in Maui as part of the Maui Jim Basketball Invitational. The tournament will feature some of the nation’s best teams. In their first match, a young Illini team will face their first road game of the season after a tough home loss to Georgetown, during which they were missing star sophomore, Trent Frazier. He is likely to play for the Illini on Monday but will face a Gonzaga program that is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation.
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Gonzaga made it to the Sweet 16 last year, before bowing out of the National Tournament in a not-so-pretty matchup against the Florida Seminoles. The Zags come into this game fresh off of a win over Texas A&M, where the Zags soared over the Aggies. Zach Norvell led the team with 22 points, and Josh Perkins joined an exclusive club when he dished out his 500th career assist for the Zags.
The Zags and the Illini haven’t met in nearly six years since playing an entertaining, back-and-forth matchup that saw Illinois upset Gonzaga at home in Spokane by a score of 85-74. This game was the same year, 2012, that the Illini won the Maui Jim Invitational.
The Zags have looked impressive thus far this year, with wins over Idaho State and Texas Southern, as well as Texas A&M. The Illini may not be the best team that the Zags face all year, but they are a young, talented roster led by Guard Trent Frazier and a former five-star recruit in freshman point guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Gonzaga will be led by senior point guard Josh Perkins, who has been absolutely fantastic thus far this season. He’s currently averaging 11 points, 8.3 assists, and managing to turn the ball over just once per game, despite having the majority of the floor general responsibilities for the team. Following with Perkins is the lethal combination of Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura. Clarke and Hachimura have a great chemistry, and Clarke may just be the most athletic player on this Zags team. He uses his athleticism to devastate other teams in traffic.
Hachimura has been efficient in the spot-up, shooting 4-for-4 on jumpers and 10-for-13 when driving to the hoop. They’ll be met by Illinois’ Giorgi Bezhanishvili. The 6-foot-11 freshman has jumped into the spotlight for his funny personality, and also for his athletic ability in the paint. Bezhanishvili already has impressive performances against Georgetown and will be looking to capitalize on the momentum he has going forward in a big game against the Zags.
TV and live stream info
Date: Monday, Nov. 18
Start Time: 11:30 p.m. CT
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Arena: Lahaina Civic Center
TV Info: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
I think that the Illini are talented enough to give Gonzaga a different challenge than what they have faced so far this season, with Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu, and Andres Feliz forming a three-headed-monster at the guard spots. The trio of guards will look to give Gonzaga their best and hope to make up for the Illini’s lack of a true center as grad-transfer Adonis De La Rosa gets up to speed.
Illinois could hang in with the Zags for a good part of the game, but the Zags are a legit top-five team. Look for Gonzaga to move the ball inside, and eventually take the game from the paint against a young Illinois team.