TARHEELS VS. IRISH IN MIT FINAL

The two headline players in this year's EA Sports Maui Invitational will be on
display in today's 5 p.m. championship game at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning national player of the year, didn't play at all for
top-ranked North Carolina in Monday's opening romp past Chaminade.

And the 6-9 senior, who has been nursing a couple of injuries, saw limited action
in yesterday's 98-69 semifinal win over Oregon, but still managed to score 16
points in 19 minutes of duty.

Hansbrough did most of his damage from the free throw line, making 12 of 14
attempts.

Luke Harangody, who joined Hansbrough on the pre-season All-America team,
was the pivotal figure in eighth-ranked Notre Dame's dramatic 81-80 win over No.
6 Texas in the other semifinal game.

The 6-8 junior forward finished with 29 points and 13 points as the Fighting Irish
barely held off the Longhorns, whose AJ Abrams nearly won the game on a
running half-court shot that hit the front of the rim as time expired.

That brought to an end to what frankly has been the only close game in the 25th
edition of the tournament.

In yesterday's other games, St. Joseph's pulled away from Indiana, 80-54, and
Alabama dominated tournament host Chaminade 78-56.

In today's other matchups: St. Joe's and Alabama meet at 9 a.m. for fifth place,
Texas and Oregon tangle for third place at 11:30 and Chaminade meets Indiana
for third at 2 o'clock.

All four games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550.

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FOUR GAMES, FOUR ROUTS

The truth of the matter was that the opening day of the Maui Invitational didn't
produce a single exciting game, as all four ended up with runaway scores.

But that could – and should – change today at the Lahaina Civic Center, particularly
in a pair of semifinal games featuring three of the top eight ranked teams in the
country.

Even with reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough sitting out the
game, No. 1 North Carolina romped to a 115-70 win against over-matched
tournament host Chaminade. Danny Green led the way for the Tar Heels with 26
points.

Hansbrough dressed for the game, but was held out for precautionary reasons. He
is suffering from a shin injury and coach Roy Williams didn't want to take any
chances with his ailing big man in a game that UNC was going to dominate from
start to finish.

But Hansbrough will be in the lineup against Oregon in today's 4:30 semi. The
Ducks pulled away after a slow start for a 92-69 win over Alabama as freshman
center Michael Dunigan scored 18 points and Joevan Catron had 17 points and 13
rebounds.

In the 2 p.m. semifinal it will be a showdown between No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Notre
Dame.

The taller, faster and stronger Longhorns overwhelmed Saint Joseph's 68-50.

And Notre Dame had absolutely not problem against rebuilding in-state rival
Indiana. The Fighting Irish eased to an 88-50 win over a team featuring four
freshman as starters and a total of eight first-year players on the roster.

In today's consolation games: St. Jose's meets Indiana at 8:30 and Chaminade
challenges Alabama at 11 a.m.

The tournament runs through Wednesday, with the championship game set for a 5
p.m. tip off.

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INVITATIONAL FEATURES TOP TEAMS

It's easy to get caught up in the hyperbole surrounding a big event. But in the
case of the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which begins a three-day run this
morning at the Lahaina Civic Center, it's hard to over-state the quality of what's
regularly – and accurately -- described as the nation's premier early-season
basketball tournament.

The 25th edition of the event will feature three teams ranked among the Top Ten
in the country: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 7 Texas and No. 9 Notre Dame.

The tournament also features two marquee plays in reigning national player of the
year Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and fellow pre-season All-America Luke
Harangody of Notre Dame, the returning Big East player of the year.

Today's matchups: Saint Joseph's versus Texas at 10 a.m. and Indiana versus
Notre Dame at 12:30. In the late session, the top-ranked Tar Heels face
tournament host Chaminade at 4:30 followed by Oregon versus Alabama at 7.

BIG WINS FOR UH ON COURT, GRIDIRON

The sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine won their 11th straight WAC women's
volleyball tournament title by defeating New Mexico State in four games last night
at the Stan Sheriff Center. Next stop for UH: the NCAA tournament.

And the Hawaii football eam now needs just one more victory to become bowl
eligible following a 49-17romp past Idaho on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

UH can clinch a berth in the Hawaii Bowl by defeating Washington State, which
registered only its second victory of the season by defeating winless Washington
in overtime in a game some sarcastic souls were describing as the Crapple Cup.

LEILEHUA OUSTS BEARS; LUNAS HOST RADFORD

There were no miracle comebacks by Baldwin this time. After rebounding from
big early deficits four times en route to a 7-0 MIL record, the Bears again fell
behind early on Friday night.

But Leilehua, the defending state Division-I football champion, were simply too
good of a team to fold after jumping out to a 21-0 lead just slightly more than
eight minutes into the game.

Leading the way for the Mules was junior quarterback Andrew Manley, who
accounted for all of his team's touchdowns in the 34-15 victory by throwing four
TD passes and running for another.

While Baldwin closed out its season with an 8-2 record, Leilehua lived to play
another week. The Mules will meet Kahuku in this Friday's D-I semifinals at Aloha
Stadium, with top-seeded Punahou facing Farrington in the other game.

In D-II, second-seeded Lahainaluna drew a first-round bye and will host Radford
on Friday at War Memorial Stadium. Radford advanced by posting road win over
previously unbeaten Kauai High. On the other side of the bracket, top-seeded
and defending champion Iolani will face Campbell.

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UH CRUISES IN VOLLEYBALL OPENER

(Nov. 21): The nationally sixth-ranked Rainbow Wahine had absolutely no problem in advancing into the semifinals of the WAC volleyball tournament by pounding on Boise State 25-15, 25-16, 25-17 last night at the Stan Sherriff.

Hawaii should face a stronger challenge at 7:30 tonight against Idaho, which swept Nevada 25-20, 25-21, 25-18.

In yesterday's other quarterfinal games, top-seeded New Mexico State swept Fresno State. The Lady Aggies will next meet San Jose State, which rode a 19-kill performance by Colleen Burke to beat Utah State in five sets.

The final is set for 3 p.m. on Sunday.

While the Rainbow Wahine are bidding for their 10th straight WAC tournament title, the UH football team will trying to move closer to bowl-eligibility when it plays host to Idaho on Saturday night at Aloha Stadium.

Hawaii must win two of its remaining three games – all at home – to qualify for the Hawaii Bowl.

Idaho brings a 2-9 record into the game following last week's 45-10 loss to unbeaten and nationally ninth-ranked Boise State.

A familiar name has made a positive contribution to Idaho's defensive unit. Former Baldwin standout Jojo Dickson is a sophomore linebacker for the Vandals, registering 31 tackles this season.

The UH basketball teams are off this week, hopefully working on improving themselves following dismal starts. The men are 1-2 while the women are winless in three outings.

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MORE SUPER FIELDS AHEAD FOR MAUI INVITATIONAL

(Nov. 20): I'll be the first to admit that I've become spoiled when it comes to the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Year in, year out, there isn't an early-season tournament held on a single site that attracts better fields and provides more quality basketball than does this annual event held within the intimate confines of the Lahaina Civic Center.

This year's 25th anniversary event, which tips off a three-day run on Monday morning, is no exception. In addition to unanimous pre-season No. 1 North Carolina, led by reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, this year's field also includes seventh-ranked Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame, led by pre-season All-America and reigning Big East player of the year Luke Harangody.

And the quality of the competition will remain high for the next two years. The 2009 field includes the likes of Gonzaga, Louisville, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Marland and Arizona. The 2010 field, which was announced yesterday, will feature U-Conn, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington.

Back to this year's event: All 12 games will be aired on Maui's ESPN 550 and televised on one of the various ESPN networks. The first-round match-ups: St. Joseph's vs. Texas at 10 a.m.; Indiana vs. Notre Dame at 12:30, North Carolina vs. host Chaminade at 4:30, and Oregon vs. Alabama at 7 p.m.

Ho, hum. Just another killer field for the Maui Invitational.

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WILL TYLER BE READY FOR INVITATIONAL?

(Nov. 19): It was supposed to be a marquee match-up between the two most winning programs in college basketball history. Instead, it turned out to be an utter – and predictable – mismatch.

Even without reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, top-ranked North Carolina had not problems in beating up on Kentucky. Doing most of his damage inside, Deon Thompson scored 20 points in leading the Tarheels to a 77-58 win.

The big question now is whether Hansbrough will be available to play in the EA Sports Maui Invitational, which tips off a three-day run on Monday at the Lahaina Civic Center.

The answer appears to be a definite maybe that Hansbrough will play Monday against Chaminade and less certain for Friday's tune-up game at UC Santa Barbara.

Hansbrough finally began to practice this week, but was held out of yesterday's game as a precautionary measure. Hansbrough is suffering from a stress reaction on his right shin.

With one big man seemingly on his way back, the Tarheels could have lost another. Freshman 7-footer Tyler Zeller suffered a wrist injury that had coach Roy Williams speaking in pessimistic tones after last night's romp past the Wildcats.

North Carolina also is without its best perimeter defender, Marcus Ginyard, until December because of foot surgery.

But even with such talented players unavailable, North Carolina is living up to its pre-season unanimous ranking as the nation's top team.

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MIL CHAMPS PREPARE FOR STATE TOURNEYS

(Nov. 14): There will be no Friday Night Lights at War Memorial Stadium this week, but they'll be back on in full force and with our full attention the following two weeks.

Next Friday, Baldwin will play host to defending Division-I state champion Leilehua, which advanced to states by spanking Waianae, 32-0, in the third-place game of the OIA tournament.

The Bears will be seeking to avenge a close loss to the Mules in last year's semifinals.

Leilehua is led by Andrew Manley, who is generally regarded to be the best quarterback in the state although still only a junior.

The following week, second-seeded Lahainaluna will face the winner of the first-round game between Radford and Kauai High in the quarterfinals of the D-II tourney.

Radford was dominated by Campbell in the OIA D-II title game, while Kauai is the state's only unbeaten team. The Lunas reached the state final last year before losing to Iolani, which is again back as the top seed.

The remaining berth in the state D-I tourney will be determined tonight, when Punahou and Saint Louis square off for the ILH title with only the winner advancing to the big show.

Remember those two big-time prep teams that visited the Valley Isle for early-season games? Both are enjoying outstanding seasons. Edison, which dominated the Lunas, is currently fifth in the Orange County rankings. Mission Viejo, which decisively beat Baldwin, is sixth in one of the nation's richest regions of prep talent.

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HOPES RISING FOR RAINBOW HOOPS

(Nov. 13): Playing pretty much with what he inherited because his late hiring prevented an effective recruiting effort, Bob Nash suffered through an 11-19 in his debut season as head coach.

Yet, despite losing seven seniors that accounted for 80 percent of the scoring and 64 percent of the rebounding, and despite there being no seniors on the current 15-player roster, there's a sense that the UH basketball team will be better this year.

We'll get a chance to see if that optimistic impression is correct as the Bows open the season by play three games in four days. UH faces USF on Friday night and then meet Cal State Fullerton on Sunday as part of the Tip Off Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawaii will then host Idaho State on Monday in a game that will start at 11 p.m. as part of ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon, featuring 14 televised games over 23 hours.

Much of the elevated expectations at Manoa revolve around the highly-touted Roderick Flemings – billed by Nash as the best UH recruit since Anthony Carter.

The 6-7 swingman was a first-team JC all-America as a sophomore last season at Weatherford College of Texas, averaging nearly 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 steals as a sophomore.

The top returning player – and only returning starter – is 6-9 junior forward Bill Amis, who is expected to dramatically increase on his 8.5 point and 4.6 rebound averages of last season. The top additions: Lithuanian forward Petras Balocka, forward Brandon Adams and point guard Hiram Thompson, returning from a two-year church mission.

My guess? UH, featuring a more athletic team and playing at a higher tempo, finishes with 17 wins and breaks even in the WAC. Not great. But a whole lot better than last year.

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UH GETS HEAD START IN RECRUITING

(Nov. 12): The immediate goal for Hawaii to become bowl-eligible, which will require two wins in the remaining three regular-season games.

But the coaching staff has also been busily at work in laying the foundation for the program's future by taking a proactive approach to recruiting.

For all the success June Jones enjoyed at UH, he was a less-than-enthusiastic recruiter.

UH didn't generally kick their recruiting efforts into high gear until after the end of the season, which – in the modern world of college football – is often too late. And there was a running joke about somebody giving Jones direction to the talent-rich North Shore.

But new head coach Greg McMackin has taken a different approach. As a result, 16 athletes have already made verbal commitments to sign with UH – and a high percentage of those being local kids.

The team remained on the mainland between recent games at Utah State and New Mexico State, allowing UH coaches to attend practices in SoCal, the Bay Area and Las Vegas to further assess some of their recruits. And some have remained on the mainland, taking advantage of the team's bye week.

The persistence paid off this week when Kevin Williams, a highly-touted cornerback from Los Medanos JC in the East Bay, accepted an offer from UH. Williams was widely recruited and will bring sub-4.4 speed to Hawaii's secondary.

UH also has landed commitments from two standout defensive players from nationally-ranked Long Beach Poly.

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BALDWIN STAGES ANOTHER COMEBACK

(Nov. 10): How many lives does a Bear have? Based on this year's prep football results, we can safely assume at least four.

That's because the Baldwin Bears staged their fourth unlikely comeback of the season – twice at the expense of King Kekaulike and once each against Kamehameha-Maui and Lahainaluna..

After suffering an earlier heart-breaking loss to the Bears at War Memorial Stadium, Na Alii appeared to have Baldwin on the ropes in Saturday's Upcountry rematch by capitalizing on a pair of turnovers for a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.

But Kekaulike also paid for its mistakes, letting the Bears back into the game and to escape with an eventual 30-27 victory that extended Baldwin's run against MIL opponents to 36-0-1 since 2004.

A 14-yard scoring pass from Buta Wilhelm-Ioane to Sheldon Leong with 3:59 left gave Baldwin the lead and the Bears' defense barely held on as Kekaulike's game-tying field goal attempt was well off the mark to cap a game featuring five lead changes in the second half alone..

Baldwin tailback Kainalu Garso rushed for 140 yards on 21 carries, helping the Bears to finish the regular season with marks of 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the MIL. Baldwin's only loss of the year came against visiting SoCal powerhouse Mission Viejo.

For all of their late-game heroics, you have to seriously wonder if the Bears can continue pulling off miracle comebacks against the likes of Leilehua in the state Division-I football tournament.

Baldwin will host the defending state D-1 champs in a Nov. 21 quarterfinal game at War Memorial Stadium. Leilehua advanced by routing Waianae 32-0 in the third-place game of the OIA tournament.

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BALDWIN, LUNAS SET FOR STATE TOURNEY

(Nov. 4): They don't yet know exactly who they will be playing, but Baldwin and Lahainaluna do know when and where they will begin their bids for state football titles.

The good news for local fans, in these days of expense air fares, is that both teams will open their bids before the home folks at War Memorial Stadium.

Baldwin was seeded third in Division-I and will meet the winner of the OIA third-place game between defending state champion Leilehua and Waianae in a first-round game on Nov. 21. The Bears have lost in the semifinals of the previous two state tournaments to the eventual state champion.

The top seed in D-I went to the ILH champ – either Punahou or St. Louis – and second seed to the OIA champ – either Farrington or Kahuku. Kealakehe of the Big Island was seeded fourth.

In D-II, Lahainaluna received the second seed and will draw a bye in the opening round before facing the winner of the Kauai High vs. OIA No. 2 team – either Radford or Campbell – in the semis on Nov. 28.

The top seed went to ILH champ Iolani, which defeated the Lunas in last year's D-II title game. Kauai High was seeded third and the OIA champ fourth.

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DISMAL PERFORMAN BY UH

(Nov. 3): It was supposed to be one of those stepping stone games – albeit on the road --for Hawaii in its bid to post a winning record and earn an accompanying berth in the hometown Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Utah State, after all, has been a perennial have-not since joining the WAC and came into the game amid rampant speculation that Brent Guy was on his last lap as head coach despite having one year left on his contract. Guy had compiled a dismal 7-36 record, including 1-7 this season.

So much for recent history and anticipated victories, as well. UH faltered badly on Saturday in suffering a 30-14 to the Aggies.

Trailing 20-7 going into the final period, Hawaii managed to pull to within a TD on QB Greg Alexander's 9-yard run with 7 minutes left in the game. But the Aggies added a field goal and a final TD to seal the deal.

Indicative of UH's frustrations was a miscue that took place late in the game. Malcolm Lane appeared headed for a TD on a return when he inexplicably lost the ball with no one within tackling distance. That mistake didn't have a bearing in the final outcome, but reflected the kind of day it was for Hawaii in Logan, Utah.

By falling to 4-5 overall, Hawaii must win three of its remaining four games to become bowl eligible.

UH remains on the road this week, facing another WAC weakling at New Mexico State. Hawaii will then have a bye, followed by home games against Idaho, Washington State and Cincinnati.

UH would appear to be favorites in its next three games, for sure, but Hawaii can't afford to take anything for granted. Not after its dismal performance over the weekend.

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