LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) Michigan State opened the season with a loss to Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. Kansas had a similar start on the same bill, losing to Duke.
Three weeks later, the third-ranked Spartans and fourth-ranked Jayhawks are in paradise, headlining another strong Maui Invitational field in a test to see how far theyve come from those opening losses.
This tournament lends itself to allowing teams to come much closer and experience these three games over here, Kansas coach Bill Self said Sunday as waves from the Pacific Ocean crashed behind the tournaments eight coaches.
