Maui Invitational Thriller: Memphis Triumphs Over UConn

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00:00The excitement was palpable to welcome back the Maui Invitational to the Lahaina Civic

00:08Center.

00:09A staple of college basketball despite being an arena that seats around 2,600 people.

00:16And what a show on display yesterday to start off the Maui Invitational.

00:22Quadruple header that started with the number two team in the country in Yukon in the two-time

00:29reigning national champs in Connecticut in an absolute battle against the Memphis Tigers.

00:37And Joe, for just the second time in the last two and a half years, in the last three college

00:43basketball seasons, including the NCAA tournament, Yukon loses a non-conference game as Memphis

00:51wins in overtime 99-97.

00:55The Tigers and Penny Hardaway, an outright eight-and-a-half point dog, a total of course

01:00in the OT of 149 and a hook, stood no chance.

01:05Now, you mentioned it, Dan Hurley, always a little bit emotional and excitable on that

01:14sideline.

01:16At the end of overtime, as the game was tied, his star freshman, Liam McNeely, goes up to

01:23grab a rebound.

01:25A controversial over-the-back loose ball foul is called on McNeely that sends Memphis to

01:32the line that would have put them up just shooting the regular free throws.

01:36But then Dan Hurley loses his cool slightly, yells at the refs, and gets teed up.

01:42Now, I would say they give Dan Hurley a pretty big runway to yell at them because he screams

01:49even when his team is up by 35 with two minutes left to go.

01:54But they decided to serve up the technical, which cost Yukon late in that game.

02:00Not just the regular free throws on the controversial loose ball foul on Liam McNeely, but the technical

02:06two free throws that put Memphis ahead for good.

02:12And it's a shame, too, because they had to go on an 18-to-5 run, Ben, at the end of regulation

02:18just to get that game into overtime there.

02:22And then, you know, with the technicals and everything else, you're talking about seven

02:27straight free throws for Memphis, and that was all she wrote.

02:31They did have a three at the buzzer, I believe, that did not go in, otherwise that would have

02:37been a very interesting ending as well.

02:40But ultimately, at the end of the day, listen, it wasn't Hurley's technical that cost them

02:45the game.

02:46They dug themselves far too big a hole in that game.

02:50Shocking that they even made it back.

02:52But to me, there was nothing controversial about what looked like a very standard over-the-back

02:58foul, Ben, where it would have been called nine times out of ten in any game.

03:03It wouldn't have made a difference.

03:04Nobody would have questioned it.

03:06It's just that Hurley had been screaming and yelling that entire game, falling to the floor.

03:10I mean, it's must-watch television.

03:12And it really is the most entertaining thing you'll see all year long.