Games #23-#24.  RTC Live will be courtside in the beautiful tropical island of Maui for the 27th annual Maui Invitational.

There are four quarterfinal games in today’s Maui Invitational, but RTC Live has selected the two that seemingly hold the most interest.  At 3 pm ET (and an early 10 am in the islands), UConn will take on a Wichita State team eager to prove itself against a brand-name team in the hopes of advancing into the tournament semifinals and enjoying the multiple-game RPI boost that would entail (win or lose).  Jim Calhoun’s Huskies just want to prove that they are still a program among the nation’s elite.  Just two seasons removed from a Final Four appearance, UConn suffered an embarrassing collapse last season and are bringing back a team this year that many Big East pundits believe could finish in the bottom half of the league standings.

The second game we’ll be covering will be the 5:30 pm ET game between Kentucky and Oklahoma.  Speaking of collapse from two years ago, the Sooners have managed to fall even harder and faster than the Huskies.  When Blake Griffin left campus to begin his conquest on NBA rims, he left in his wake a dysfunctional group with several incoming freshmen (now since departed) who thought they knew better than head coach Jeff Capel.  OU will have to bring its best game to challenge Kentucky, coming off an impressive road win at Portland on Friday night.  Even without John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, et al, this year, the new-look Wildcats of Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, and so on, have looked fluid and ready to take up the high standard set by their forebears.  It should be a fun and exciting couple of games here in Maui today, folks.  Please join us for all of the action.

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