LAHAINA » Michigan might not have a Fab Five, or even a singular take-over talent like last year’s star on Maui, Connecticut’s Kemba Walker.
What the No. 15 Wolverines do have is a heck of a dynamic duo.
Young guards Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke combined for 35 points and nine assists in a 73-61 upset of No. 8 Memphis in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational on Monday.
Hardaway and Burke kept the yellow-and-blue portion of the Lahaina Civic Center crowd hopping by staying poised in the face of pressure from the athletic Tigers. Several times, the Wolverines (4-0) even beat the Tigers (1-1) at their own game by racing down the court for fast-break baskets.
The Wolverines’ consistency will be tested against another top-10 opponent today; they meet No. 6 Duke in the 2 p.m. semifinal. The Blue Devils ousted Michigan 73-71 in the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
The grind-it-out effort on display Monday hasn’t always been Michigan’s style, but patience from its up-and-coming backcourt led to 54 percent shooting, compared with 33 percent by Memphis.
"I knew we had mismatches out there, and they were really overplaying us," Hardaway said. "So we were just trying to stay smart and play hard at the same time. … If the big is on a small, try to post them up, try to take them out. So we were just trying to play the game, really."
Hardaway, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound sophomore and the son of the five-time NBA All-Star, submitted game highs of 21 points and five assists to go with seven rebounds. A summer playing with Team USA at the Under-19 World Championships seems to have done him a world of good — his shooting percentage through four games is up nearly 6 percentage points from his freshman year, to 48.
Kansas defeats Georgetown
LAHAINA » Thomas Robinson had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Travis Releford hit two big free throws to help No. 14 Kansas hold off pesky Georgetown 67-63 in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Monday night.
No. 6 Duke 77, Tennessee 67
The Blue Devils remained perfect in 13 games in the Maui Invitational, tying North Carolina for most all-time wins in the event.
“Hard-earned win, like they all are on Maui,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
— Staff and wire reports |
"He’s trying to do more by maybe even doing less sometimes," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "He really wants to be a player. His focus is on his own improvement."
Meanwhile, all the 5-foot-11 Burke has done is pick up where 2011 NBA Draft pick Darius Morris left off. The true freshman shot 6-for-10 with four assists against three turnovers, but he made up for that last part with unflappable play in the face of Memphis’ pressure.
The Tigers’ elite point guard, Joe Jackson, couldn’t get the upper hand in the open court.
"We knew they were going to bring up their hardest punch, and we knew they had quick guards," Burke said. "Joe Jackson’s a really good player. The game plan was basically for us ball-handlers to stay poised out there and to keep the team under control, and we did a good job of that."
Hardaway’s outside shot wasn’t falling, but he compensated by driving aggressively and going 9-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Memphis coach Josh Pastner credited the two Wolverines guards with breaking open the game.
"I thought Burke, I tell you, I know they lost a really good player in Darius Morris, who is a pro, but they didn’t have too much drop-off with Burke. He’s really good, and he’s only a freshman. Of course, Hardaway Jr. is a pro, there is no doubt about that. … They hurt us today, those two combined."
Memphis took a four-point lead in the first half, but Michigan went on a 10-0 run to end the period and controlled the entire second half.
Three of the four meetings between the schools have occurred in Hawaii. Michigan beat Memphis in the 1988 Maui Classic, while the Tigers topped the Wolverines in the first round of the 1996 Rainbow Classic.
