I'm stopped in the Minneapolis airport, on my way back to Bloomington after taking the redeye from Maui last night. Let's take a look back on the EA Sports Maui Invitational for just a second...
The Hoosiers only won one game, but they played three contests in three days, giving them a preview of the grueling schedule that is the Big Ten season.
The team played against one of the ten best teams in the country, preparing them for teams slightly more talented than Northwestern State.
IU seems to add a new player to the roster about every two weeks, but this trip gave the Hoosiers - a grab bag of new faces - a chance to bond with one another for nearly a week away from IU's campus. Road trips often bring teams together and build chemistry.
And they also had a chance to see what the top of the mountain looks like (not literally, though there were many on the island). They played in the same tournament as No. 1 North Carolina and were treated like royalty in the "first-class event," as IU coach Tom Crean described.
As Crean left the media room Wednesday after the Hoosiers defeated Chaminade, he stopped to talk to a tournament official and thank her for the week. He also promised to return to Maui.
"Some day we'll stand out there when you're passing out that trophy," he told her.
What are your thoughts from the Maui Invitational? In what way do you think the Hoosiers benefitted?
