Hardaway, Michigan take down Memphis
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Those three opening wins for Michigan were nice.
To knock off a top-10 team? That's a better gauge of just how good this team can be.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points, Trey Burke added 14, and the No. 15 Wolverines beat eighth-ranked Memphis 73-61 on Monday in the opening round of the Maui Invitational.
Back in Maui for the first time since 1998, Michigan (4-0) looked right at home in paradise, using its ability to penetrate to shoot 54 percent while hounding the Tigers (1-1) with a variety of defenses.
The two-time tournament champions move on to face four-time champion No. 6 Duke in today's 4 p.m. semifinal.
"Memphis presents some very big challenges. They're a very good defense. We haven't seen anything like that," Michigan coach John Beilein said.
Memphis backed up an easy season-opening win over Belmont with a shaky performance against the experienced Wolverines.
The Tigers had trouble containing Michigan's guards and took some questionable shots at the other end, hitting 33 percent from the floor and 4 of 20 from 3-point range to get bounced into the loser's bracket. Charles Carmouche led Memphis with 14 points.
"They hit some big shots, we tried to speed them up on some things, and we turned it over," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said. "But in the end, we didn't make some shots we needed to hit."
Michigan has made a quick turnaround since a disappointing 2009-10 season.
The Wolverines used a late run to get back into the NCAA Tournament last season and came into this year with plenty of expectations, returning nearly everyone except Darius Morris, an NBA second-round pick.
Michigan opened with a pair of easy wins, rolling over Ferris State and Towson, then had to hold on for a 59-55 victory against Western Illinois.
The Wolverines shot well early against Memphis, thanks to penetration by Hardaway and Burke, but were uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball against the Tigers' pressure.
Michigan, which led the nation last season for fewest turnovers with 10 per game, committed eight in the first half. It made up for it by shooting 15 of 25 and assembling a 10-0 run over the final 3:02 to go up 37-31 at halftime.
The half ended with Burke swatting Joe Jackson's last-second shot out of bounds, and players from both sides got tangled at midcourt as they headed toward the locker rooms. Memphis' Will Barton and Michigan's Zack Novak were both hit with technicals.
AROUND THE NATION
■ NO. 3 BUCKEYES BREEZE -- At Columbus, Ohio, Jared Sullinger had 27 points and 13 rebounds, and third-ranked Ohio State rolled to an 85-50 victory over North Florida (1-4).
■ BLUE DEVILS REPEL VOLUNTEERS -- At Lahaina, Hawaii, Austin Rivers scored 18 points, Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly had 17 each, and No. 6 Duke (5-0) pulled away for a 77-67 victory over Tennessee (2-1) to reach the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. The Blue Devils are 13-0 all time in Maui.
■ GATORS TOP WRIGHT STATE -- At Tampa, Fla., freshman Bradley Beal had 22 points, leading 10th-ranked Florida (3-1) to a 78-65 victory over Wright State (2-2).
■ MARQUETTE WINS TOURNEY -- At St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Jae Crowder made a tiebreaking dunk with 1:09 to play, and tournament MVP Darius Johnson-Odom scored 20 points, leading No. 16 Marquette (5-0) to a 59-57 victory over Norfolk State (3-2) in the final of the Paradise Jam.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
■ RAMS TAKE CONSOLATION -- At Fort Collins, Colo., Wes Eikmeier had 18 points, and Colorado State (3-2) gained an 85-75 victory over Texas-San Antonio (2-2) in a consolation of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
■ TCU TUMBLES TO REBELS -- At St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Murphy Holloway scored 20 points to lead Mississippi (4-1) to an 80-69 victory over Texas Christian (3-2) in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam.
