COLLEGE BASKETBALL: NOV 27 Maui Invitational - Colorado vs Iowa State
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LAHAINA, Hawaii — It took until Game No. 9, but we finally got a blowout in the Maui Invitational. No. 5 Iowa State crushed Colorado 99-71 Wednesday in the opening game on the final day of the tournament.  

That means the Cyclones finish in fifth place in the bracket. TJ Otzelberger's team flies back home across the Pacific after going 2-1 on the island and is 5-1 overall. Their wins over Dayton and Colorado are TBD in terms of value, but a 28-point victory vs. the Buffaloes should boost them heading into next week. They'll need it. 

ISU's next game is Dec. 4 at home against No. 10 Marquette. 

Cyclones sophomore Milan Momcilovic had a game-high 24 points, while Curtis Jones added 15, Keshon Gilbert 14 and three other players had 10. Otzelberger took the Iowa State job in 2021 but Wednesday marked only the second time the Cyclones scored more than 90 points against a high-major opponent. (The other one was also 99, but vs. DePaul, so it barely qualifies, really.)

To think: ISU flirted with losing to Dayton and would've had to play UConn for seventh place in the last game of the tournament if it didn't win Tuesday. That's a wild swing. I had the Cyclones outside of the top 20 heading into the season, which was a contrarian take and, I think it's fair to say now, almost certainly the wrong one.

For the Buffs, if I'd have given Colorado coach Tad Boyle the option of taking 1-2 or chancing going 0-3 in Maui, I think he'd have taken 1-2, especially with a win over UConn. The Buffs had to replace their top five scorers and are a wait-and-see when it comes to their Big 12 viability. I like what they have in shooting guard Julian Hammond, 6-foot-10 post man Elijah Malone and 6-8 wing Andrej Jakimovski. 

Given this was Colorado's third game in three days, it's all but a guarantee the next time these teams play it won't be nearly the blowout. ISU travels to play Colorado in Big 12 play in just over a month, on Dec. 30.

And at least we have this video of Boyle water sliding. I never found a water slide during my time out here in Maui, and that's on me.

Let's tour the Lahaina Civic Center

Over the decades, as I've watched this amazing tournament on TV, I've always wondered what it felt like and what the confines were around the hallowed Lahaina Civic Center. So I took it upon myself to shoot a couple of videos and bring you in. Until you see it, you don't quite realize just how cozy this place is. 

As for the locker rooms, well, there's nothing like this in sports. The most humble of pregame prep areas. Big games in a small gym. Only college basketball provides something this wholesome. 

This story will update deep into Wednesday night.