MAUI, Hawaii — Penny Hardaway and his Memphis basketball team will face Michigan State, with a shot at the Maui Invitational title game on the line.
The Tigers (5-0) and Spartans (5-1) will meet Tuesday (5 p.m. CT, ESPN) at the Lahaina Civic Center. Memphis advanced Monday with a 99-97 upset win in overtime over No. 2 UConn, while Tom Izzo’s Michigan State handled Colorado 72-56.
It will be the third all-time meeting between Memphis and Michigan State. The first two matchups came in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers won in 2008, while the Spartans won in 2013.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us tomorrow,” Izzo said.
Following Monday’s win over UConn, Hardaway gave credit to the players for realizing the importance of games like these.
“We’re riding them really tough because we have to get it right right now,” he said. “We don’t have the time to wait until conference starts because we have to do all our heavy lifting early and I put a ton of pressure on them to be better than where they should be quite now because they’re still getting acclimated and getting to know each other.”
Watch Memphis basketball vs Michigan State live on ESPN+ (subscribe today)
This section will be updated when the game begins.
TV channel: ESPN (Dan Shulman, play-by-play; Jay Bilas, color analyst)
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 98.9-FM The Roar (Dave Woloshin, play-by-play; Matt Dillon, color analyst)
Memphis vs. Michigan State will be live streamed on ESPN+.
The Tigers will have had slightly more rest than the Spartans at tipoff Tuesday. But Penny Hardaway’s team needed overtime to beat No. 2 UConn, while Michigan State had a relatively low-stress win over Colorado. Still, who can bet against Memphis right now? The Tigers will advance to the Maui Invitational championship.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Tuesday:
Tigers guard Tyrese Hunter has been dealing with a knee injury. It has not kept him from playing, but there have been days-long breaks between every game until now. When asked Monday how his knee was doing after the game, Hunter said: “Just working with the training staff.”
Tipoff times not yet set (unless otherwise noted)
All times central
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Senior guard Jewel Spear is out with a lower right leg injury for Lady Vols basketball's matchup with Western Carolina on Tuesday, per Tennessee athletics.Spea
The First Annual Players Era Thanksgiving Festival Kicks Off Today at MGM Garden ArenaThe inaugural Players Era Thanksgiving Festival begins today at the MGM Ga
The Players Era Festival is underway in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team plays against the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies (4-1) at 1:30 p.
Breaking down Woodson, Kelsey news conferences ahead of IU-LouisvilleIndyStar IU Insider Zach Osterman is in The Bahamas for the Hoosiers' Battle 4 Atlantis tri