The Maui Invitational is built on celebrating upsets. Syracuse avoided one against Minnesota on Monday with a gritty early-season finish.
A frenzied sequence that included three blocks and a missed dunk ended with less than two minutes left when C.J. Fair calmly hit a pull-up jumper, giving the Orange a four-point lead. That led to a 75-67 win and an inside track to the early-season tournament's title as the favorite among eight teams playing in Hawaii.
Fair scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds Syracuse held off Minnesota. The reward: A game against California on Tuesday, then either No. 10 Gonzaga or No. 17 Baylor on Wednesday if both teams win later Monday.