LAHAINA, Hawaii — Jacob Conner will be absent from the Maui Invitational, as announced by Dayton Flyers coach Anthony Grant during a press conference on Sunday, just one day before the tournament begins.
Conner injured his left ankle in the closing moments of the first half on Wednesday during Dayton’s 74-53 win over New Mexico State at UD Arena. He did not return for the second half. In a team photo taken on Saturday at the Lahaina Civic Center, he was seen wearing a protective boot on his ankle.
A junior forward, Conner is in his first season at Dayton after spending two years at Marshall, where he averaged 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds in the first four games this season. Coach Grant mentioned that there is currently no timeline for his return.
Dayton, who is 4-0, is set to face North Carolina, who is 3-1, at 11:30 p.m. on Monday, with the game slated to start at 6:30 p.m. in Maui.
“After watching them on film, it’s clear they’re extremely talented,” Grant said. “They are one of the most prestigious programs in college basketball. They have a strong roster filled with talent, and Coach Hubert Davis does an excellent job leading the team. They are explosive, fast, and very athletic. We’ll need to perform exceptionally well on both ends of the court.”
North Carolina defeated Hawaii 87-69 on Friday night in Honolulu. Grant expressed uncertainty about whether that game would give the Tar Heels an edge for their matchup on Monday.
“It’s a five-hour time difference,” Grant explained. “Physically, the players will need to adjust to the new time zone, along with the heat and other factors. So we’ll see how it goes.”
North Carolina has played two of its first four games on the road and faced Memphis in an exhibition match away from home, while Dayton has not played any away games in the early part of the season.
“Hawaii was a great team,” said Davis. “It allowed us to come out here and adjust to the time change, putting us in a good position for road games. We’ve all discussed learning about our team and identifying areas for improvement. Including the exhibition matches, we’ve already played three road games: against Penny Hardaway’s team, at Kansas, and at Hawaii. One key topic we emphasize with our players is how they react and respond. I was very proud of their performance in Hawaii on Friday.”
North Carolina and Dayton will meet for the first time since the 2010 NIT championship game.
“They’re an outstanding basketball team,” Davis remarked. “Obviously, they’re undefeated and possess excellent guard play. Defensively, they’re physical and tough, forcing turnovers and trying to control the efficiency of your offense. We need to avoid allowing that. They are very well-coached and will be prepared to compete, but we will be ready as well.”
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