LAHAINA — Connecticut senior guard Denham Brown admitted peeking at the shot clock as he sprinted down the court en route to hitting the winning jump shot in his team's 65-63 victory over Gonzaga in the championship game of the Maui Invitational yesterday.

"I was just trying to get it to the basket," Brown said. "I took a look at the clock at about half court and it said 4.2 (seconds) so I knew I had time to get to the basket. I saw the double team coming and I just shook him (Adam Morrison) a little bit."

Gonzaga coach Mark Few had nothing but respect for Brown, calling him a "terrific open court player."

"You throw in an 8-foot jump hook as time expires to win the game over a 6-8 guy (Morrison) extending? That's a heck of a shot."

Morrison refused to blame fatigue for the loss. He said his legs were fine after a triple overtime victory against Michigan State Tuesday.

"It's a 40-minute game. It's 40 minutes of your life," he said. "We're not using that as an excuse."

Morrison, coming off a 43-point performance against Michigan State, finished with 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting and was named the tournament's MVP. Brown had nine points on 4-of-11 shooting and made the all-tournament team.

Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun lauded Brown and said the Bulldogs brought major game that almost overwhelmed his team.

But he said his team showed great poise in weathering the Bulldog rally.

"When Rudy (Gay) wasn't going well Denham stepped up," Calhoun said. "Those are the kind of things teams do."

TEST OF SKILLS AND WILLS

After three games in three days against some of the premier college basketball programs, each team in this year's Maui Invitational field walks away with an improved sense of self.

"When you come to a tournament like this you play man, you play zone, you play against athletic backcourts," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "If you really look at the whole gauntlet of things, we might of had a season in five days."

During the 72-hour Invitational, teams played three different schools from three different conferences.

Players and coaches were thrust into a variety of game situations, from overtime games to blowouts.

On almost every occasion, teams had to operate outside their comfort zones, and coaches were given little time to prepare for tough opponents.

Despite some work that needs to be done on several fronts, everyone left Maui enthused and ready for conference play.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few was impressed with the way his team handled playing from behind.

"Some were calling this the greatest pre-season tournament ever," he said. "We should feel great about our effort."

Kansas coach Bill Self was not happy with the way his team, which prominently features three freshmen and a sophomore, handled the ball and worked it into the post.

"We needed to go through them (the big men) more. Our three guards can certainly get more consistent," he said. "We're so young and all these guys need to play."

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun was worried coming into the tournament about the play of his backcourt.

In the off season, two Connecticut guards, including last year's starting point guard, were suspended for attempting to sell laptops stolen from members of the Huskies' women's basketball team.

Senior guard Denham Brown was asked to provide relief for freshmen point guards Craig Austrie and Rob Garrison.

"That's what coach needs me to do," Brown said. "Just take the ball in certain situations when Craig is in trouble and help the team get into the offense."

Some schools were happier than others with their performances.

Izzo's Spartans went 2-1, and played two overtime games during the tournament on successive nights.

This after a blowout loss to the University of Hawai'i on Saturday.

"Four and a half games in five days. We did wear down a little bit. We didn't play as smart or as sharp," Izzo said. "That extra game was stupid on my part. Don't underestimate what they (the players) have been through the last five days. Coaches learn as players learn and this was stupidity in scheduling."

Arizona entered the tournament ranked in the top 10 in the USA TODAY/ESPN coaches' poll. The Wildcats finished 1-2 in the tournament, but coach Lute Olson expressed optimism about the upcoming conference schedule. He just wants his players to start playing more like a team.

"That's our biggest problem right now," Olson said. "We got guys looking for shots instead of letting the shots come to them."

WANTS ANOTHER SHOT

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was not happy when he left Honolulu following a 84-62 loss to Hawai'i Saturday and he'd like a rematch in East Lansing.

After finishing third in the Maui Invitational yesterday, Izzo said he would return to play the Rainbow Warriors again. And he'd like to see the 'Bows travel to East Lansing for a game.

"I wasn't crazy about everything that happened there but I don't blame the team (Hawai'i)," he said. "I'm dumb enough. Any team anywhere."

CAMPAIGNING FOR TERPS

Veteran political commentator Robert Novak was not on Maui this week handicapping local gubernatorial candidates for the upcoming election.

He was following his beloved Maryland Terrapins.

Novak started following the Terps during the 1969-1970 season when Lefty Driesell was debuting with Maryland.

"They had a big upset of Duke that year," Novak said yesterday. "I got season tickets (after that)."

Novak's wife graduated from Maryland and his son earned his Master's in Business Administration from the school.

"I'm glad we got out of here with two wins," Novak said. "You don't know about this team."

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.