For decades, the Maui Invitational has brought a three-day preview of the best of college basketball showcasing what’s to come during the season. Over the years, 131 teams that have started the season in the Maui Invitational have finished the year in the NCAATournament. One or more teams that have competed in Maui to begin the season have gone on to at least the Elite Eight for nine straight seasons prior to 2019. All time, seven Maui programs have gone onto win the NCAA championship in the same season.
This year’s Camping World Maui Invitational field of participating programs, which includes Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Texas and UNLV, will look to add to those totals when the Tournament begins on Monday at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville.
The Tournament boasts two teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, North Carolina, No. 16 and Texas, No. 19, as well as three of the top-20 all-time winningest programs in North Carolina, No. 3, Indiana, No.10, and Texas, No.17. Two of the teams own at least one Sweet 16 berth in the past three seasons, as well as North Carolina winning the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
Additionally, the eight head coaches bring a wealth of experience to the Tournament, with each serving multiple years at the helm. One established head coach takes over at a new program this season, withT.J. Otzelberger taking over at UNLV after previously serving as head coach at South Dakota State. Davidson Head Coach, Bob McKillop, enters his 32nd season as head coach of the Wildcats. One coach has earned AP Coach of the Year, Roy Williams, who ranks in the top 10 NCAA winningest coaches of all time.
“This year’s Camping World Maui Invitational competition continues our longstanding tradition of bringing the highest quality programs to the nation’s premier early-season college basketball tournament,” said Tournament Chairman Dave Odom, a three-time ACC Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year honoree. “This field features legendary, Hall of Fame coaches and talented rosters brimming with emerging and veteran talent. Competing in the Camping World Maui Invitational often leads to postseason success and honors, and this year will be no different.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Camping World Maui Invitational will be hosted in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, NC Nov. 30-Dec. 2. Tournament organizers, in conjunction with stakeholders including the NCAA, County of Maui, Hawaii State Health Officials, Chaminade University Officials and participating schools, made the decision to relocate based on the new NCAA-adjusted schedule and the potential health and safety implications to fans and participants.
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