MBB11/12/2015 8:35 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Maui Invitational Awaits Bears in 2017
BERKELEY – California will make its third all-time appearance in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational when the Golden Bears travel to Hawaii for the 2017 tournament.
The field of teams that will join Chaminade at the Lahaina Civic Center, announced on Thursday, also features LSU, Marquette, Michigan, Notre Dame, Virginia Commonwealth and Wichita State. The championship round of the 34th edition of the tournament will be held Nov. 20-22, 2017.
“Year after year, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational showcases the nation's best players and coaches, and the 2017 field will continue that tradition,” tournament chairman Dave Odom said. "These brand-name programs and rising powerhouse teams will create a special environment at the Lahaina Civic Center. We are excited to welcome them and their fans to Maui in 2017.”
Cal most recently played in Maui in the fall of 2013. The Bears defeated Arkansas, 85-77, in the opening round before falling to No. 7 Syracuse (92-81) and Dayton (82-64). In 1996, Cal played three consecutive top-25 teams and finished third in the field, with a win over No. 25 Iowa (75-59), a loss to No. 2 Kansas (85-67) and a victory against No. 15 Massachusetts (59-55).
Since the inception of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in 1984,108 schools representing 26 conferences and 40 states have competed in the event. Schools that have participated in the tournament in November have won 67 of 77 NCAA Championships, six of which have won the national championship after making an appearance in Maui earlier in the season.
For more on the tournament, visit mauiinvitational.com.
About the Maui Jim Maui Invitational
In December 1982, then No. 1 ranked Virginia, led by National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson, played little-known NAIA Chaminade University in Honolulu while on the way back from a trip to Tokyo. The Silverswords stunned Virginia 77-72 in one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history. Two years later, in 1984, Chaminade University hosted the first Maui Jim Maui Invitational and it has proven to be the premier early-season college basketball tournament for 31 years running. Each year, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational attracts the top programs, best-known coaches and most outstanding players to compete in an exciting atmosphere at the Lahaina Civic Center near the beautiful beaches of Maui.