The full Maui Invitational bracket was released yesterday. Find out who Kansas basketball will play in the first round and its other potential opponents.
The Maui Invitational has always been one of college basketball’s most highly anticipated regular season tournaments. For the first time since 2019, the Kansas Jayhawks will be among the eight schools competing in the bracket. It will take place from Nov. 20-22.
Kansas will face host school Chaminade in round one. An NCAA Division II university based out of Honolulu, Hawaii, they have appeared in Maui in all but one season (2018) since the event commenced in 1984.
KU is 4-0 all-time against the Silverswords in Maui. They played them in 2019 and 2015 when they won the tournament, defeating them by a combined 81 points. The only other team that Kansas has played in the field in Maui is UCLA.
READ: Why fans should be excited for the Kansas-UNC home-and-home
If, rather when, Kansas advances to the second round, they’ll play the winner of Marquette-UCLA. Then, the Jayhawks will play in the championship round against Purdue, Gonzaga, Tennessee, or Syracuse, or play in the losing consolation round.
The 2023 Maui Invitational Bracket and Game schedule.#MauiInvitational pic.twitter.com/iXYg6TFi6C
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) July 25, 2023
Maui will mark the fourth, fifth, and sixth games of the season for Kansas. The season begins with home matchups against NC Central and Manhattan before heading to Chicago to play Kentucky in the Champions Classic. Bill Self’s group will have a five-day rest before trekking to the island. KU’s nonconference schedule also includes intriguing clashes against UConn in Allen Fieldhouse and Wichita State on a neutral site.
When Kansas basketball and Dayton met in the championship game four years ago, the game went to overtime and the Jayhawks won in dramatic fashion. KU is the team to beat once again, so hopefully we’ll see some performances as exciting as we have in the past.
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