EA SPORTS Maui Invitational 2011 Bracket Announced

Click on bracket to enlarge

EA SPORTS Maui Invitational 2011 Bracket Announced


Bruins draw host Chaminade University in the Championship Round as one of the eight "Island Teams" in this year's new format.

UCLA Men's Basketball Official website
Aug. 4, 2011

MAUI, Hawaii -

2011 Maui Invitational Bracket And Release



The EA SPORTS Maui Invitational hosted by Chaminade University today announced the bracket for the 28th edition of Basketball In Paradise. The bracket includes a new format, which reflects the Tournament's first expansion since 1986.

"We are excited to kickoff the expansion with such stellar matchups," Tournament Chairman David Odom said. "Expanding the Tournament provides more student-athletes, schools and conferences the chance to show their best at the premier early-season college basketball tournament."

The bracket format includes the traditional eight-team, three-day event played at Maui's oceanfront Lahaina Civic Center during Thanksgiving week, which will now be known as the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational "Championship Round," and the eight participating teams playing in the Championship Round are called the "Island Teams".

With expansion comes four additional Division I teams known as the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational "Mainland Teams." Each of the eight Island Teams (excluding Chaminade) will play one game against a Mainland Team - seven games in total - before traveling to Maui for the Championship Round. The Mainland Teams will then play each other in the "Regional Games" - a four-game event.

"We are looking forward to hosting the inaugural Regional Games of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational," said Middle Tennessee State Athletic Director Chris Massaro. "We are also very excited to be one of the Mainland Teams challenging the Island Teams this year. It's an honor to be included with some of the most respected programs from around the country."

Refer to the attached bracket for Tournament matchups, game dates and times. Below find information which further outlines the new bracket format and general Tournament information.


PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The eight Island Teams that will play in the Opening Games and Championship Round are Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade. The four Mainland Teams that will play in the Opening Games and Regional Games are Belmont, Middle Tennessee State, Towson and UNCG.

UCLA will host Middle Tennessee State in the opening game of the 28th Annual EA SPORTS Maui Invitational at the L.A. Sports Arena on Nov. 15, 2011. Regardless of the outcome of that game, the Bruins will advance to Maui to face Chaminade on Nov. 21 at the Lahaina Civic Center at 4:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Bruins will face the winner or loser of the Kansas/Georgetown game on Nov. 22.


TOURNAMENT BROADCAST ON ESPN
The ESPN networks will combine once again to offer live television coverage of all 12 Championship Round games. For the third straight year, every game will be produced in high definition on ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD, with the ESPN and ESPN2 games also streaming live on ESPN3.com.


TOURNAMENT FACTS
In all, 89 schools representing 21 conferences and 39 states have competed in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, with Maui participants having won an astounding 62 of 73 NCAA championships and 58 of 73 national runner-up spots while comprising 239 of 292 Final Four teams.

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UCLA basketball: Bruins get 'easy' opener in Maui Invitational

By Ben Bolch
The Los Angeles Times
August 4, 2011 | 1:06pm


It's being touted as one of the strongest Maui Invitational fields in the history of the tournament, with Duke, Kansas, Memphis, Georgetown, Tennessee and Michigan among the potential opponents for UCLA.

So the Bruins had to feel some relief Thursday when it was announced that their opening-round game Nov. 21 at the Lahaina Civic Center would be against ... Chaminade.

That's right, UCLA gets the tiny host school and a probable victory before taking on the winner of a game between Kansas and Georgetown in a semifinal the next day.

With apologies to Lee Corso, not so fast.

Remember that these are essentially the same Bruins who lost to Montana last season and had narrow misses against UC Irvine, Oregon State, etc. Getting up for an underdog was an issue all the way into the Pacific 10 Conference tournament, where UCLA was blown out by Oregon.

So the schedule makers might not have done the Bruins any favors. Chaminade has a 6-73 record all-time in the tournament, most famously defeating top-ranked Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982.

Duke, by the way, has won the event all four times it has been a participant, most recently in 2007. UCLA is 6-3 in the tournament, having won in its last appearance in 2006.

The organizers changed the makeup of the event this year, adding a wrinkle in which the teams headed to Maui first play a game on the mainland. UCLA will play Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 15 at the Sports Arena, but the results of the game will have no bearing on whether the Bruins advance to Maui. (Good to know! I feel sorry for MTS, though--atb)