The 25th annual EA Sports Maui Invitational, which will be held Nov. 24-26 at the Lahaina Civic Center, will host Chaminade against North Carolina. The early-season tournament pairings were announced Tuesday. Other first-round games include Indiana against Notre Dame, last season regional finalist Texas facing Saint Joseph’s and Oregon contending with Alabama.
With star players Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson (who all withdrew from the NBA draft), North Carolina is expected to be the leading pre-season team after last year’s 36-3 record. Coach Roy Williams’ team is up against Division II Chaminade of Honolulu, who beat Princeton last season. The Chaminade Silverswords are also responsible for one of the biggest upsets in college basketball when they beat then-No. 1 team Virgina in 1982. While the Tar Heels are two-time winners of the Maui Invitational, in 1999 and 2004, this will be the first time Alabama, Oregon and Saint Joesph’s play on the island. Indiana, who won the tourny in 2002, will debut new coach Tom Crean who formerly coached the Golden Eagles of Marquette.
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