Wolverines to Take Part in 2011 Maui Invitational
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 14, 2010
MAUI, Hawaii -- The EA Sports Maui Invitational, hosted by Chaminade University, announced on Thursday (Oct. 14) that Michigan will be one of the eight teams that will participate in the championship round of the 2011 Maui Invitational at the famed Lahaina Civic Center during Thanksgiving Week. U-M will be joined in Maui by Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Tennessee, UCLA and host Chaminade.
The Maui Invitational also announced that starting in 2011 the tournament field will expand from eight to 12 teams with the addition of four Division I institutions. The total number of tournament games will also expand from 12 games currently played on the island of Maui to a total of 23 games, which include 11 games played on the U.S. mainland.
With the addition, the seven Maui-bound teams, including Michigan, will host a game against one of the four schools not competing in Maui. Those games will take place between Friday, Nov. 11, and Thursday, Nov. 17. The four additional schools competing in the tournament will be announced at a later date.
Michigan will be making its fifth appearance in the Maui Invitational in 2011, and first since 1998. U-M competed in the first-ever Maui Invitational in 1985, then known as the Silversword Classic, when the event featured four teams. Michigan won the inaugural event, defeating Virginia Tech (67-66) and Kansas State (80-58).
The Wolverines returned to the Lahania Civic Center in 1988 and again took home the tournament title. U-M defeated Vanderbilt (91-66), Memphis (79-75) and Oklahoma (91-80) en route to its second Maui crown.
In 1994, the Maize and Blue advanced to the championship game of the Maui Invitational for the third time, defeating Tulane (75-73) and Utah (73-69) before falling in the final to Arizona State (79-62). The last time Michigan played in Maui, in 1998, the Wolverines defeated Clemson (59-56) before dropping games to Syracuse (58-46) and Utah (71-54).
• Wolverines Hold Annual Media Day
• 2011 Field and Expansion Announced (mauiinvitational.com)
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
