Illinois men’s basketball to compete in 2018 Maui Jim Invitational
Tracy Abrams (13) looks for an open teammate during the game against West Chester Sunday afternoon at Assembly Hall.
October 27, 2016
The Illinois men’s basketball team will travel to Maui, Hawaii, to play in the annual Maui Jim Invitational in November 2018.
Games are scheduled to be played in Maui’s famous Lahaina Civic Center, and will feature eight Division I teams. In addition to Illinois, the teams include Duke, Gonzaga, Xavier, Iowa State, San Diego State, Arizona and Auburn.
The tournament’s field has been recognized as “the strongest ever,” by tournament chairman Dave Odom. The numbers support Odom’s statement. Six of the eight teams competing have made the NCAA tournament in recent years; Duke has won the Maui Jim Invitational five times, and won the NCAA Championship in 2015.
The Maui Jim Invitational is consistently seen as one of the top preseason tournaments of college basketball and annually features teams who are poised to make runs in the NCAA tournament.
This is Illinois’ fifth time competing in the tournament — the Illini last won in 2012.
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