(WNFL) The 2016 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Championship Round bracket was announced Tuesday, which includes Wisconsin taking on Tennessee in the tournament opener.
The Badgers will take on the Volunteers on Nov. 21 at 1:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2. The winner of the UW-UT match-up will take on the winner of Georgetown and Oregon on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2.
Wisconsin and Tennessee last met in 2001 when the Badgers claimed a 65-62 win at the Kohl Center in Bo Ryan’s first season in Madison.
The 33rd edition of the nation’s premier early-season college basketball tournament will be held Nov. 21-23 at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii. The field features four preseason top-25 teams, including Wisconsin, and two No. 1 seeds from the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the Badgers, the Maui Invitational field includes Georgetown, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Tennessee, UConn and host Chaminade. Both sides of the bracket are balanced with two top-25 teams according to ESPN rankings. No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 10 Oregon appear in the top half of the bracket, while No. 6 North Carolina and No. 20 UConn appear in the bottom half.
The bracket is heavy with national title contenders. Both North Carolina and Oregon were No. 1 seeds in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The two programs, along with Wisconsin, earned berths to last season’ Sweet 16. Oregon advanced to the Elite Eight, while North Carolina finished as the national runner-up last season.
All 12 Championship Round games of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational will be televised on ESPN networks.
Since 1999, this year’s teams have combined for six national championships and 15 trips to the Final Four. In all, the field has combined to win 14 national titles, make 40 trips to the Final Four and earn 194 NCAA Tournament berths. Four teams, UConn (2010-11), North Carolina (2004-05, 2008-09) and Michigan (1988-89) began their seasons as Maui Invitational champions before culminating their season with an NCAA title.
