Maui Invitational turns to Vegas for second mainland stop

By JOHN MARSHALL
AP Basketball Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Maui Invitational was all set to say aloha to the mainland and return to the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii Gov. David Ige had signed off, the mayor of Lahaina was onboard and tournament officials were all set. Two weeks later, the plan was scrapped. Coronavirus cases had started to spike again and it really didn’t make much sense to have eight teams head to Maui to play basketball games. So a year after being played in Asheville, North Carolina, the Maui Invitational will continue its mainland tour under the glittering lights of The Strip in Las Vegas. This year’s bracket includes No. 12 Oregon, No. 15 Houston, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Butler, St. Mary’s and Chaminade.