Jon Rothstein: Maui Invitational Matchups Set

According to College Basketball reporter extraordinaire the bracket/first round matchups for the Maui Invitational have been set. For those that don’t remember, the Maui Invitational field is absolutely loaded with talent once again this year. Along with Purdue there is also: Chaminade, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Syracuse, Tennessee, and UCLA. What an absolute monster of a field that is.

Until today it wasn’t known who Purdue would be playing in their first round game. It was announced by Rothstein, among others, that Purdue will face none other than Gonzaga. This will be the second year in a row these two teams have met in a tournament. If you’ll recall, they faced off last year with Purdue absolutely dominating the game 84-66. This occurred during a stretch of games that announced Purdue to the world and made us all believe that anything was possible.

Gonzaga will be without the services of star Drew Timme who headed off to the NBA. Purdue will have the services of reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey who went for 23 and 7 last year against the Bulldogs on the way to winning the Phil Knight Invitational.

The Maui Invitational takes place in Maui (yes, I know it’s in the name but during COVID it was played elsewhere) from November 20th through the 22nd. Purdue will get three games in the tournament with the first matchup now known. The rest will be up to the bracket and the outcomes of the other games. What a fun one this is going to be!

UPDATE:

The official tournament bracket was released Tuesday Morning.