There basically is no such thing as an easy draw in the Maui Invitational, not with a plethora of NCAA Tournament teams and two national title contenders in the mix. That's part of what makes the tournament fun (that, and the high school-sized gym, Hawaiian shirts, and mighty Chaminade).
For those of you unaware, Jim Calhoun and a very young UConn team will be heading far, far west for the first time since November 2005 (when they won the whole shebang after Denham Brown's buzzer-beater against Gonzaga). Today we learned the pairings for the tournament, as well as a number of other preseason tournaments. If you're interested, Andy Katz over at ESPN has the rundown.
UConn will kick off the tournament on Monday, November 22, when they take on Wichita State at 3:00 ET (10 a.m. Hawaiian) on ESPN2. Whether they win or lose, they'll play either national-title hopeful Michigan State - in a rematch of the 2009 Final Four - or Chaminade. Lurking on the other side of the eight-team bracket are possible Sweet-16 caliber teams from Washington and Kentucky.
For the full Maui bracket, along with dates, times, and TV, click the jump:
FIRST ROUND - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (on ESPN2 unless noted)
Game 1: Wichita State vs. UConn (3 p.m. ET)
Game 2: Oklahoma vs. Kentucky (5:30 p.m. ET)
Game 3: Michigan State vs. Chaminade (9:30 p.m. ET) - ESPNU
Game 4: Washington vs. Virginia (12 a.m. ET)
SECOND ROUND - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23 (loser's bracket games on ESPN2, winner's bracket games on ESPN)
Game 5: Wichita State/UConn loser vs. Michigan State/Chaminade loser (2 p.m. ET)
Game 6: Oklahoma/Kentucky loser vs. Washington/Virginia loser (4:30 p.m. ET)
Game 7: Wichita State/UConn winner vs. Michigan State/Chaminade winner (7 p.m. ET)
Game 8: Oklahoma/Kentucky winner vs. Washington/Virginia winner (9:30 p.m.)
FINAL ROUND - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
Seventh Place: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser (2:30 p.m. ET) - ESPNU
Fifth Place; Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (5 p.m. ET) - ESPN2
Third Place: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser (7:30 p.m. ET) - ESPNU
Championship: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (10 p.m.) - ESPN