The bracket has been announced for the eight-team field a the 2015 Maui Invitational. The field includes four teams that made the NCAA Tournament, a number of top freshman and several potential first rounds in the NBA Draft.
Kansas leads the field as Maui Invitational bracket is announced
Bill Self’s team is the favorite at one of college basketball’s most prestigious early season tournaments.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Kansas, Indiana, UCLA, Wake Forest, UNLV, Vanderbilt, St. John’s and Chaminade make up this year’s field. Here’s a look at the bracket.
As a potential top five team to start the year, Kansas is the early favorite in the tournament. The Jayhawks bring back a veteran team led by point guard Frank Mason Jr. and senior power forward Perry Ellis. Kansas also has another talented recruiting class coming in, headlined by big man Cheick Diallo.
Indiana will also be an intriguing team after returning all five starters from a No. 10 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers will have a dynamic offensive backcourt in James Blackmon Jr. and Yogi Farrell and add McDonald’s All-American big man Thomas Bryant.
St. John’s, in its first year under new coach Chris Mullin, will have an intriguing opening round matchup against Vanderbilt. The Commodores are led by junior center Damian Jones, who is already generating NBA draft buzz. The UCLA-UNLV matchup will feature another top recruit and NBA prospect in Runnin’ Rebels freshman center Stephen Zimmerman.
The Maui Invitational will begin with “opening round” play at remote relocations on Nov. 13-22. The championship round takes place in Hawaii from Nov. 23-25.
See More:
