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2008 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Quick Facts
Host School: Chaminade University of Honolulu – www.chaminade.edu
General Information: Celebrating its 25th year as the nation’s premier early-season men’s college basketball tournament, the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Hosted by Chaminade University features a 2008 lineup of Division I teams; North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon, Alabama and Saint Joseph’s joining Division II host Chaminade at Maui’s Lahaina Civic Center. The Tournament was first played with four teams – host Chaminade plus Davidson, Providence and Virginia – on Thanksgiving weekend 1984 in Kona, Hawaii. The Tournament transitioned to the current eight-team format in 1986 and relocated to the Maui War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, Hawaii. In 1987, the Tournament moved to the Lahaina Civic Center, its current home on the island of Maui.
Participating Teams:
2008: Chaminade, Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Saint Joseph’s, and Texas
2009: Chaminade, Arizona, Colorado, Gonzaga, Louisville, Maryland, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin
Tournament Format: Winner/Consolation Bracket - three-day format, four games per day. Each participating team plays three games in total, one game per day. Bracket set in summer 2008.
Dates: Monday - Wednesday, Nov. 24-26, 2008. The Tournament takes place annually the three days prior to Thanksgiving.
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, a County of Maui Parks and Recreation Department municipal recreation center, located near downtown Lahaina and less than 1,000 yards from Ka’anapali Beach and the Pacific Ocean.
Capacity: 2,400 seats
TV: A minimum of nine games live on ESPN/ESPN 2, which has televised the Tournament since 1987. In 2007, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU combined to offer live coverage of all 12 games.
Ticket Information: Visit www.mauiinvitational.com for ticket prices, availability and how to order.
On-site Box Office: The On-site Tournament Box Office opens Friday, Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. The Box Office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the weekend, and on tournament days from 8 a.m. to the end of the last game for cash or credit card sales. The ticket information line is 808.667.DUNK (3865).
Title Sponsor: EA SPORTSTM, the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company and developer of the top-selling NCAA® March Madness® videogame, has been the title sponsor of the Maui Invitational since 2001.
Travel Agent: Oahu Travel (800.826.3822) is the official travel agent of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational.
Hawaii Links:
Maui Visitors Bureau www.visitmaui.com
Hawaii Tourism Authority www.gohawaii.com
County of Maui www.co.maui.hi.us
Host Hotels: The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Sheraton Maui Resort and Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, all from the beautiful Ka’anapali Beach resort area.