Notre Dame To Face Chaminade In Maui Jim Maui Invitational
Notre Dame is set to participate in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational for the third time in program history this year and the bracket was released today with the Irish drawing host school and Division II member Chaminade in the opener.
LSU vs. Michigan pairs with the Notre Dame vs. Chaminade match up in the bottom half of the bracket. The winner of each game will advance to face off in the next round with the losing teams doing the same. Marquette vs. VCU and Wichita State vs. California make up the top half.
The Irish and Silverswords will play Nov. 20 at 9 p.m. eastern. The tournament will conclude Nov. 22 with each team playing three games.
In their last appearance in the event in 2008, Notre Dame finished runner-up as a member of the Big East losing to eventual national champion North Carolina.
“It’s a great challenge,” Mike Brey said during a teleconference. “I think this tournament always has been a barometer for where you are at early in the season. It’s certainly great to win it. We got close last time losing to the eventual national champion in North Carolina in 2008. I thought it gave us some good momentum coming out and we knew a little bit more about our team.
“You have a chance to pick up some quality non-league wins in a situation like this. What I love about it is it’s a high-profile event with ESPN being the partner. Everybody watches the Maui games. I think it’s a good for a just public relations part of it to see your program early in the season.”
Chaminade finished the 2016-2017 season 18-11 and will need to replace three starters due to graduation. Head coach Eric Bovaird is 89-76 in six seasons with the program.
“He’s also one heck of a coach,” Brey said of Bovaird. “He’s done an unbelievable job. We know we have our hands full. It’s one of those we will prepare for Chaminade like we prepare for an ACC game. That’s the respect we have for the program. We know they’ve had some magic in this tournament before.”
It will be the second meeting between Notre Dame and Chaminade in the event with the Irish winning the first 94-78 in 1993. Chaminade is the lone Catholic school in Hawaii.
“We know we’ve got a heck of a challenge facing Chaminade,” Brey said. “An extremely well-coached program, won 18 games last year and they always play great in this tournament. In a lot of ways, I’m wondering if the Pope got involved in this match up and it’s the Catholic championship of the island to start the tournament.”
Notre Dame is 3-3 overall in the program’s first two appearances in the event (1993, 2008). In 2008, Notre Dame beat Indiana by 38 points and top-five Texas before falling to North Carolina.
This will be the fifth time in program history Notre Dame has traveled to Hawaii to participate in a regular season tournament with the other two being the 1966 Rainbow Classic and the 2001 Hawaii-Pacific Thanksgiving Classic which the Irish won after defeating Hawaii-Pacific, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Monmouth.
Following the Maui invitational, Notre Dame will travel to East Lansing Nov. 30 to play Michigan State in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.
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