Notre Dame To Play In 2021 Maui Invitational, Per Report
Notre Dame has its non-conference tournament locked in for the 2021-22 basketball season.
The Fighting Irish will play in the 2021 Maui Invitational, according to a report from Jon Rothstein. The will be joined by Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas A&M, Butler, Houston, Saint Mary’s and host institution Chaminade, a Division II program.
Dates have not been announced, but the tournament is held Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week, meaning it is likely to be held Nov. 22-24, 2021.
It will be Notre Dame’s first trip to Maui since the 2017-18 season, when it won the tournament title with a 67-66 win over then-No. 6 Wichita State. The Irish reached the title game by defeating Chaminade and LSU, each by 25-plus points. They were ranked No. 13 for the entire week and won their first six games of the season, which ultimately ended in an NIT appearance after injuries to guard Matt Farrell and forward Bonzie Colson later in the year.
Notre Dame’s other appearance in the Maui Invitational during Mike Brey’s tenure came in 2008, when it lost to eventual national champion North Carolina in the title game.
Notre Dame’s only other scheduled game for the 2021-22 season is a meeting with Indiana in the Crossroads Classic. An ACC/Big Ten Challenge opponent will be announced at a later date. The remaining six games of the non-conference schedule are likely to be filled in with guarantee home games against mid- or low-major teams.
Sophomore rotation mainstays Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski will be seniors in 2021-22, with Robby Carmody and Cormac Ryan as fourth-year players with a chance to return for a fifth season. Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class of Matt Zona, Elijah Taylor and Tony Sanders Jr. will be sophomores.
Notre Dame went 20-12 and 10-10 in the ACC this season. The Irish won their first ACC Tournament game, an 80-58 victory over Boston College March 11. It was their last game of the year after COVID-19 concerns forced the cancelation of the rest of the season. They did not play in a November tournament.
The full schedule for the 2020-21 season has not been announced, but Notre Dame will play Purdue in the Crossroads Classic and host a home game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Notre Dame’s ACC pairings for the next two seasons have been announced, with dates to follow later.
2020-21 — Home-and-home: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Duke, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech. Home only: Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina State, Wake Forest. Road only: Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
2021-22 — Home-and-home: Boston College, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh. Home only: Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia. Road only: Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
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