University Southern California Trojans
Matchups for the 2012 Maui Invitational Announced
July 26, 2012 | Men's Basketball
July 26, 2012
USC learned today (July 26) that it will play Illinois on Nov. 19 at the Lahaina Civic Center at 9 p.m. PT in the first round of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii. The game will be televised on ESPN2. For the 29th year, Maui's oceanfront Lahaina Civic Center will be home to Basketball in Paradise during Thanksgiving week, as the eight Island Teams compete in the Championship Round for the Wayne Duke Championship Trophy.
The winners and losers of the USC-Illinois game and the Texas-Chaminade game will then square off on Nov. 20. USC's final game will be on Nov. 21 against one of the teams from the top of the bracket which includes North Carolina, Marquette, Butler and Mississippi State.
The strong Maui Invitational field includes three teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago in North Carolina, Texas and Marquette, Mississippi State which played in the NIT, Butler which played in the CBI Tournament, Illinois and host Chaminade.
The ESPN networks will combine once again to offer live television coverage of all 12 Championship Round games. For the fourth straight year, every game will be produced in high definition on ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD. All games also will be available live on WatchESPN.
Illinois was 17-15 last season and is led by senior guard Brandon Paul who averaged a team-leading 14.7 points per game last season. Illinois also has a new coach in John Groce who led Ohio to the NCAA's Elite Eight last season.
Travel packages that include game tickets to the Championship Round and hotel accommodations are currently available through Oahu Travel, the tournament's official travel agency (800.826.3822). Remaining tickets for the Championship Round, including school specific booster tickets, will be on sale to the general public beginning on Wednesday, August 22 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 a.m. HST) via mauiinvitational.com. (No phone orders, website only.)
For more information, visit the official EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Web site, MauiInvitational.com.
