A major piece of Auburn’s non-conference schedule was announced on Tuesday, as the 2018 Maui Invitational schedule was released.
Auburn will take on Xavier in the first round of the tournament at 1:30 p.m. CST on Monday, Nov. 19. Auburn and Xavier are joined in the top half of the bracket with Duke and San Diego State. The two winners of the opening games will meet in the semifinals while the losers will meet in the consolation bracket.
The bottom half features match-ups between Arizona and Iowa State, as well as Gonzaga and Illinois.
Fresh off a Southeastern Conference championship, the Tigers are making their first appearance at the Maui Invitational in program history.
“As to individual match-ups, every opening round game will be competitive,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. “Are the traditional powers the favorites? Yes. But, I would not be surprised to see some early upsets. Duke and Gonzaga are early Final Four favorites, and it would not surprise me to see four Maui teams among the Elite Eight by the end of the season.
“The team to really watch is Auburn. Bruce Pearl's team could win the tournament and compete for a national championship.”
The Tigers trail the overall series with the Musketeers 5-4, despite winning the opening three meetings. Auburn most recently defeated Xavier in double overtime, 89-88, in 2014, Bruce Pearl’s first season on The Plains.
“Auburn has a ton of talent returning, and Austin Wiley will be the Tigers' best all-around player,” Bilas said. “Bryce Brown and Jared Harper are tough minded winners, and will have Auburn competitive for the Maui title."
Xavier is coming off a 28-win season in which it earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling in the second round to Florida State. Despite losing their top three scorers from a season ago, the Musketeers return four players who started at least 18 games, including Quentin Goodin (8.7 points per game) and Naji Marshall (7.7).
The Maui Invitational will tip-off on Nov. 19 and wrap up on Nov. 21, a day prior to Thanksgiving.
Auburn has yet to announce its 2018-19 schedule.
2018 Maui Invitational
Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 19-21
Lahaina Civic Center - Maui, Hawaii
Monday, Nov. 19
G1: Auburn vs. Xavier, 1:30 p.m. CST (9:30 a.m. HST), ESPN2
G2: Duke vs. San Diego State, 4 p.m. CST (12 p.m. HST), ESPN2
G3: Arizona vs. Iowa State, 8 p.m. CST (4 p.m. HST), ESPNU
G4: Gonzaga vs. Illinois, 10:30 p.m. CST (6:30 p.m. HST), ESPN2
Tuesday, Nov. 20
G5: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 1:30 p.m. CST (9:30 a.m. HST), ESPN2
G6: Loser G3 vs. Loser G4, 4 p.m. CST (12 p.m. HST), ESPN
G7: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2, 8 p.m. CST (4 p.m. HST), ESPN2
G8: Winner G3 vs. Winner G4, 10:30 p.m. CST (6:30 p.m. HST), ESPN
Wednesday, Nov. 21
G9: 5th Place Game, 1:30 p.m. CST (9:30 a.m. HST), ESPN2
G10: Championship, 4 p.m. CST (12 p.m. HST), ESPN
G11: 7th Place Game, 8 p.m. CST (4 p.m. HST), ESPNU
G12: 3rd Place Game, 10:30 p.m. CST (6:30 p.m. HST), ESPN2
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