In what’s often described as the Final Four in a high school gymnasium, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational announced the 2024 field today for the 41st annual tournament. Auburn, Colorado, Dayton, Iowa State, Memphis, Michigan State, North Carolina and the 2023 National Champions, UConn will all battle it out on the hardwood Nov. 25-27, 2024 at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.
"There is simply no other early-season college basketball tournament that rivals the spirit, talent and overall 'magic' of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational," said Maui Jim Maui Invitaional Chairman, Dave Odom. "The 2024 field is not only going to bring top tier programs representing eight of the most dominant conferences in the sport, but also fans from all corners of the country."
This marks the Tigers' second invitation to the premier in-season tournament in all of college basketball. In 2019, Auburn made a run to third place in the invitational with wins against Xavier, 88-79, and Arizona, 73-57. Auburn’s lone loss came at the hands of Zion Williamson and the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils, 78-72. Auburn would later reach the program’s first Final Four in the same season.
Teams that have participated in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational own 72 of the sport’s 83 National Championships, including this year’s national champion UConn. The 2024 field has a total of 218 NCAA Tournament appearances, 45 Final Four appearances and 13 National Championships.
"Whether it's your first time on-island, or you've made packing into the historic Lahaina Civic Center an annual tradition, this tournament experience is on every college basketball fan's bucket list — and this loaded 2024 field is going to make it hard to resist,” Odom said.
As for the return trip to the Aloha State for Bruce Pearl’s squad, Auburn is set to have an elite level of talent acquisition prior to the start of the 2024-25 season. The Tigers currently have three commits from Tahaad Pettiford, five star point guard, Labaron Philon, four star point guard, and Peyton Marshall, four star 6-foot-11, 310 pound center. Auburn currently ranks in the top five in most major recruiting sites for the 2024 class.
All-Tournament travel packages and school booster travel packages for the 2024 Maui Jim Maui Invitational will be available at a later date.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
