Maui Invitational 2021: Odds, Teams, Bracket, Live Stream and TV Schedule
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The 2021 Maui Invitational field is littered with men’s college basketball programs that are fixtures in the men’s NCAA tournament.
The Houston Cougars made the deepest March Madness run of the eight Maui Invitational participants. They are coming off a Final Four berth. The Oregon Ducks made the Sweet 16, and the Wisconsin Badgers won a first-round game back in March.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Butler Bulldogs and Texas A&M Aggies are regular players in the hunt for the field of 68 as well.
By the time play begins Monday, Houston should be the highest-ranked team of the eight participants. Oregon held that title going into this past week, but it suffered a blowout loss at home to the BYU Cougars.
The biggest difference about the competition compared to previous years is the location. With the ongoing complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maui Invitational will be played in Las Vegas.
The odds for every matchup from Monday-Wednesday can be found here on DraftKings Sportsbook when they become available.
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Monday, November 22
Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Butler vs. Houston (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Oregon vs. Chaminade (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Saint Mary’s vs. Notre Dame (11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Tuesday, November 23
Texas A&M/Wisconsin loser vs. Butler/Houston loser (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Texas A&M/Wisconsin winner vs. Butler/Houston winner (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Oregon/Chaminade winner vs. Saint Mary’s/Notre Dame winner (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Oregon/Chaminade loser vs. Saint Mary’s/Notre Dame loser (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Wednesday, November 24
Third-place game (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Championship game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Seventh-place game (9 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
Fifth-place game (11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
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Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press
Houston owns the best victory from the first two weeks of the regular season among the Maui Invitational participants.
The Cougars produced a 20-point victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in their first major nonconference test on November 16.
Kelvin Sampson’s team had six days off between the win over Virginia and its opener in Las Vegas against Butler.
Houston is once again playing tremendous defense, which has been a hallmark of Sampson’s teams during his time with the program.
The Cougars held Virginia to 47 points, and they limited the Rice Owls to 46 points in their second game of the season.
Houston’s starting lineup is made up of all upperclassmen. Junior Marcus Sasser is the offensive star of the bunch. He led the Cougars in scoring in each of their first three contests.
Houston will try to impose its will on defense in every game, and if it succeeds, it should come away with the Maui Invitational title.
The Cougars should be favored to reach the championship game since the other teams in their half of the bracket have already displayed flaws.
Butler lost by 21 points to the Michigan State Spartans, and Wisconsin lost to the Providence Friars. Texas A&M has not faced a power-conference foe yet.
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Andy Nelson/Associated Press
Oregon suffered one of the worst defeats of the season Tuesday at home to BYU.
Dana Altman’s team fell 81-49 in what was dubbed the “Phil Knight Invitational.” The Ducks shot 32.1 percent from the field and had one player reach double figures.
The good news for the Ducks is that they return to the hardwood with the most favorable first-round matchup against the Chaminade Silverswords.
Chaminade, a Division II program, is typically the host of the event when it is in Hawai‘i, but it had to make the trip to Las Vegas this year.
Oregon can get right against the weakest team in the field before it faces two potential challenges to win the event.
The Ducks lost their top three scorers from last season, including NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Chris Duarte.
Will Richardson and Eric Williams Jr. were key contributors last season, and they are two of the top three scorers for Oregon through three games.
Transfers Jacob Young, De’Vion Harmon and Quincy Guerrier should feature in major offensive roles as well.
Monday’s opener provides the Ducks with a chance to build more chemistry and regain the confidence lost during the BYU loss.
The Ducks should end up in a championship showdown with Houston, but to get there, they must put the unlikely home loss behind them.
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