COVID-19 has brought another change to the world of sports. Officials for the annual basketball tournament known as the Maui Invitational announced that the event will move from the Aloha state to the home of the Tar Heels. At least for one season.
Finalized dates for the event have not been released.
The invitational basketball tournament has a 36-year history. Over the years, 100 plus teams from 26 different conferences and forty states have made the trip to Hawaii for the mid-season tournament that happens around Thanksgiving.
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Citing COVID-19 concerns, tournament officials announced that the event would take place in North Carolina this season. This would eliminate the need for teams, staff, family, and fans to fly aboard packed planes. Another issue was the changes in the NCAA schedule which pushed the season to a late November start.
It is estimated that the local Maui economy will suffer an economic loss upwards of 30 million dollars – according to Maui County Mayor Mike Victorino.
“We average about 18 to 30 million dollars, depending on which year, of income and revenue produced because of the tournament,” said Victorino. “So, it’s going to sorely missed this year. And that’s a direct revenue, we’re not talking about all the ancillary services.”
The NCAA basketball tournament takes place in Lahaina, Hawaii on the island of Maui at several campus sites with Championship rounds taking place at the Lahaina Civic Center. The action – and people – are spread across a large area of Maui and the islands – meaning the entire state will suffer economically.
To date – the Duke Blue Devils have won the most title – five in all. Kansas is the defending champion. The Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau, who is the sponsor of the tournament since the first year in 1984, released the following statement.
“On behalf of Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau, I’d like to express our support of Maui Jim Maui Invitational’s (MJMI) decision to move the tournament to North Carolina this year. We appreciate their consideration to protect the health and safety of our Maui community.” A Maui Visitors Bureau spokesperson told Hawaii News Now. “Given our strong relationship with the MJMI, we’re also confident that we will still have a strong presence both in aloha spirit and Maui branding throughout the tournament. We’ll look forward to extending our aloha and welcoming MJMI back in 2021.”
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Plans are now being made for Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Ashville, North Carolina to host the event for the 2020 tournament. The Duke Blue Devils have won the most titles – five in all. Kansas won the tournament last season.
Chaminade University of Honolulu, the traditional host college team, will not make the trip stateside for the tournament. The Silverswords play in the Pacific West Conference and are the only Division II team to take part. They have an 8-92 record in the Classic.
2020 Maui Classic Teams
Alabama
Davidson
Indiana
North Carolina
Providence
Stanford
Texas
UNLV
No NCAA betting odds are available for the Maui Classic as of this writing.
