2003 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Celebrates – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sept. 17, 2003
MAUI, HAWAII – When host Chaminade University and seven NCAA Division I teams take the floor for the 20th anniversary EA SPORTS Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center, November 24-26, they will be following in the footsteps of an amazing track record of “setting the table” for NCAA Tournament and Final Four success. To date, EA SPORTS Maui Invitational teams have accounted for a remarkable 193 of 260 Final Four positions, 50 of 65 national runner-up spots and 49 of 65 NCAA championships.
So when the Monday, November 24 opening tip-off by the Pacific Ocean features: Game 1 – Chaminade against 1985 national champion and 25-year NCAA Tournament participant Villanova; Game 2 – 2003 Mid-American Conference champion and first-time Maui competitor Central Michigan, who defeated sixth-seeded Creighton in this year’s NCAA Tournament, against 12-time NCAA Tournament competitor Dayton; Game 3 – former national champion Ohio State, with an overall NCAA Tournament record of 37 wins and 21 losses in 22 tournament appearances, against four-time NCAA Tournament competitor San Diego State, coached by former national championship head coach Steve Fisher; and Game 4 – 11-time NCAA Tournament participant Santa Clara against first-time Maui competitor and local standout, the University of Hawaii, a four-time NCAA Tournament participant; the stage will be set for a memorable three day competition as well as a college basketball season and post-season NCAA Tournament that, if history tends to repeat itself, will have basketball fans recollecting a series of November clashes in a small gymnasium on the island of Maui.
Tickets for college basketball’s premier early-season tournament are now on sale to the public via the official tournament web site at www.mauiinvitational.com, and through Oahu Travel, the official tournament travel agency, which can be reached at (800) 826-3822 or www.oahutravelinc.com.
Up-to-the-minute tournament schedule, ticket and general information is also available at www.mauiinvitational.com, or by calling (808) 667-DUNK.
Corporate sponsors of the 2003 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational include title sponsor EA SPORTS, the Maui Visitors Bureau, County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation, Hawaii Tourism Authority, Get-The-Game, Delta Air Lines, and the following host hotels – Westin Maui, Sheraton Maui and Kapalua Bay Hotel. The tournament is managed by KemperSports Marketing.
