Why is the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas? Full TV schedule, framework of NCAA basketball tournament in 2021

The Maui Invitational 2021 begins on Monday, November 22 and runs through Wednesday, November 24. Ironically, however, this year’s tournament will not take place in Maui.

For the second year in a row, Maui will not be hosting the Maui Invitational due to Hawaii’s COVID-19 travel regulations and restrictions. This year, Las Vegas will host the tournament at the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

Eight teams compete in the tournament, including Butler, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Saint Mary’s (CA), Texas A&M, Wisconsin and Chaminade. Chaminade is a Division II school that has competed at the Maui Invitational every year since 2018. Thereafter, they will participate in the tournament every odd year, including this year. The defending champion Texas and runner-up North Carolina will not be participating in this year’s tournament.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Maui Invitational, including a detailed table and schedule for how to watch the tournament.

THAN: Watch Maui Invitational game live with fuboTV (7 days free trial)

Why is the Maui Invitational in Las Vegas?

This will be the second year in a row that the Maui Invitational has not taken place in Hawaii due to COVID-19 restrictions. Last year, the tournament was held in North Carolina because of travel restrictions. However, the mayor of Maui, Michael Victorino, said that North Carolina doesn’t look enough like Maui for the tournament, so this year they chose Las Vegas because the location is closer to Maui than North Carolina.

Various travel restrictions remain in place for visitors to Hawaii, and tournament directors said they don’t want to worry about any possibility of the tournament being cancelled. For example, Hawaii requires a vaccination pass and/or a negative COVID-19 test to enter the state. If a player or players are unable to provide this information, the tournament is at risk. You can look at Hawaii’s travel restrictions here.

Maui Invitational Framework 2021

Round 1

Game 1: Texas A&M vs. 15 Wisconsin
Match 2: Butler vs. Houston
Match 3: No. 12 Oregon vs. Chaminade
Match 4: St. Mary’s vs. Notre Dame

Round 2

Match 5: Loser 1 vs. Lose 2
Match 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Match 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Match 8: Loss 3 vs Game 4

Round 3

Third place: Battle loser 6 vs loser 7
Championship: Game 6 Winner vs Game 7 Winner
Seventh place: 5 game loss vs 8 game loss
Fifth place: Winner of Game 5 vs Winner of Game 8

How to watch Maui Invitational 2021

• Day: November 22-24, 2021
• Channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU
• Live broadcast: ESPN App | fuboTV

The Maui Invitational begins Monday, November 22 and runs through Wednesday, November 24. Monday’s Matches 1, 2, and 4 will be shown on ESPN2, while Game 3 will be shown on ESPNU. On Tuesday, Game 5 will be on ESPN, while Games 6 and 7 will be on ESPN. Game 8 will be on ESPNU. Wednesday’s championship match will be broadcast on ESPN.

Viewers can stream games live on the ESPN App, which requires a cable subscription login. You can also stream all Maui Invitational games with fuboTV, offers a seven-day free trial.

Schedule of Maui Invitational

Here is the list of scheduled games, along with the times and channels for each: