The 2018 Maui Invitational bracket was released on Tuesday, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will play Illinois in the first round. The dream and drool-worthy potential matchup against the Duke Blue Devils, if it will happen, will come in the championship game. The Zags will open up against Illinois, with a potential second-round game against either Arizona or Iowa State. On the other side of the bracket, Duke will open against San Diego State and Auburn will open up against Xavier. Gonzaga last won the Maui Invitational in 2009, defeating Cincinnati in overtime. It will be the seventh all-time matchup against Illinois, who own a 5-1 record over Gonzaga. The last time the two teams met on Dec. 8, 2012, Illinois defeated Gonzaga 85-74. If you take a look at the bracket, you might notice that the host school, Chaminade, is missing from the free for all. This is the first year where the tournament shifted to its every other year schedule for Chaminade’s involvement. With Gonzaga entering the season as a presumed top-5 squad, and Duke entering the season as a potential top-1 squad, the heat is on both squads to make it to the championship game. Gonzaga has set itself up nicely for a hard test this season, and the Maui Invitational will be a great opening salvo for the rest of the season.<doc-sep>An old reliable in college hoops is back and seemingly as good as ever: the Maui Invitational field for 2018 is really appealing. On Tuesday, the matchups and schedule for the 35th iteration of the Hawaii-based bracket were revealed. This year's field, which was announced in 2017, had grown even more intriguing over the past year thanks to recent performance upgrades from programs like Auburn and Xavier. The Maui Invitational, which traditionally runs Monday-Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving, will be held Nov. 19-21 this year. The quarterfinals get underway with a lot of intrigue. Consider that this year's field features three top-10 teams (Gonzaga, Duke and Auburn) and has traditional powers in Arizona and Illinois. Then you've got NCAA Tournament hopefuls in Xavier, San Diego State and Iowa State. While unlikely, it's not unthinkable that all eight Maui teams make the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It's quite a field, and that's before you get to the intriguing storyline aspects. First-round games Auburn vs. Xavier The teams have met nine times (Xavier leads 5-4), but this is the first time either have played in Maui. For Auburn, we'll be keeping an eye on how good this team is vs. its expectations. Last season, Bruce Pearl saved his job thanks to a 16-1 start that ended with a 26-8 record. Now Auburn will be pegged as a top-three team in the SEC. And Xavier? Travis Steele is now the coach because Chris Mack took the Louisville job. The Musketeers were a No. 1 seed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament and are expected to take a step back. But how big? Duke vs. San Diego State Duke will be a heavy favorite, but SDSU won't be a pushover. I think the Aztecs wind up as a borderline top-40 team in college hoops in 2018-19. The Blue Devils will be must-watch because of athletic powerhouse Zion Williamson and potential No. 1 2019 pick R.J. Barrett. But Duke is also going to be young. Maui is a great barometer for its early-season cohesion. Here's what's nuts: Duke has never lost a Maui game, racking up a 16-0 record with four titles. Arizona vs. Iowa State These teams haven't met in 20 years. Arizona's a Maui staple; the Wildcats have played in this event seven times, matching UNC for the most ever. Iowa State hasn't been out to Hawaii for this since 1990. Sean Miller has kept his job, but Arizona is expected to struggle in 2018-19 because all five starters from a season ago have moved on. ISU, which was down last season but should be 5-7 wins better, will probably be favored in this game. Steve Prohm brings back most of his most important players (Lindell Wigginton was a borderline top-10 freshman last season). One curiosity: Will anything change with Arizona (or Auburn) in terms of the FBI investigation between now and when Maui gets going? Gonzaga vs. Illinois Illinois is 5-1 all time vs. Gonzaga, but the Zags will be a heavy favorite in this game. The Bulldogs could be 1-seed material come March 2019. Gonzaga has potential All-American candidates in Killian Tillie, Josh Perkins and Rui Hachimura (all three won't earn that honor but I think at least one will). Mark Few continues to restock his roster and keep his team veteran-laden. Another 30-win season could be on the horizon. Illinois is in year No. 2 under Brad Underwood, who probably needs another season to get things in order with the Illini. There are 27 Final Four showings combined from schools in the 2018 field. Arizona (2014), Illinois (2012) and Duke (2011) and all won the Maui Invitational the last time they played in it. And here's a great stat from event organizers: "In each of the last eight seasons, one or more teams that have competed in Maui to begin the season have gone on to at least the Elite Eight." Given how good Gonzaga, Duke and Auburn should be in 2018-19, the streak should get to nine consecutive seasons. Just-for-fun predictions Quarterfinals : Auburn over Xavier; Duke over San Diego State; Iowa State over Arizona; Gonzaga over Illinois : Auburn over Xavier; Duke over San Diego State; Iowa State over Arizona; Gonzaga over Illinois Semifinals : Auburn over Duke; Gonzaga over Iowa State : Auburn over Duke; Gonzaga over Iowa State Championship game: Gonzaga over Auburn I'm not going on any limb in the quarters, but Auburn over Duke? A little daring. Here's why I like the Tigers as of now: Experience, frontcourt veteran play and improved guards. Duke is going to be talented but so young. Auburn gets Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy -- both of whom missed 2017-18 due to the FBI's investigation into Auburn's program -- back on the floor. Wiley's a potential NBA talent. Bryce Brown is back. Anfernee McLemore will be healthy to go. The Tigers are loaded. I'll take their experience over Duke at this point in the season. I like Gonzaga to win the event because the Bulldogs should clearly have the best assembly of talent, experience and coaching. You might be asking "where's Chaminade?" The Division II Silverswords are now on an every-other-year rotation. They'll still be part of the event this year but will only play on the mainland against lesser Division I opponents. Come 2019, Chaminade will be back in the main event and playing host to Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA, Georgia, Virginia Tech, BYU and Dayton<doc-sep>The Maui Invitational is a monster. While the field for the 2018 edition of the event has been known for months, it’s strength and depth was on full display Tuesday when the brackets were revealed, pitting NBC Sports Way Too Early top-five teams Duke and Gonzaga on a championship collision course, Duke will square off against San Diego State in its opening game while Gonzaga takes on Illinois in its opener on the opposite side of the bracket. Other first round matchups include Auburn (12th in our preseason poll) vs. Xavier (26th) and a game of unknown-but-talented teams in Arizona and Iowa State. “Each of the eight teams that step on the hardwood at the Lahaina Civic Center is capable of winning the 2018 Maui Jim Maui Invitational,” tournament chairman David Odom said in a statement. “All 12 games in Maui will help shape the course of the 2018-19 college basketball season, and the team that leaves the island with the Wayne Duke Championship Trophy will have incredible momentum to begin the year. The atmosphere is going to be electric, and we’re looking forward to hosting the teams and their fans in November.” Simply, this tournament is stacked. Gonzaga and Duke are going to draw the big headlines, but the rest of the tournament is going to be just as intriguing. Can Auburn back up its SEC title? What does Xavier look like under Travis Steele? Can Brian Dutcher keep momentum with the Aztecs? What kind of team is Sean Miller going to have? Can Iowa State return to relevance after a last-place Big 12 season? Can Brad Underwood rally the Illini? So while Chaminade isn’t in the field for the first time since the event’s inception in 1984 (the Silver Swords return on a rotating basis in 2019) and there won’t be any chance of a blockbuster upset, Maui is making up for it with an all-time field.<doc-sep>The 2018 Maui Invitational bracket was announced Tuesday and the Arizona Wildcats will play the Iowa State Cyclones in the first round on November 19. If Arizona wins, it will either play Gonzaga or Illinois in the second round, and then possibly Duke in the championship game. Here is the full bracket: Iowa State went 13-18 last year, which was its lowest win total since 2001-02. The Cyclones were the 103rd team in the country, per KenPom. They should be improved this season though, as they return a majority of their roster, including five of their top six scorers and their leading scorer, Lindell Wigginton. The sophomore, a member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team last season, averaged 16.7 points per game. In general, this Maui Invitational field is considered one of the strongest in tournament history, especially since Chaminade, the host school, is not participating this year. Arizona won it the last time it participated (2014) but it might have to beat two top-five teams — Gonzaga and Duke — to do it again. That is a tall task for a team that lost its top five scorers from a season ago. But even if the Wildcats can’t win the Maui Invitational, it should provide some valuable experience, considering the rest of their non-conference schedule is fairly weak. This will be Arizona’s seventh appearance in the Maui, tied with North Carolina for the most in tournament history. The Wildcats also won it in 2000.<doc-sep>
One of the most highly-anticipated fields for a non-conference tournament ever assembled now has a bracket. The Maui Invitational finally released their bracket on Tuesday morning for the 2018 version of the tournament and it’s stocked full of terrific matchups. Auburn will play Xavier in the first game of the tournament (1:30 Auburn time) and 9:30 a.m. Hawaiian time on Monday, November 19. The next day, they will take on either Duke or San Diego State. (Personally, I would love nothing more than an Auburn-Duke matchup). The other side of the bracket features Arizona vs. Iowa State and Gonzaga vs. Illinois. Auburn will play one of those 4 teams on Wednesday, November 21. Auburn recently played Xavier in a home-and-home series in Bruce Pearl’s first 2 seasons at Auburn with each team winning at home. The Musketeers, out of the Big East, will be breaking in a new coach in Travis Steele as former coach Chris Mack took the Louisville job this past offseason. Last season, Xavier earned a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were upset in the 2nd Round by Florida State. This could be a transition year for them as in addition to losing their coach, they lose their top 3 scorers from last year’s team. Having said that, Xavier always puts a good team on the floor so this will be a great first game for the Tigers. Then of course, there’s the potential the Tigers see Duke in the second game. That game would feature at least five guys that have a good chance of being drafted in the 1st Round of next year’s NBA Draft. Auburn and Duke have not meet on the basketball court since December 30, 1981 (Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s 2nd year with Duke) and the Blue Devils have won all 3 meetings against Auburn all-time. The other side of the bracket features Gonzaga who could be the best team in the country next year, especially on the west coast. Arizona, Illinois, and Iowa State are in some semblances of rebuilding mode so to me, Auburn’s on the tougher side of the bracket here. It’s a fantastic opportunity to see what kind of team Auburn will have this year playing teams of this caliber early in the season. Auburn will also play a 4th game against a team not in the bracket at Auburn Arena prior to traveling to Maui. Regardless, this is going to be an exciting 3 days of college basketball during the week of Thanksgiving. War Eagle!