Are you a true basketball fan? Do you love watching college basketball and are counting down the days until March Madness? Well, if this sounds like you then you’ll definitely want to check out an incredible event that’s happening on Maui this fall in 2018. If you’re going to be on Maui in November for your next vacation to Hawaii, then we hope you consider buying tickets to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational where you can watch some incredible basketball teams play live!

Starting on Nov. 19 and lasting until Nov. 21, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational will be held at the Lahaina Civic Center with 12 televised games on ESPN Networks. This year’s event includes teams such as Arizona, Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa State, San Diego State, and Xavier. These teams combined have 196 NCAA Tournament berths, including 27 Final Four appearances and 197 conference regular season and tournament championships.

A total of 118 schools representing 26 conferences and 40 states have competed in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational over its 30-plus year history. This long-standing basketball tournament started in December of 1982. At this time, the No. 1 ranked Virginia, led by National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson, played at the Chaminade University in Honolulu while on his way back from a trip to Tokyo. The school’s Silverswords stunned Virginia by winning 77-72 in one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history. Two years later, in 1984, Chaminade University hosted the first Maui Jim Maui Invitational and it has proven to be the most exciting, early-season college basketball tournament in America for more than 30 years. Each year, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational attracts the top programs and their incredible coaches, along with elite players to compete in an exciting atmosphere at the Lahaina Civic Center. Learn more about the Maui Invitational here.

We hope you’re as excited as we are for this fun and athletic event. If you and your family are planning on traveling to Maui for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational or are simply planning a trip during November and are still looking for a place to stay on island, then please keep us in mind.

Here at Vacation-Maui we have plenty of amazing vacation rentals on Maui to choose from. Including ones close to the Lahaina Civic Center and this great event! A few of the closest properties would be the Kaanapali Alii, Aston at Whaler on Kaanapali Beach, Alexandra’s on Front Street and Lahaina Oceanfront Estates.

You can explore some of our latest specials or check out what’s on the market for vacation homes on Maui. We also have Hawaii condos and time intervals to choose from too so don’t hesitate and start planning your trip today. You may contact us with any questions you may have about booking your next trip to Hawaii and we can’t wait to see you soon! Aloha.