The best way to do college basketball is through bracket play.
Whether it’s the NCAA tournament, conference tourneys or the various preseason tournaments, the “winner advances” style of competition is what brings some of college basketball’s more memorable moments.
While the March tournaments get the glory, the big November tournaments often set the stage for what to expect throughout the year. Few are typically more exciting than the Maui Invitational, an eight-team event that usually occurs in Lahaina, Hawaii during Thanksgiving week. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and protocols in the state of Hawaii, the 2021 tournament is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This year’s iteration features Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Butler, Houston, Oregon, Saint Mary’s, Notre Dame and host school Chaminade.
Fit for the Invitational’s new location, let’s take a look at the tournament from a betting angle; detailing the odds, favorites and key matchups throughout the event.
All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.
Schedule
The eight-team tournament will break into a two-sided bracket; one side being the consolation portion and the other the champions bracket. Which teams break for the champions side and consolation side will be determined by the winners and losers of a four-game slate on the opening day of the tournament.
- Nov. 22, 2:00 pm ET, ESPN2 – Texas A&M Aggies vs. Wisconsin Badgers
- Nov. 22, 4:30 pm ET, ESPN2 – Butler Bulldogs vs. No. 12 Houston Cougars
- Nov. 22, 9:00 pm ET, ESPNU – Oregon Ducks vs. Chaminade Silverswords
- Nov. 22, 11:30 pm ET, ESPN2 – Saint Mary’s Gaels vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Nov. 23, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser
- Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
- Nov. 23, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
- Nov. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser
- Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – Third Place Game
- Nov. 24, 5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN – Championship Game
- Nov. 24, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU – 7th Place Game
- Nov. 24, 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – 5th Place Game
Full Bracket available via NCAA.com
Game Lines:
Wisconsin -2.5, Texas A&M +125 ML, O/U 120.5
Houston -9.5, Butler +320 ML, O/U 123.5
Oregon -27.5, Chaminade ML TBD, O/U 148.5
Notre Dame -1.5, Saint Mary’s -110 ML, O/U 132.5
Texas A&M Aggies vs. Wisconsin Badgers (-2.5)
Texas A&M and Wisconsin’s matchup in the opening round of the Maui Invitational won’t revive any old rivalry or bring back memories of past matchups. The Aggies and Badgers last played against one another in December 1984, which happens to be the only time the two schools have ever played against each other.
This battle between Big Ten and SEC schools features two teams that have gotten off to solid starts. The Aggies enter the tournament at 4-0 on the season while having played a relatively favorable schedule. The Badgers come into the matchup with a 2-1 record after losing their most recent game to the Providence Friars in the Gavitt Tip-off Games. Brad Davison of Wisconsin may be the player to keep an eye on during this matchup.
Butler Bulldogs vs. No. 12 Houston Cougars (-9.5)
On the opening day of the Maui Invitational, the Butler Bulldogs and Houston Cougars will be playing against one another for the first time ever.
Butler goes into the Invitational holding a 3-1 record after most recently registering a 21-point home loss in the Gavitt Tip-off Games to the Michigan State Spartans. Houston has looked as good as advertised in the early season en route to a 3-0 start, recently beating the preseason top-25 Virginia Cavaliers by 20 points.
Oregon Ducks (-27.5) vs. Chaminade Silverswords
Despite Oregon making two previous trips to the Maui Invitational, the Ducks are facing Chaminade for the first time.
Oregon — ranked as high as No. 12 as recently as last week — stumbles into the Maui Invitational after being clobbered, 81-49, by the BYU Cougars in its last game. Meanwhile, Chaminade has yet to face a Division 1 opponent this basketball season.
Saint Mary’s Gaels vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-1.5)
The Fighting Irish and the Gaels will be playing against each other for the first time since 1981, and for just the third time in the two programs’ histories.
Notre Dame will be looking for another Maui Invitational championship, having won the tournament in 2017. The former champs come into the 2021 tourney with a 3-0 record after having handled business against lighter competition. Saint Mary’s has opened the season undefeated, as well. The Gaels have also made quick work of some lighter competition and enter the Maui Invitational with a 4-0 record.
Before you bet
Once upon a time, the Maui Invitational was a tournament whose field was stacked with a handful of ranked teams, national championship contenders and traditional powerhouses. The tournament has been watered down slightly over recent years, but still features a couple of standouts.
The Houston Cougars have been impressive through three games played this season. They dominated a projected-to-be-good Virginia Cavaliers team by 20 points and have lived up to the early-season hype despite almost blowing their season-opening game to Hofstra. Junior guard Marcus Sasser has taken a leap from his sophomore season as a versatile scorer, and could very well be one of the more entertaining and game-changing players at the tournament. He’ll be joined by Texas Tech transfer Kyler Edwards to make a one-two punch that should be enough to make Houston the favorites.
Oregon could also be considered a favorite to win the Maui Invitational. However, I had a lot more confidence in them before they recently got hammered by BYU. Poor performances happen throughout the year and it’s still early enough in the season to where a loss like that shouldn’t change the team’s outlook on the season. The Ducks will certainly have a lot to prove as they bounce back, but ultimately I think that Dana Altman is a great coach who can get his group of new players to function properly pretty soon.
Final Four Odds
Houston +650
Oregon +750
Wisconsin +1200
Notre Dame +3000
Butler +3000
Texas A&M +5000
Saint Mary’s +5000
Picks
As much as I sang the praises of the Houston Cougars, I think there’s a very real possibility they’re upset in the opening game of the tournament — if Butler is fully healthy. The Bulldogs have all of their top players back from last year’s group that won some big games against ranked opponents like Creighton and Villanova. Houston will be in a dogfight but ultimately should come out on top.
With my uncertainties regarding the Cougars, I’ll pivot to Oregon as my pick to win the Maui Invitational. The lopsided loss to BYU isn’t going away, but I think the Ducks use that game as motivation as this tournament gets going. Altman brought in a ton of talent via the transfer portal, and once they all get on the same page, Oregon could really get rolling. I think that happens sooner rather than later, and the Ducks win this tournament.
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