We knew that Carolina would be competing in the Maui Invitational this Thanksgiving, but we didn’t know who their first opponent would be. Well earlier today, the bracket was unveiled for the 2024 Maui Invitational, and the Tar Heels now know that they’ll play Dayton in the tournament's opening round. The official bracket hasn’t been released, but we do know all of the first-round matchups, which features the defending national champion UConn Huskies taking on Memphis, Michigan State will face off against Colorado, Auburn will meet Iowa State, with the UNC/Dayton matchup rounding out the first round.
While it’s unknown at this time, you’d imagine that UNC would be on opposite sides of the bracket from UConn, to set up a potential Final Four preview in the final. With all the history with Michigan State, that is likely the team that would be on Carolina’s side, if both were to either win or lose, in the opening round. Again, this is all speculation, but knowing how these are made for TV events, and having Carolina, a national brand, play other national brands, is certainly on the table.
Carolina last competed in the Maui Invitational in the 2019-20 season, when it was hosted in Asheville due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UNC won the Maui Invitational in 2005, 2009, and 2017 seasons, all of which were when they won the national championship. They also won the event in the 1999-2000 season, giving them four Maui titles, the most of any program in college basketball. Additionally, UConn, Michigan State, Memphis, and Auburn have all won the prestigious event.
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