For the fourth straight year, ESPN has partnered with the Maui Jim Maui Invitational to include a trip to the 2018 Tournament as part of the grand prize of the network's annual Tournament Challenge.
Once the NCAA Tournament field of 68 is announced on Sunday, fans can make their predictions through ESPN's Tournament Challenge game. At the end of the Tournament, all entries finishing in the top one percent will be entered into a random drawing, where one lucky fan will win a trip for two to the 2018 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The winner will receive roundtrip economy airfare for two to Maui, hotel accommodations for five nights and a pair of tickets to each of the 12 games at the famed Lahaina Civic Center for the 2018 Tournament.
ESPN's Tournament Challenge is free for players to submit up to 25 entries. Last year, more than 18 million brackets were submitted, establishing a new all-time record.
For more information on ESPN's Tournament Challenge, log on to
ESPN.com/bracket.
Scheduled for Nov. 19-21, the 2018 Maui Jim Maui Invitational teams include Arizona, Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Illinois, Iowa State, San Diego State and Xavier, comprising one of the most accomplished fields in history. The field will feature six national coach of the year winners, led by Duke's 12-time honoree Mike Krzyzewski. Combined, the teams own 190 NCAA Tournament berths, including 27 Final Four appearances, and 196 conference regular season and tournament championships. Accompanied by Tournament newcomers Auburn and Xavier, the six returning programs have combined for a 55-19 record in Maui, with the Blue Devils, Wildcats, Bulldogs and Illini boasting Maui Jim Maui Invitational championships. Arizona (2014), Duke (2011) and Illinois (2012) each return to Maui having claimed the Tournament title in their most recent appearance. Arizona, Duke, and Gonzaga are among the top 10 winningest programs in the nation since the start of the 2010-11 season.
About the Maui Jim Maui Invitational
In December 1982, then No. 1 ranked Virginia, led by National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson, played little-known NAIA Chaminade University in Honolulu while on the way back from a trip to Tokyo. The Silverswords stunned Virginia 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 premier early-season college basketball tournament for 34 years running. Each year, the Maui Jim Maui Invitational attracts the top programs, best-known coaches and most outstanding players to compete in an exciting atmosphere at the
Lahaina Civic Center near the beautiful beaches of
Maui.
