By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina will face Dayton in the first round of the Maui Invitational when the Tar Heels play in Maui for the first time since 2016 and for a record ninth time. There will be some late games for Tar Heels fans in North Carolina.
The UNC-Dayton game will start at about 11:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 25, and air on ESPN2.
On Tuesday, Nov. 26, UNC will face either Auburn or Iowa State (11 p.m. ET if the Tar Heels beat Dayton and 8:30 p.m. ET if they lose). Carolina wouldn’t face two-time reigning national champion UConn until the third day of the event.
Should Carolina make the championship games, fans finally won’t have to stay up late because that game will start at 5 p.m. ET
In first-round matchups on the other side of the bracket, UConn will face Memphis and Michigan State will take on Colorado.
Dayton is one of four teams in the field, along with UNC, that has won the event. The Flyers, who won in 2003, went 25–8 last season and lost 87–68 to Arizona in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Dayton beat UNC 79–68 in the 2010 NIT championship game.
The Tar Heels, 18–3 in Lahaina, have won the tournament four of the last five times it’s been played in Maui — 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2016 — winning the NCAA tournament those previous three seasons. They played in the tournament during the 2020 pandemic in Asheville.
Other teams in the field that have won the tournament are UConn (2005 and 2010), Memphis (1992 and 2006), Michigan State (1991), and Auburn (2018)
Carolina, one of seven teams in the Maui field that played in last season’s NCAA tournament, will move past Kansas and Arizona (eight each) for the most Maui Invitational appearances by schools in the continental United States. Chaminade, located in Honolulu, has played in the event 37 times.
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UNC visits Hawaii in Honolulu on Nov. 22, four days before the tournament begins.
Because of the wildfires in Maui, the event was held in Honolulu last season but will return to the Lahaina Civic Center this season.
Maui Invitational
First round on Monday, Nov. 25
UConn vs. Memphis, 2:30 ET, ESPN2
Michigan State vs. Colorado, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Auburn vs. Iowa State, 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
North Carolina vs. Dayton, 11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Tuesday, Nov. 26
Semifinals
Michigan State vs. Colorado winner vs. UConn vs. Memphis winner, 6 p.m. ET
North Carolina vs. Dayton winner vs. Auburn vs. Iowa State winner, 11 p.m. ET
Consolation games
Michigan State vs. Colorado loser vs. UConn vs. loser, 1:30 ET
North Carolina vs. Dayton loser vs. Auburn vs. Iowa State loser, 8:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Nov. 27
Fifth-place game, 2:30 p.m. ET
Championship game, 5 p.m. ET
Third-place game, 9:30 p.m. ET
Seventh-place game, midnight ET
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Freshman | Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo) | F | 6–7 | 220 |
| 30 | Freshman | Malloy Smith | G | 6–5 | 180 |
| 21 | Freshman | Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh) | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 5 | Freshman | Kevin Thomas | W | 6–6 | 205 |
| 35 | Sophomore | Cade Bennerman — U | C | 7–0 | 205 |
| 17 | Sophomore | Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus) | G | 6–9 | 220 |
| 2 | Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 185 |
| 3 | Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–5 | 200 |
| 22 | Junior | Alexandros Samodurov (Alex-ANN-drose SAH-muh-DUHR-off) | C | 6–11 | 225 |
| 1 | Senior | Terrence Brown — Y | G | 6–3 | 180 |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young (JAY-din) | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in) | F | 6–10 | 220 |
| 14 | Graduate | Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee) | G | 6–3 | 200 |
| 54 | Graduate | Cameron Fens — V (Fenz) | C | 7–0 | 255 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 99 | Junior | John Holbrook — SA | F | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | G | 6–1 | 200 |
V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.
Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.
Players who entered transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 | Pacific |
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Image via mauiinvitational.com
