Kansas, Indiana to anchor opposing sides of Maui Invitational bracket
The Kansas Jayhawks and Indiana Hoosiers are on opposite sides of the bracket and could be headed for a pre-Final Four-type Maui Jim Maui Invitational if they can navigate what could be difficult semifinals.
Kansas, fresh off winning gold at the World University Games in South Korea in July, is the favorite to win the Big 12 and will play host Chaminade.
The Jayhawks, who return Perry Ellis, Frank MasonandWayne Selden and add power forwardCheick Diallo, are on the same side of the bracket as UCLA and UNLV.
The Bruins, who return U.S. under-19 gold-medal winner Thomas Welsh, are coming off the Sweet 16, while UNLV is facing a critical season in the Mountain West as it attempts to get back to the NCAA tournament after missing it last season.
Indiana -- which returns its core, including point guard Yogi Ferrell, and adds top centerThomas Bryant--will play Wake Forest in the first round with St. John's and Vanderbilt on the same side of the bracket.
The Maui Invitational will be the highest-profile games for the Red Storm under new coach and alumnus Chris Mullin. The Commodores are expecting to be an SEC title contender with the return of Damian Jones.
The Maui Invitational will be Nov. 23-25 at the Lahaina Civic Center. In the ESPN.com early Top 25 in April, Kansas was ranked No. 6 with Indiana No. 14.
