The Wake Forest basketball team has been invited to play in the prestigious November non-conference Maui Invitational. It will be Wake's first appearance in the tournament and first trip to Hawaii since 1999 when the Deacs played in the Rainbow Classic.
The Maui Invitational, made famous when Chaminade stunned the world and upset a Ralph Samson-led Virginia squad, has invited Wake Forest to the 2015 installment of the November tournament. The tournament will take place on November 23-25 at the Lahaina Civic Center which seats 2400 people. In addition to Wake Forest of the ACC, the tournament features Kansas, Indiana, Vanderbilt, UCLA, St. Johns, UNLV, and host Chaminade of Division II.
Wake Forest has never played in the Maui Invitational before and it will serve as the Deacons' 2015 pre-conference tournament. The bracket has not yet been released and will likely be set sometime around the 2014 tournament. The Invitational is the nation's most prestigious November tournament and over the past few years has been played on the Monday through Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving.
Wake has never faced off against UNLV or Chaminade but holds an 11-9 advantage over the rest of the field, including a perfect 2-0 record against Indiana and a split record with St. Johns and Kansas at 2-2 a piece. The tournament will most likely be aired on the ESPN family of networks and presents a fantastic opportunity for Wake Forest to play three games in front of a national audience.
Opportunities to purchase tickets will likely be available in the somewhat distant future, but tickets traditionally go relatively quickly for the tournament. Tickets are typically available only for one game at a time due to the size constraints of the Lahiana Civic Center. Stay tuned for more information on tickets as the 2015 tournament approaches.
