AUSTIN (KXAN) — For those attending the Maui Invitational to watch the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team, the first-round game times are perfect. Fans on the mainland, however, had better get a nap in during the day.
Texas opens the tournament Monday, Nov. 24, at 10 p.m. CT (6 p.m. in Hawaii), against Arizona State. A win puts the Longhorns in the semifinals against either Washington State or host Chaminade on Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. A loss would push their consolation bracket game back to 9 p.m.
It has been a while since the Longhorns and Sun Devils have met on the hardwood. Cameron Ridley had a game-winning putback to lift Texas to an 87-85 win over Arizona State in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. It’s the sixth overall meeting between the programs, with Texas holding a 4-1 lead.
Texas is 10-5 all-time in the tournament with a championship in 2020 when the tournament was held in Asheville, North Carolina, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas has played in the tournament six times: 1993, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2020.
Every team is guaranteed three games at the tournament, held at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Maui. Auburn won the tournament last year, defeating Memphis 90-76.