Gonzaga to head to Maui in 2023 for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational

Still nearly two years out, the Zags will look to reclaim their 2018 title in Maui against teams including this year's national champion

Gonzaga is heading back to Maui next season to be a part of the 2023 Maui Jim Maui Invitational from Nov. 20-22. Other teams participating are Kansas, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA, Marquette, Syracuse and Chaminade.

The last time GU was in Maui on Thanksgiving week was in 2018 when the Zags, as the No. 3 team in the country at the time, took down a star studded Duke Blue Devils team that featured Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett and Cameron Reddish to win the tournament. Rui Hachimura earned MVP of the tournament after dropping 20 points and seven rebounds in the championship, while Brandon Clarke contributed 17 points and six blocks.

Overall, the Zags have competed in the Maui Invitational five times, amassing an 11-4 record at the Lahaina Civic Center since the first tournament GU played in 2002. GU also won the Invitational title in 2009, and despite finishing as runner-ups behind Connecticut in 2005, Adam Morrison was named the MVP.

Six of the eight schools in the 2023 Maui Invitational were involved in this year’s NCAA Tournament with varying success. Most notable among the field of teams is Kansas, with the announcement of the Jayhawks involvement in the Maui Invitational coming fresh after their national championship victory Monday night.

Purdue and UCLA got as far as the Sweet 16 this year along with the Zags. Meanwhile, Tennessee made it to the round of 32 before getting upset by Michigan while Marquette drew an eventual Final Four team in North Carolina in the opening round.

There have been seven schools that have gone on to win the national championship after competing in the Maui Invitational that same season. The most recent team to accomplish that was UNC, with the Tar Heels winning the Maui Invite in 2016 before taking down the Zags in the national title game in April of 2017.

The field for the upcoming Maui Jim Maui Invitational later this year features Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio State, San Diego State, Creighton, Cincinnati, Louisville and Texas Tech. Neither bracket for either this year’s invite or next year’s, which will feature the Zags, has been released.

Wisconsin won last year’s Maui Invitational, beating the West Coast Conference’s Saint Mary’s 61-55.