Michigan State to Play in Maui Jim Maui Invitational in 2019
Michigan State to Play in Maui Jim Maui Invitational in 2019
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s men’s basketball team will play in the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational, it was announced today.
In addition to the Spartans, the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational field includes Brigham Young, Dayton, Georgia, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia Tech. The 36th annual tournament will be held from Nov. 25-27 at the historic Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui.
The 2019 field boasts a combined 198 NCAA Tournament appearances, 44 Final Four berths and 16 national championships.
This will be Michigan State's fifth time participating in the Maui Invitational (1991, 1995, 2005, 2010). The Spartans captured the championship in their inaugural trip in 1991, defeating Lamar, Rice and No. 2 Arkansas in the championship game, 86-71. Red-shirt freshman Shawn Respert averaged 19.0 points, while Mark Montgomery averaged 7.3 assists.
Tom Izzo made his head coaching debut at the 1995 Maui Invitational, defeating Chaminade, before falling to North Carolina and Santa Clara. In the 2005 tournament, MSU defeated Chaminade before falling to Gonzaga in one of the greatest games in the history of the Maui Invitational, losing 109-106 in triple overtime. Maurice Ager scored 36 points, including 27 in the last 7:09 of regulation and the overtime periods. MSU bounced back the next day with a 74-71 overtime win vs. Arizona. Ager earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, averaging 26.3 points in three games.
In 2010, the Spartans finished in third place, beating Chaminade in the opening round (82-74), losing to UConn in the semifinals (70-67) and beating Washington (76-71). Kailin Lucas was named to the all-tournament team, averaging a team-best 22.3 points per game.
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