University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn MBB Part Of '23 Empire Classic, '24 Maui Invitational
4/4/2023 9:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / April 4, 20203
The newly-crowned 2023 National Champion UConn men's basketball team was announced Tuesday as part of the fields for two upcoming prestigious in-season tournaments – the 2023 Empire Classic and the 2024 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The Empire Classic, to be played on Nov. 19-20, 2023, in Madison Square Garden in New York City, will feature UConn, Indiana, Texas and Louisville, with first-round match-ups still to be determined. The tournament benefits the Wounded Warrior Project.
UConn, 31-8 in 2022-23, dominated the 2023 NCAA Championship, winning each of the six games by double digits. In addition, the Huskies are already ranked #1 on ESPN's Way-Too-Early 2023-24 preseason poll. UConn will be making its fifth appearance in the Empire Classic, which it won in 2013.
As for the rest of the Empire Classic field, Indiana finished the 2022-23 season at 23-12 and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA Championship. Texas was 29-9 this season and made it to the Elite Eight. Louisville will be out to regain its former glory after a down year in 2022-23.
Semifinal match-ups, television coverage, and the on-sale date for tickets will be announced in the future. To be the first to receive updates on these important details, sign up for alerts at Gazelle Ticket Updates and follow the Empire Classic on Twitter @EmpireClassicBB and on Instagram @empireclassicbb.
In addition to UConn, the 2024 Maui Jim Maui Classic field includes Auburn, Colorado, Dayton, Iowa State, Memphis, Michigan State, and North Carolina. The tournament will take place on Nov. 25-27, 2024, at the historic Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.
Teams that have participated in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational throughout the event's history own 72 of the 83 NCAA Championships, and seven of those schools have gone on to win the National Championship after competing in Maui earlier in the season.
"There is simply no other early-season college basketball tournament that rivals the spirit, talent and overall 'magic' of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational," said tournament chairman Dave Odom. "The 2024 field is not only going to bring top tier programs representing eight of the most dominant conferences in the sport, but also fans from all corners of the country. Whether it's your first time on-island, or you've made packing into the historic Lahaina Civic Center an annual tradition, this tournament experience is on every college basketball fan's bucket list - and this loaded 2024 field is going to make it hard to resist."
UConn has won the NCAA Championship five times in the last 25 years, and also has won the Maui title twice in that span. This year's National Championship game in Houston was a prime example of "Maui Magic," as San Diego State finished fourth in the 2022 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The 2024 teams bolster a total of 218 NCAA Tournament appearances, 45 Final Four berths (including 2023 National Champion UConn) and 13 NCAA Tournament titles. Half of the teams competing rank within the top-40 of the winningest programs of all-time in men's college basketball.
All eight teams have been to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational before at least once, with North Carolina holding the most previous trips at eight. Memphis will be making its sixth trip, first since 2011, while Dayton, Michigan State and UConn will return for their fifth appearances.
Additionally, half of the teams have previously won the Maui Jim Maui Invitational: North Carolina has won four times, UConn twice and Michigan State and Dayton each hold one coveted title apiece
All-Tournament travel packages and school Booster travel packages for the 2024 Maui Jim Maui Invitational will be available at a later date. For more information on the Tournament, please visit mauiinvitational.com.
