LAHAINA, Maui, Hawai'i – The Chaminade University men's basketball team will open the 38th Annual Maui Jim Maui Invitational against the University of Oregon on Nov. 22.
The Silverswords and Ducks will square off in the 4 p.m. game on ESPNU. The Invitational returns to the Lahaina Civic Center after the 2020 event was moved to Asheville, North Carolina, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're excited for another great year of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational," Chaminade head coach
Eric Bovaird said. "Playing Oregon is special for us because we have a lot of players from the Pacific Northwest that grew up Oregon fans."
The Ducks finished 21-7 last season, capturing the Pac-12 regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Division I Sweet 16.
Although this will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs, there are several connections between the team and the state of Oregon.
Guards
Isaac Amaral-Artharee and
DeRay Seamster are from Portland, about 100 miles north of Eugune, and attended Central Catholic High School while assistant coach
Kyle Milligan is also a Portland native.
Joseph Smoyer, who will enroll at Chaminade this fall as a fifth-year graduate transfer from Columbia University, played his first three years at the University of Portland. And
Kendall Small, who played for the Silverswords in 2019-20, spent his freshman year with the Ducks during the 2015-16 season.
The 'Swords will face either Saint Mary's or Notre Dame in Tuesday's second round.
The opposite side of the bracket has 2020 Final Four participant Houston facing Butler while Wisconsin meets Texas A&M.
All 12 games will be televised on the ESPN Network (ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU).
"Oregon made a great run in last year's NCAA Tournament and I'm sure they'll be very good again this year," Bovaird said. "It should be a lot of fun!"
