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UNC Basketball: Maui Invitational bracket released

By Blake Cockrum

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels answers question at the press conference following the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 23, 2016 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels answers question at the press conference following the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 23, 2016 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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The 2020 Maui Invitational bracket has been released. Here’s who the UNC basketball program will face off with in the first round.

The 2020 Maui Invitational bracket was released on Wednesday morning, giving fans a look ahead at the path their favorite team will have to take in order to be crowned champions.

The tournament, which will be held in Asheville, North Carolina this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, will begin on November 30, and features Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Stanford, Texas and UNLV.

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"“We could not be more thrilled with the field for the 2020 Maui Invitational and feel it could develop into one of our best fields in the history of the Tournament,” said Tournament Chairman, David Odom. “While we’re faced with a unique year in college sports, we’re grateful for the teams and their loyalty to the Tournament. These incredible programs continue to make it possible to host the premier early-season event that sets the tone for the college basketball season year-over-year.”"

North Carolina, in particular, will begin its tournament with a first round game against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. A victory over UNLV would set the Tar Heels up with a second round matchup against the winner of the Alabama and Stanford game. Below is a look at the full tournament bracket, with dates and start times for each game.

Perhaps most notable for Tar Heel fans is that the Texas Longhorns are on the other side of the bracket, meaning that UNC won’t have to face them until a potential title game matchup. Since his return to Chapel Hill in 2003, Roy Williams’ squads have had a difficult time beating the Longhorns, whether it’s been in the NCAA Tournament, preseason tournaments or non-conference games sprinkled into the regular season schedule.

Since the tournament’s inception in 1984, 128 teams that have started the season in Maui have gone on to compete in the NCAA Tournament, with 49 of them advancing to the Sweet 16. In each of the last nine seasons, one or more teams who have competed in the Maui Invitational have gone on to reach the Elite Eight or better.

All 12 championship round games of the Maui Invitational will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and streamed on ESPN3. TV listings will be announced closer to the tournament.

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