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NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 8 teams for 2019 Maui Invitational

By Tristan Freeman

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs pose for a photo with the 2018 Maui Invitational championship trophy after beating the Duke Blue Devils 89-87 at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs pose for a photo with the 2018 Maui Invitational championship trophy after beating the Duke Blue Devils 89-87 at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs players and coaches pose for a photo after winning the 2018 Maui Invitational against the Duke Blue Devils at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI – NOVEMBER 21: The Gonzaga Bulldogs players and coaches pose for a photo after winning the 2018 Maui Invitational against the Duke Blue Devils at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /

The 2019 Maui Invitational features some exciting possible matchups this upcoming NCAA Basketball season. How do the participating teams rank coming into the event?

Of all the non-conference NCAA Basketball tournaments last season, the Maui Invitational was the most anticipated. It featured Zion Williamson and the No. 1 ranked Blue Devils, who some were wondering whether or not they could make a big undefeated run. But they weren’t able to get past No. 3 Gonzaga, who upset them in the title game. Other talented teams also participated, including eventual Final Four team Auburn.

As good as the 2018 tournament out in Hawaii was good, this upcoming Maui Invitational could be even better. It features a pair of juggernauts in Kansas and Michigan State, as well as several other NCAA Basketball Tournament contenders in UCLA, BYU, Virginia Tech, Georgia and Dayton. And after not playing in last year’s event, D-II Chaminade will be back as the host team.

The bracket or the Maui Invitational has been released with some intriguing quarterfinal matchups. There are three guaranteed games for all eight teams so the opportunity is there for some big-time wins. And considering that a few of these programs are projected to be around the bubble, what happened in this tournament could go a long way towards determining what March looks like for them.

For this piece, I’ll be ranking the eight participants. Of course, Chaminade is No. 8, which is exactly how many wins they have all-time in the Maui Invitational, compared to 94 losses. They’re coming off of a 23-8 campaign last year and returns their top three scorers, led by Grant Dressler and his 19.5 ppg. Tyler Cartaino (17.7 ppg) and Erik Scheive (16.4 ppg) also are back and will pose a threat in this event.

Of course, the talent overall between the Silverswords and the other participants makes the D-II school a heavy underdog but don’t underestimate them. This is one of the better teams Chaminade will have in the Maui Invitational. But how do the remaining seven programs rank?

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