Men's Basketball to Face Vanderbilt in Opening Round of The EA SPORTS Maui Invitational®

Aug. 4, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

MAUI, Hawaii - The EA SPORTS Maui Invitational announced today the official bracket for the 2009 edition of the nation's premier early-season college basketball tournament, which will take place Nov. 23-25 at Maui's Oceanside Lahaina Civic Center. The EA SPORTS Maul Invitational is entering its 26th year of basketball in paradise.

The ESPN networks will combine once again to offer live television coverage of all 12 Tournament games. For the first time, every game will be produced in high definition on ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD, with the ESPN and ESPN2 games also streaming live on ESPN360.com.

The Tournament opens up with Colorado taking on Gonzaga on Nov. 23, before Cincinnati, which is making its first trip to the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, meets Southeastern Conference opponent Vanderbilt in Game Two. Game Three pits host school Chaminade against Maryland, while the opening round concludes with a match-up between Arizona and Wisconsin.

The winner of the Cincinnati - Vanderbilt contest advances to the semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 24, to meet the winner of the Maryland - Chaminade contest at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, followed by the second semifinal game between the Colorado - Gonzaga winner and the Arizona - Wisconsin winner scheduled at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.

Winners of the semifinals will advance to the championship game Wednesday, Nov. 25 scheduled at 10 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN.

"This year's Tournament showcases another field of outstanding competition," said Tournament Chairman Dave Gavitt. "We will celebrate the 26th annual Tournament with a powerhouse field. College basketball fans from around the globe can look forward to another remarkable week of basketball at its finest."

Starting today, Aug. 4, at 3 p.m. Eastern time (9 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time) there will be a limited selection of presale tickets available for one day only, or until sold out, via the official Tournament Web site, www.mauiinvitational.com.

Remaining game tickets, including school specific Booster Tickets, will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m. Eastern time (9 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time) via www.mauiinvitational.com .

Travel packages with game tickets and hotel accommodations are currently available through Provident Travel, the University of Cincinnati's official travel agency, by calling 513.763.3080, 1.800.989.8900, or visit http://www.providentvacations.com/ucbearcats.html.

In addition, tickets are still available for Sunday's (Nov. 22) "An Evening with the Coaches: Tip-Off Banquet," a special dinner and entertainment event with the 2009 head coaches and teams, as well as for the 6th Annual EA SPORTS Maui Golf Invitational on Thanksgiving Day. Visit the Web site's "Tickets & Travel" section for details.

EA SPORTS Ô , the world's leading interactive entertainment software company and developer of the top-selling NCAA® March Madness® videogame, enters its ninth year as title sponsor of the Maui Invitational.