Hogs to play in 2027 Maui Invitational

The University of Arkansas men’s basketball team has agreed to play at the 2027 Maui Invitational.

Games are scheduled to be played at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Nov. 22-24, 2027. Other participants in that year’s tournament are not yet known except for Chaminade, the Honolulu-based Division II school that serves as the tournament’s host team.

Arkansas’ involvement in the tournament was discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request. Neither the program nor the Maui Invitational have officially announced the team’s involvement. The contract was finalized earlier this month.

The Razorbacks have played at the Maui Invitational four times, most recently in November 2022 when Arkansas defeated Louisville 80-54, lost 90-87 to Creighton and defeated San Diego State 78-74 in overtime to win the third-place game.

Arkansas also played at the Maui Invitational in 1991, 2005 and 2013. The Razorbacks have an all-time record of 6-6 at the Maui Invitational and have never won the tournament.

The Maui Invitational is traditionally played at the 2,400-seat Lahaina Civic Center but has been relocated in three of the past four years. The tournament was played in Asheville, N.C., in 2020 and in Las Vegas in 2021 due to covid-19 protocols. It was played in Honolulu this season due to the Maui wildfires last August.

The 2022 tournament that included Arkansas was the only one since 2019 to be played on the island of Maui.

The 2027 Maui Invitational is one of two multi-team events the Razorbacks are contracted to play in future seasons. Arkansas is among four teams — along with Purdue, Notre Dame and BYU — that will play two games at the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego on Nov. 28-29, 2024.