Kansas to appear in 2011 Maui Invitational

Kansas University men’s basketball coach Bill Self addresses the media in this March 2009 file photo.

Kansas University’s basketball team will compete in the 2011 EA Sports Maui Invitational, tournament organizers said Thursday.

The tourney will feature five programs that have won national championships — KU, Duke, UCLA, Michigan and Georgetown — as well as Memphis, Tennessee and Chaminade.

Next year’s tourney will feature four yet-to-be announced mid-major teams, who will play games on the mainland, not in Maui.

For KU, it will mean one home game against a mid-major team. That game will be played sometime between Nov. 11-17. The eight teams that will play in Maui will compete from Nov. 21-23.

“The 2011 field has the potential to be the best field in tournament history. The combination of rich basketball tradition and recent success should make for incredible competition,” said tourney chair Dave Odom.

This year’s Maui Invitational will be Nov. 22-24 and features Kentucky, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Wichita State, Michigan State, Virginia, Washington and Chaminade.