The 2023 Maui Invitational features eight college basketball programs, five of which are currently ranked inside the Top 10 of the Coaches Poll – making it one of the strongest multi-team events (MTEs) in college hoops history.
Kansas (1) Purdue (2) Marquette (5) Tennessee (8) and Gonzaga (10) make up the five premier programs, while UCLA (24) cracked the top 25 as well, and Syracuse is certainly no pushover under new coach Adrian ‘Red’ Autry.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few spoke glowingly of the talent in this tournament and encouraged fans to enjoy it while it lasts – because he thinks this won’t be the norm going forward.
“The way the landscape is changing, there’s no chance we’ll see this again,” Few said. “Everyone needs to enjoy this for what it is.”
The bloating of high major conferences, notably in the Big Ten and Big 12, will likely result in more conference games per season. With fewer non-conference games per year, teams may opt to instead participate in smaller four-team tournaments or skip the MTE’s altogether.
Getting a chance to see NCAA Tournament caliber matchups, like Gonzaga vs. Purdue and UCLA vs. Marquette, is part of what makes college basketball’s first month more exciting.
Losing those types of games would be a tough blow for a sport that already struggles to compete with the NFL, NBA, and college football in the early months of the season.