Dave Odom: 2024 Maui Invitational has ‘one of strongest fields in tournament history’

Fans of the Dayton Flyers will have to stay up late in Ohio to watch their team in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

Dayton’s game against four-time Maui Invitational champion North Carolina on Nov. 25 will tip off at 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the Lahaina Civic Center, or 6:30 p.m. in Hawaii. It’s the final game on the first day of the tournament. The game will air on ESPN2.

The complete bracket was released Tuesday.

“This year’s Maui Invitational is one of the strongest fields in tournament history,” said Dave Odom, Tournament Chairman and legendary collegiate coach. “The field is packed with teams looking to make a run in the NCAA Tournament along with UConn who is making their fifth appearance in the Maui Invitational and looking to defend their back-to-back national championships.”

In other first-round games:

• Memphis plays two-time defending national champion Connecticut at 9:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. Hawaii time) on ESPN2.

• Colorado plays Michigan State at noon (5 p.m.) on ESPN2.

• Auburn plays Iowa State at 4 p.m. (9 p.m.) on ESPNU.

Explore» MORE ON MAUI: Breaking down the eight-team field

The Flyers will play Auburn or Iowa State in their second game on Nov. 26. That game will take place at 11 p.m. (6 p.m.) if they’re in the winners bracket or 8:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m.) if they’re in the consolation bracket.

Dayton’s first opponent, North Carolina, will make a record eighth appearance in the tournament. It won the championship in 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2017 and reached the Final Four of the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons. It has won the national championship the last three times it has won the Maui Invitational.

The Tar Heels are 22-4 in the Maui Invitational. Dayton is 9-3 in four Maui appearances. It won the championship in 2003 and was runner-up in 2019.