RICHMOND, Va. – VCU is headed back to Maui.
 
The Rams are one of eight teams set to participate among a loaded field in the 43rd edition of the Southwest Maui Invitational Nov. 23-25 at the historic Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.
 
Long one of college basketball's premier in-season tournaments, the 2026 Maui field includes six NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including VCU, the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Champions. The Rams will be joined in Lahaina by Arizona, BYU and Ole Miss -- which each advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2025 -- as well as Clemson, Colorado State, Providence and Washington. Four of those programs finished the 2024-25 campaign ranked inside the Associated Press' final Top 25 Poll.
 
All told, the 2026 Maui field boasts a combined 168 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Final Fours and a National Championships.
 
VCU's appearance, which will headline its 2026-27 non-conference schedule, will be its third in Maui. The Rams are 3-4 in two previous trips to the event, including 2017.
 
About the Maui Invitational
In December 1982, then No. 1 ranked Virginia, led by National College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson, played little-known NAIA Chaminade University in Honolulu while on the way back
from a trip to Tokyo. The Silverswords stunned Virginia 77-72 in one of the greatest upsets in college basketball history. Two years later, in 1984, Chaminade University hosted the first
Southwest Maui Invitational proven to be the premier early-season college basketball tournament for more than 40 years running. Each year, the Southwest Maui Invitational attracts
the top programs, best-known coaches, and most outstanding players to compete in an exciting atmosphere at the Lahaina Civic Center near the beautiful beaches of Maui.