Sun Devil basketball to play Illinois in Maui

The Arizona State men's basketball team learned that it will be taking on Illinois in the first round of the 2007 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational being played Nov. 19-21 at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii. Tournament organizers announced the entire bracket for the eight-team field on Tuesday.

The Sun Devils and Fighting Illini are two of the seven NCAA Division I teams that will be participating along with host Chaminade University of Honolulu.

First-round action tips off on Monday, Nov. 19, with Game One featuring Pac West member Chaminade, led by third-year coach Matt Mahar, taking on Maui newcomer Marquette, under head coach Tom Crean. The winner of this tournament opener will tackle the winner of Game Two, in which two-time Maui participant, LSU, piloted by coach John Brady, will face Oklahoma State, making its debut on the Maui hardwood with coach Sean Sutton at the helm. The Ivy League will take the court in Game Three, as first-year coach Sydney Johnson guides Princeton on its maiden voyage to Maui for a duel with Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils. That winner will face the winner of Game Four between the Sun Devils, led by second-year head coach Herb Sendek, and the Fighting Illini, who are coached by Bruce Weber. Although ASU and Illinois have played one another on three previous occasions, it will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1976-77 season.

The semifinals are set for Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, with the winners moving onto the championship game Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Owners of a 7-5 record in their previous four appearances at the Maui Invitational, the Sun Devils won the tournament in 1994 when they defeated Texas A & M 103-73, #13 Michigan 79-62 and topped #7 Maryland 97-90 in the title game.

ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU will again combine to offer live television coverage of all 12 tournament games. In addition, ESPN360.com will provide live simulcasts of the games televised on ESPN and ESPN2.

Remaining school Booster Tickets and Single Game Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 9 a.m. Hawaii time (3 p.m. Eastern time) via the tournament Web site at http://www.mauiinvitational.com, and through Oahu Travel, the official tournament travel agency at 800.826.3822.

For up-to-the-minute tournament schedule, ticket and general information, visit the official EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Web site at http://www.mauiinvitational.com.