July 28, 2015
Travel with the Commodores to Maui! | Maui Jim Maui Invitational 
The first-round matchups at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational have been set, and the Commodores will face off against St. John’s on November 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT at the Lahaina Civic Center, with the game airing live on ESPN2. Vanderbilt will be making its fifth appearance at the Maui tournament.
Vanderbilt and St. John’s will meet for the seventh time in the history of the two schools, with this November’s meeting being the first on a neutral floor and the first time the two schools have met since November 29, 1977, in a 59-54 Red Storm win at Memorial Gym. St. John’s leads the all-time series, 5-1.
The Commodores have a record of 8-4 in the tournament in their four trips to the island. Included in those appearances is one tournament title, which came in 1986 when the tournament was called the Hawaiian Airlines Silversword Invitational Tournament. Vanderbilt knocked off VCU, Missouri, and New Mexico en route to the championship. Other appearances came in 1988, 1995, and in 2009.
Vanderbilt is guaranteed three games in Maui, and will play either Wake Forest or Indiana in their second game on November 24. Other teams in the field are Kansas, host Chaminade, UNLV, and UCLA, with the Commodores facing off against one of those teams on November 25.
Before the Commodores head off to Maui, the team will host Austin Peay in the season opener on Friday, November 13, in a campus-round game of the tournament.
Opening Games Schedule
November 13
Northern Colorado at Kansas
Cal Poly at UNLV
Austin Peay at Vanderbilt
UMBC at Wake Forest
November 15
Cal Poly at UCLA
November 16
Austin Peay at Indiana
UMBC at St. John’s
Maui Jim Activation
As part of its first year as title sponsor, Maui Jim is launching a sweepstakes in which one lucky fan will win a trip for two to this year’s Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The winner will receive round trip coach airfare, tournament tickets, hotel accommodations and much more. The sweepstakes is scheduled to launch on August 6. Log on to the Maui Jim Facebook page and Twitter feed for more information.
About the Maui Jim 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 Maui Invitational and it has proven to be the premier early-season college basketball tournament for 31 years running. Each year, the Maui Jim 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.
About Maui Jim Sunglasses
Maui Jim sunglasses were born on the beaches of Maui and designed to protect eyes from the harsh rays of the island sun. Today, Maui Jim is recognized for unparalleled ” Aloha Spirit” and customer service as well as patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology, which blocks 100% of UV rays and eliminates glare while enhancing color, definition and depth perception. Maui Jim sunglasses have earned the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation as an effective UV filter for the eyes and surrounding skin. For more information, visit MauiJim.com or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @OfficialMauiJim.
