The 2025 Maui Invitational has three teams projected to make the tournament in March. Teams in previous years have used the event as a launching pad for success the rest of the season.

Here is a breakdown of the 2025 field:

No. 25 NC State (4-0):

The Wolfpack are one of the favorites for the event. Their head coach Will Wade is hoping to turn the program around this year after leaving McNeese. They are currently ranked No. 25 and are led by Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams, Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman and McNeese transfer Quadir Copeland.

Texas (4-1): 

The Longhorns are led by a strong backcourt with depth and their leading scorer Matas Vokietaitis. Texas also has a first year head coach in Sean Miller. The Longhorns play with tempo and like to attack the rim.

USC (4-0): 

The Trojans love to play run-and-gun west coast ball and crash the offensive boards that is challenging for any defense (especially transition defense) to stop. USC’s leading scorer is Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara and the Trojans are hoping they can get a few Quad 1 wins in their trip across the Pacific Ocean. 

Boise State (4-1):

Boise’s only loss this year so far was to Chaminade’s rival, Hawai’i Pacific. Don’t let the D-II loss and the most unathletic-looking team distract you from the fact that the Broncos are for real. They returned four of their best players from last year and added UCLA transfer Dylan Andrews. The Broncos are a sneaky team to watch out for and if you don’t believe me about looking unathletic, look up Andrew Meadow and tell me he doesn’t look like a guy that works at Les Schwab.

Washington State (2-3): 

David Riley runs a pace and space offense, but the defense seemingly lacks consistency.

WSU does not have one stand out player. Tomas Thrastarson averages 12 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, ND Okafor averages 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and Emmanuel Ugbo averages 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Freshman Ace Glass also averages 12 points per game off the bench. Glass is a bright part of what has been a dark start to the season. If the Cougars don’t want a rude awakening against Chaminade in the quarterfinals, they need to step up their play in Maui.

Arizona State (4-1): 

The Sun Devils play a fast-tempo, aggressive style that emphasizes capitalizing on turnovers, transition offense and getting paint points. Head coach Bobby Hurley relies on a big man that can run the floor and they have one in Mor Massamba Diop. They also need a point guard that can push the ball and Pepperdine transfer Maurice Odum. Texas is the favorite against Arizona State in the quarterfinals, but beware of the Sun Devils.

Seton Hall (5-0): 

Contradicting all of that offense, the Pirates are a defensive minded team. Head coach Shaheen Holloway likes to spread the wealth in minutes around his rotation and focuses on a high energy on the floor. Holloway likes to avoid a go-to scorer and instead have a deep, balanced rotation with several players contributing minutes and points. 

Chaminade (2-1): 

You are probably wondering who Chaminade is and why they are in one of the biggest college basketball events. They are a D-II school that hosts the Maui Invitational. They played in the Maui Invitational every year until 2018. Since then, they agreed to play in it every odd-numbered year.

Similar to USC, the Silverswords are a high-flying, prolific offense. They have four players averaging double figures in scoring and in three of their five games (including exhibitions) they scored 100+.

The closest team they played to the same level of competition that they will see at the Maui Invitational was Hawai’i in an exhibition that they lost 93-87.

This is a fun field with a lot of up-tempo offenses. Expect some high scoring games. The 2025 Maui Invitational tips-off on 11:30 a.m. PT Monday, Nov. 24 with No. 25 NC State taking on Seton Hall.