July 13, 2005

Maui Invitational Bracket in PDF Format
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland men's basketball team will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the opening round of the 2005 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational on Nov. 21 on ESPN2. The Terrapins and Zags meet at 5 p.m. ET (noon Hawaiian time) as a loaded field that includes Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan State, Kansas, Arkansas and host school Chaminade clash at Lahaina Civic Center to decide the 2005 title.

The Maui Invitational continues with the second and championship rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 22 and 23. Maryland's complete 2005-06 schedule will be released in mid-August.

The Terrapins and Bulldogs have split the two prior meetings between the schools, as the Terrapins won a 1995 NCAA Tournament match-up in Salt Lake City, and the Zags posted a BB&T Classic victory in Washington, D.C., in 2004. Gonzaga returns four starters, including honorable mention All-America selection Adam Morrison, from a 2004-05 squad that posted a 26-5 record and reached the NCAA Second Round.

The Terrapins will participate in the Maui Invitational for the third time since 1994. Maryland defeated host Chaminade and Utah before falling to Arizona State in the championship game that season. The Terps downed Louisville during their appearance in 2000 before falling to Illinois and Dayton.

At a glance, the 2005 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational features six former national champions (Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Maryland and Michigan State); five 2005 NCAA Tournament participants (Arizona, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State); and 2005 Final Four and Elite Eight contenders, Michigan State and Arizona, respectively.

"For more than two decades, this tournament has set the tone for the NCAA basketball season, and this year fuels the fire with an assembly of teams largely considered one of the best-ever in an early-season event," said Tournament Chairman Dave Gavitt, who last year was handed the reigns by fellow sports icon Wayne Duke. "Maui is a breeding ground for the spirited competition that carries teams to the Big Dance in March."

EA SPORTS, theworld's leading interactive entertainment software maker, enters its fifthyear as title sponsor of the Maui Invitational.