Here’s a look at how the KU Jayhawks have fared in Maui Invitational through the years
Kansas’ tradition-rich men’s basketball program has had remarkable success in the always-difficult-to-win Maui Invitational.
The Jayhawks — who as the top seed in an eight-team field will open with NCAA Division-II Chaminade in a first-round tourney game at 8 p.m., Central time, Monday, in Honolulu — have claimed the Maui championship three times in seven trips to the tourney, which this year has been moved from Lahaina Civic Center in fire-ravaged Maui to Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
Yes, for emerging victorious in its last two trips (2015 and 2019) as well as 1996, the Jayhawks have received the Wayne Duke Championship Trophy, a 2 1/2-foot solid sterling silver trophy engraved with the team names of all past champions. In addition, Kansas coach Bill Self, who has led the Jayhawks to two Maui titles in four appearances, has twice been awarded a maile and tuberose lei, which according to tradition brings a person good luck.
KU three times has brought back to campus a souvenir take-home championship trophy — a 3-foot surfboard made of native koa wood to be displayed in the Booth Family Hall of Athletics.
KU also has placed second at the Maui Invitational once, in 2011. For that, KU received a trophy in the form of a wooden monkey pod bowl.
Let’s take a look at KU’s seven appearances in the Maui Invitational, a tourney celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Jayhawks are 17-6 all-time in the event, including 15-6 in games played in the Lahaina Civic Center. The Jayhawks had won their last six games in that venue, last losing in the 2011 championship game.
2019-20 season: The Jayhawks defeated Chaminade, 93-63; BYU, 71-56 and Dayton, 90-84, in overtime en route to the tourney title. The Dayton-KU contest proved one of the greatest games in the history of the Maui Invitational, which dates to the 1984 season.
Devon Dotson scored 31 points and Udoka Azubuike had seven of his 29 points in overtime as No. 4 Kansas defeated the Flyers by six points.
Dayton tied the game on a 3-pointer from Jalen Crutcher with 2.1 seconds left.
Led by Azubuike, who hit three inside shots and three free throws, good for nine OT points, the Jayhawks outscored Dayton, 17-11, in the extra session. Marcus Garrett made three free throws in the final 18 seconds.
Obi Toppin scored 18 points for Dayton, which went 16 of 33 from 3. Dayton had defeated Georgia and Virginia Tech to reach the final.
“That was a great basketball game,” Self said. “Two good teams competing against each other and in a terrific atmosphere.”
2015-16 season: KU defeated Chaminade, 123-72; UCLA, 92-73 and former KU assistant Kevin Stallings’ Vanderbilt Commodores, 70-63, in the title game.
Wayne Selden (25 points, six boards in final) and Frank Mason (10 points) shared MVP honors after helping No. 5-ranked KU rally from a 10-point first-half deficit against No. 19 Vandy.
The Jayhawks, who trailed by four points at halftime, cashed 15 of 24 shots the second half. KU took the lead for good on a jumper by Mason with 18 minutes, 16 seconds remaining.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Mason said of the tourney naming co-MVPs. “I definitely think Wayne deserves it, the way he played throughout the tournament. But we just happened to get the win as a team.”
Selden was 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He also had seven rebounds.
The Jayhawks trailed by 10 points midway through the first half and were down 30-26 at halftime.
KU shot 62.5% (15 of 24) in the second half. Vanderbilt closed to 68-63 with 16 seconds remaining. Mason and Jamari Traylor each made one free throw for the final margin.
“I thought that we played a lot better in the first half than we did in the second. I’m guessing that Bill felt like they probably played a lot better in the second half than they did in the first,” Stallings said. “Shots that we are pretty accustomed to making, we didn’t make today.”
Devonte Graham had 12 points for Kansas. Damian Jones led the Commodores with 17 points. Luke Kornet had 14, and Wade Baldwin 11. Jones grabbed 10 rebounds, but the Jayhawks, led by Perry Ellis’ eight boards, out-rebounded Vanderbilt, 39-32.
Ellis scored 24 points, Mason 16 and Selden 15 in the semis against UCLA. Selden and Svi Mykhaliuk each scored 18 points to lead seven Kansas players in double figures in the first round against Chaminade.
2011-12 season: The No. 14-ranked Jayhawks defeated Georgetown (67-63) and UCLA (72-56) before falling to No. 6 Duke (68-61) in the title game. The Blue Devils improved their all-time record in Maui to 15-0 by overcoming a seven-point second-half deficit.
Duke’s Tyler Thornton, who had made just two 3-pointers all season entering the game, swished two 3s in the final 1:10. His first 3 erased a 61-60 deficit. He then buried another with 20 seconds left.
Tyshawn Taylor led KU with 17 points, but also had 11 turnovers. Thomas Robinson added 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Jeff Withey contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Robinson took the loss hard. He had to be helped off the floor by teammate Travis Releford at game’s end. KU led by seven points early in the second half. However, Duke’s 12-3 run erased a 43-37 deficit. Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly scored 17 points and Austin Rivers 10 for the Blue Devils.
KU saw a 20-point lead shrink to five against UCLA in the semis, but rolled in the closing minutes. Elijah Johnson scored 23 points, while Robinson had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor added 13 points and six assists. Robinson scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as KU nudged Georgetown in the opener.
2005-06 season: The unranked Jayhawks lost to No. 9-ranked Arizona, 61-49, and Arkansas, 65-64, before slugging Chaminade, 102-54, in the seventh-place game. In the opener, Mustafa Shakur and Kirk Walters each had 13 points for Arizona, which hit just 28.3% of its shots.
Sasha Kaun scored 12 points for KU, which committed 27 turnovers and went 7:40 without a field goal in the second half after tying the game at 41-41 with 11:33 to play. KU hit 33.9% of its shots.
“I remember we couldn’t get the ball past halfcourt against Arizona,” Self said. “I was disappointed in how we played, not that we lost, because Arizona’s a great team. I thought we might be nervous and then Arizona’s pressure set the tone early. Then we dug ourselves another hole we couldn’t climb out of.”
Brandon Rush scored 20 points in a losers’-bracket loss to Arkansas. Ronnie Brewer scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. KU did take out some frustration in the seventh-place game on Chaminade as C.J. Giles scored 21 points.
2001-02 season: Roy Williams’ No. 4-ranked Jayhawks were stunned by Ball State 93-91 in the first round. The Jayhawks then defeated Houston, 95-78, and Seton Hall, 80-62, to go 2-1 in Maui.
Ball State erased a six-point deficit in the final three minutes. Patrick Jackson, who scored 23 points, drove past four KU defenders to hit a game-winning layup with 0.8 seconds remaining.
He initially sped past Aaron Miles, who suffered cramps on that play and throughout the game. Drew Gooden scored 31 points and Nick Collison 22 for KU, which trailed 55-48 at halftime.
Gooden scored 19 points as KU crushed Houston in the second of three games in Maui. Collison scored 22 points and Gooden 16 as KU downed Seton Hall to conclude the tourney with a winning record.
1996-97 season: KU, which entered the tourney ranked No. 2 in the country, defeated LSU, 82-53; California, 85-67, and Virginia, 80-63, to claim first place.
Raef LaFrentz was named tourney MVP after scoring 15 points and grabbing seven boards versus Virginia. Scot Pollard (17 points, 13 boards) and Jerod Haase (six points, eight boards, five assists) also were named all-tourney. Paul Pierce was not named all tourney despite scoring 27 points in the final.
Ed Gray scored 32 points for Cal in the semis. The Jayhawks led by just three at halftime but closed the game on a 17-0 run. Pollard had 10 boards and LaFrentz nine as KU won the board battle, 49-23. KU raced to an 18-0 lead in its first-round rout of LSU.
1987-88 season: KU made its first-ever trip to the Maui Invitational in Larry Brown’s fifth and final season at KU. The Jayhawks’ national championship campaign began with a win over Chaminade, 89-62, and losses to Iowa, 100-81, and Illinois, 81-75.
Danny Manning scored 24 points to spark the No. 7-ranked Jayhawks in their opening win over Chaminade. Roy Marble and Jeff Moe had 22 apiece for No. 11 Iowa in a win over KU in the semis.
Iowa made 36 of 43 free throws; Kansas 10 of 21. Manning finished with 23 points and Archie Marshall 16 for KU. Kenny Battle had 21 points for Illinois in the third-place game.
