Maui Invitational 2023: Purdue learns first round matchup and full bracket, per report

The bracket for the 2023 Maui Invitational in Hawaii has been revealed!

The field has been set for some time now: Purdue, UCLA, Syracuse, Tennessee, Marquette, Chaminade and Gonzaga. On Monday, sources told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that the bracket for the tournament has been unveiled, revealing Purdue’s first round matchup and path to the championship game.

The Boilermakers will start against Gonzaga and, should they win, face the winner of Tennessee and Syracuse.

Here are the remaining matchups in order:

• Kansas vs. Chaminade
• UCLA vs. Marquette
• Tennessee vs. Syracuse
• Purdue vs. Gonzaga

This is admittedly a tough draw for the Boilermakers, who have one of the hardest routes to the title game behind UCLA and Marquette.

For starters, Gonzaga is Gonzaga. The Bulldogs are a constant stay in the AP Top 25 year after year and will have a dangerous starting lineup that includes Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard and Graham Ike, to name a few.

If Purdue can sneak past the Bulldogs, the likely route to the title game is through Rick Barnes’ Tennessee squad, which may be one of the tougher outs in the tournament. The Vols should make quick work of a Jim Boeheim-less Syracuse squad, though the Orange do boast a backcourt that could be formidable come November.

The Vols play a vicious brand of defense that is sure to hold over into next season and return some serious firepower from last season’s squad, including Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James and Zakai Zeigler.

Maui always delivers. This could be a fun one, folks.

Ethan Stone

Ethan Stone was an editor for his student newspaper at the University of Tennessee and is now a News Manager for Saturday Tradition.