Providence has been drawn to play in one of men’s college basketball’s highlight nonconference events in 2026-27.
The Friars will be among the eight teams traveling to the Maui Invitational, which is typically held over Thanksgiving. It will be their fourth time participating and their first since 2020, when the three-day event was relocated to North Carolina in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Arizona, BYU, Clemson, Colorado State, Ole Miss, VCU and Washington will join Providence in the field. Games will run from Nov. 23 to 25, with each team taking the floor three times. Losses will drop teams to a consolation bracket — specific matchups will be announced at a later date.
Has Providence played at the Maui Invitational before?
Providence won the inaugural 1984 version of the event and also played there in 1991. The Friars are 4-4 overall in eight games, including just a 1-2 mark in their last appearance. Double-digit thumpings by Indiana and Alabama bracketed a one-point win over Davidson, and Providence closed just 13-13 overall.
The last time the Providence men’s basketball team participated in the Maui Invitational — when the three-day event was relocated to North Carolina in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2020 — Kris Monro had to figure out how to get past the Davidson defense. The Friars lost a consolation game against the Cougars and were eliminated.
The Wildcats, Cougars, Tigers, Rebels and both sets of Rams were all top-45 teams nationally last season, according to KenPom.com. Arizona, BYU and Ole Miss all reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament and Colorado State was stopped from joining them only by a last-second shot against Maryland. The Huskies are the only team among the group that finished outside the top 100, coming in eight spots behind the Friars at 104.
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Auburn blew out Memphis to claim the 2024 title at this event and Michigan State beat North Carolina in a battle for third place. Iowa State crushed Colorado for fifth place and Dayton made it a miserable three days for Connecticut, dealing the defending national champions a third consecutive defeat. The Flyers fell to the Tar Heels by two points and Iowa State by five before dishing out an 85-67 hammering to the Huskies.
The Tigers eventually reached the Final Four before losing to SEC rival Florida, who captured the national championship. Auburn fell two wins shy of becoming the eighth team to win both a Maui title and a March Madness crown in the same season. North Carolina was the last program to check both boxes, beating Wisconsin in Maui and Gonzaga in the April title game in Arizona.
How did the Providence Friars do last season?
Providence went 0-3 at the Battle 4 Atlantis early in 2024-25, losing to Oklahoma, Davidson and Indiana in The Bahamas. The Friars were competitive in a 79-77 opening defeat before fading considerably in their next two games. Providence will take part in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego this season, battling Wisconsin in the opener and facing either Florida or TCU in its second game.
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The Friars went 12-20 overall last season before a roster and staff overhaul that included five transfers, four freshmen, two new assistants and a change in the basketball performance staff. Jason Edwards, Jaylin Sellers, Daquan Davis, Cole Hargrove, Duncan Powell, Jaylen Harrell, Jamier Jones, Stefan Vaaks, Peteris Pinnis, Bryan Tibaldi, Ryan Gomes and Shaun Brown have all been added. Davis was a former Providence signee who spent 2024-25 at Florida State and Gomes is a program legend who went on to an NBA career that lasted more than a decade.
Game times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. Visit friars.com for more information.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence College basketball to play in Maui Invitational in 2026
