Fun, sun and some hoops in paradise

UNC seeks Maui Invitational title

LAHAINA, Hawaii -- Even after he retires, North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams figures he'll return to Hawaii every few Novembers to play its top-ranked golf courses.

But these days, he keeps coming back because of its top-rated teams.

Once again, the Maui Invitational, which begins Monday, features one of the strongest fields of the early-season tournaments. This time, No. 1 UNC, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame are among the eight teams that will compete for the title -- and for the chance to determine now just how they'll need to improve in order to compete for the national championship trophy in April.

"Generally feeling, I've been to Maui every four years that I could go because it's the best tournament, best setting," Williams said.

And that has to do with more than the fresh pineapple, fragrant plumeria and warm sand beaches.

Dave Gavitt, the former Big East commissioner and now the Maui Invitational tournament chairman, at times looks out four years in advance "to put together the most competitive, toughest field that I can get. You can't always do that every year, but I'm trying; that's my goal."

It's getting harder, especially because the number of tournaments has grown from roughly 10 to more than four dozen since the NCAA passed a rule in 2006 allowing schools to play in one every year.

Potential entrants have more choices -- including playing in tournaments that include one or more home games before they reach a neutral site, such as Duke did in the 2K Sports Classic this month.

And some teams, such as N.C. State this year, choose not to play in a holiday tournament altogether because the extra early games can cause extra wear and tear, especially if players are mending from injuries.

"We just didn't want to get into it too early,'' said Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe, whose team won the Old Spice Classic in Orlando last Thanksgiving.

Still, for teams who do want to "get into it," this is a competitive place.

Over the past decade, four Maui champions have gone on to reach the Final Four the same season, including UNC in 1999-2000 and 2004-05 (when the Heels won the national title).

"It's going to be a good tournament," UNC senior Danny Green said during the preseason. "It's going to be a good test for us ... let us see where we are. And it's Hawaii, so it's going to be a lot of fun."

Foraging for a field

How does Gavitt put it all together?

Chaminade, the host school and UNC's first opponent, gets a slot every year. He chooses one team from each of the six major conferences, then adds a team with a rich basketball tradition, such as St. Joe's this year, to make up the eight-member field.

Teams are allowed to play in Maui only once every four years under NCAA rules, so Gavitt tries to lock in traditional powerhouse draws, such as North Carolina, Duke (which won the invite last year), Kansas and UCLA, first. Then he tries to project which other teams will be good by the time their year for the tournament rolls around.

"You're betting on the pedigree -- a Duke, Carolina type pedigree -- or you're betting on the jockey,'' Gavitt said. "You're betting that if Gary Williams is at Maryland, they're going to be good. If John Thompson III is at Georgetown, they're going to be good."

The teams, meanwhile, are betting on that too -- which is why Gavitt gets plenty of calls from schools that want to get on the waiting list to play here.

After all, it's a good deal, despite the problems with the economy:

* ESPN televises the games, which means the schools get to be seen three more times.