The Maui Invitational 2026 bracket is live. The official 2026 Southwest Maui Invitational opens Monday, November 23, with Ole Miss and Clemson at 9:30 a.m. HST, followed by Washington and BYU at noon. VCU and Providence play at 4 p.m., and Colorado State and Arizona close the first round at 6:30 p.m. All 12 games take place at the Lahaina Civic Center through Wednesday, November 25.

The bracket turns a general Thanksgiving-week trip into a real schedule. A school-specific Booster ticket means one game each day. All-tournament access means four games a day and very little room for a second Maui itinerary. The official ticket page separates ticket-only access from travel packages and explains the later all-day and single-game release paths.

Our rule is to decide whether this is a basketball-first trip or a Maui-first trip before checkout. That choice should control the ticket, lodging, and rest-of-week plan, not the other way around.

Monday, November 23: Ole Miss vs. Clemson at 9:30 a.m.; Washington vs. BYU at noon; VCU vs. Providence at 4 p.m.; Colorado State vs. Arizona at 6:30 p.m. The morning pair and late-day pair create two natural arena blocks. A fan following one school can build around a single tipoff. An all-tournament buyer should treat Monday as a full venue day.

Tuesday, November 24: the consolation games begin at 9:30 a.m. and noon. The semifinals follow at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Your team's first-round result decides its Tuesday path, so do not attach a nonrefundable activity to a guessed game time.

Wednesday, November 25: the fifth-place game starts at 9:30 a.m., the seventh-place game at noon, the championship at 5 p.m., and the third-place game at 7:30 p.m. The organizer lists every tipoff in Hawaiʻi time and says times can change. Recheck the bracket before travel and again after Monday's results.

The useful pattern is simple. Morning games leave the late afternoon open. Evening games leave room for a slow morning near your West Maui base. The noon and 3 p.m. windows split the day badly; keep those days local instead of forcing a cross-island outing.

Ticket-only buyers can follow one school through its three games or buy access to all 12 tournament games. The tournament's official ticket page sends buyers to TickPick and says digital tickets become available in the buyer's account starting October 22. The TickPick app will hold the entry QR code; the organizer says screenshots, printouts, and confirmation emails will not work at the gate.

If a three-game or all-tournament package is more ticket than you need, watch the later release path. The organizer says individual all-day tickets may go on sale closer to the tournament if inventory remains. Single-game tickets are planned for the Lahaina Civic Center box office on November 20, also subject to availability. Waiting creates flexibility, not certainty.

Travel packages are a separate path through tournament partner MCI. The official page describes school-specific Booster Packages for three games and All-Tournament Packages for all 12, with accommodations and other travel benefits. Standard packages use general-admission seating in the South Grandstands; assigned reserved bleachers and courtside chairs are upgrades. Ask about current inventory and terms before paying.

If you need West Maui lodging, plan to follow a specific team, or want a tournament travel package, we would make those decisions early. Thanksgiving week leaves little room for a casual, last-minute plan, especially if you need a particular room type, condo, or hotel-points redemption.

Take a travel package if following your team is the point of the trip and the included lodging works for you. The tournament homepage says 2026 travel packages include five nights at a host resort and game-day shuttle service. The package page says its August 3 balance date has passed and packages are now fully nonrefundable. Confirm the hotel, seating, shuttle pickup, and current inventory with MCI before paying.

Build independently if a particular condo, flexible booking, or Maui time outside the arena matters more than a bundle. Reserve lodging and transportation first, then choose a three-game team ticket or all-tournament access. Keep beach tours and long drives off tournament days until you have confirmed the bracket and tip times. Monitor the official tournament site for updates.

For a tournament-focused stay, start your lodging search in Kāʻanapali or the broader Lahaina and Kāʻanapali region. This keeps the Lahaina Civic Center close and puts West Maui beaches and restaurants within easy reach. Consider Kapalua or Nāpili if you prefer a northwest-Maui stay and are comfortable with more driving.

South Maui can fit a vacation built around Wailea or Kīhei beach time. For a trip built around games, West Maui keeps the daily plan tighter. From South Maui, allow time for the drive before tipoff and again after the game.

Ticket-only buyers still need a complete transportation plan for the airport, each game, and off-site days. Travel-package buyers should confirm the resort pickup point and shuttle timetable with MCI. Everyone else should decide how they will cover those trips before choosing whether to rent a car. Compare current rates through Discount Hawaii Car Rental.

For a five-night tournament trip, arrive before the first game, stay through championship day, and give yourself at least one non-game day on either side. Treat a Haleakalā sunrise, Road to Hāna day, or Molokini boat tour as a full-day commitment when building around a game. Check your specific tip time, departure point, and operator return schedule before adding one.

Keep one easy West Maui day in the plan. Kāʻanapali Beach, Black Rock, Kahekili Beach Park, Nāpili Bay, and Kapalua Bay can fit before a later game, depending on your tipoff, traffic, and ocean conditions. For a broader island plan, use the West Maui itinerary and the Maui visitor guide to decide what belongs outside the tournament window.

Save the confirmed game times and off-court plans together in My Trip. Once Monday's games finish, update Tuesday and Wednesday instead of rebuilding the whole week from memory.

We treat respectful travel as practical direction, not boilerplate. Lahaina is a lived-in community, not a disaster-tourism stop. Follow posted closures and restrictions without trying to find a workaround.

Spend with locally owned West Maui businesses that are open, avoid disaster sightseeing, and keep your schedule flexible around traffic and community needs. The tournament asks visitors to support local businesses and stay away from fire-affected areas. Before arrival, check the official tournament site, along with your hotel and activity providers, for current event-day and access instructions. Our Thanksgiving in Hawaiʻi guide covers the broader holiday-week planning layer, while the Maui events in November page keeps the month-level event context.