The 2023 Maui Invitational NCAA basketball tournament will relocate to the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu from its usual home at the Lahaina Civic Center, organizers announced today.

The Maui Invitational is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 and will include a field of eight teams, including five that are in the top 10 of ESPN’s early preseason poll: Kansas, Purdue, Gonzaga, Tennessee and Marquette, they said. Perennial powerhouses Syracuse and UCLA and host Chaminade round out the field.

“While we have to move this year’s tournament off of Maui, we are determined to celebrate and honor the culture and traditions that make this event so special,” Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president of KemperSports LIVE, the operator of the Maui Invitational, said in a news release. “Throughout this process, we’ve seen the spirit of ohana in action. Thank you to Gov. Josh Green, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, and Mayor Richard Bissen as well as the staff at Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of Hawai’i at Manoa for working tirelessly with us to keep this year’s tournament in Hawaii.”

All previously purchased tickets will be honored and located in similar seats in the arena, the news release said.

The Lahaina Civic Center has served as a critical community hub for relief efforts in the aftermath of the Aug. 8 wildfires that devastated much of the historic seaside town, killing at least 115 people and destroying or damaging about 2,200 buildings, mostly residences.

“We are disappointed that we could not make the Lahaina Civic Center available for the Maui Invitational this year, but we are thankful the tournament is staying in Hawaii,” Bissen said in the news release. “We appreciate everything the Maui Invitational is doing to help Maui and its residents.”

Additional tickets will go on sale in early October at mauiinvitational.com. Fans who have previously purchased Tournament travel packages will be offered comparable travel packages with beach hotels in Honolulu, organizers said.