What a tremendous opportunity lies ahead for the Clemson Tigers. Not only are they hosting a beatable Auburn Tigers squad in the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge, but Brad Brownell's team will be taking part in this year's Maui Invitational. No matter how far Clemson goes in the tournament in Maui, it should be able to pick up a few Quad 1 or Quad 2 games in the non-conference part of the season.
Here is a look at the 2026 Maui Invitational bracket, as well as who Clemson may be playing in Hawaii.
Game | Team | Team | Date | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ole Miss Rebels | Clemson Tigers | Nov. 23 | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
2 | Washington Huskies | BYU Cougars | Nov. 23 | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
3 | VCU Rams | Providence Friars | Nov. 23 | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN U |
4 | Colorado State Rams | Arizona Wildcats | Nov. 23 | 11:30 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
5 | Game 1 winner | Game 2 winner | Nov. 24 | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN 2 |
6 | Game 3 winner | Game 4 winner | Nov. 24 | 5:00 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
7 | Game 1 loser | Game 2 loser | Nov. 24 | 8:00 p.m. ET | ESPN U |
8 | Game 3 loser | Game 4 loser | Nov. 24 | 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN U |
9 | Game 5 winner | Game 6 winner | Nov. 25 | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
10 | Game 5 loser | Game 6 loser | Nov. 25 | 5:30 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
11 | Game 7 winner | Game 8 winner | Nov. 25 | 10:00 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
12 | Game 7 loser | Game 8 loser | Nov. 26 | 12:30 a.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
As you can see, Clemson will take on the Ole Miss Rebels in Game 1 of the Maui Invitational. The Tigers would then face the winner, or loser, of Game 2 between the Washington Huskies and the BYU Cougars in their second game of the tournament, depending on the outcome, of course. Since all eight teams are guaranteed to play three games, Clemson's last opponent is much more up in the air.
The Tigers would either play Arizona, Colorado State, Providence, or VCU in their final game in Maui.
These are exactly the type of teams Brownell should have on the non-conference schedule annually.
Maui Invitational gives Brad Brownell the non-conference boost he needs
With Brownell having been targeted for other more high-profile jobs in recent years, it has been left up for debate how competitive he wants Clemson's basketball schedule to be in the non-conference. While his Tigers have been regular participants in the NCAA Tournament of late, the Tigers usually bow out in the first weekend of the tournament. Getting a better seed in the tournament should help.
Regardless of where Clemson resides in and around the bubble at this point of the summer, the Tigers can make up some serious ground with its three-game allotment over in Maui. Just look at the seven other teams playing there. Yes, these games will all be neutral-site affairs, but five of the seven teams Clemson could face hail from the Power Five. Colorado State and VCU are strong mid-majors.
To put it bluntly, as long as Clemson does not go 0-for-3 in its games in Hawaii, a win or two could help boost the Tigers' resume come tournament time. Arizona may be the team to beat among this octet, but there is a non-zero chance any and all of these teams could end up making the NCAA Tournament. Again, they were all selected to be part of this group from mostly different conferences.
While Arizona and BYU will have bigger fish to fry when it comes to Big 12 play, a non-conference win over a Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, or SEC for the Tigers should matter. Getting potentially a tournament team out the A-10 in VCU or the recently revamped Pac-12 in Colorado State could help as well. At the end of the day, it is all about putting together the best resume possible for the NCAA Tournament.
If Clemson is a high-end ACC team again, how the Tigers do in Maui could determine their seeding.
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