Three 2010 Maui Teams in Sweet 16

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Three 2010 Maui Teams in Sweet 16
March 23, 2010

FOR IMMEDAITE RELEASE

EA SPORTS Maui Invitational Teams Annually Claim Postseason Victory

2010 Maui field boasts three 2010 NCAA Sweet 16 Participants

MAUI, Hawaii, March 22, 2010 – The EA SPORTS^TM Maui Invitational^®Hosted by Chaminade University furthered the Tournament's reputation for perennial field strength as three teams that will play in Maui in November have advanced in to the Sweet 16: Kentucky, Michigan State and Washington.

Four of seven Division I teams in the Tournament's 2009 field, Gonzaga, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt and Maryland, also received bids to the 2010 NCAA Tournament, emphasizing the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational's reputation as a barometer for postseason success. Overall, EA SPORTS Maui Invitational participants comprise a remarkable 202 of 272 Final Four teams, 52 of 68 national runner-up spots and 52 of 68 NCAA champions.

In addition to on-court success, 2009 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational teams have been awarded high honors since their time in Lahaina. Gonzaga's Head Coach Mark Few was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District 9 Coach of the Year. Few steered Gonzaga to a 10th straight West Coast Conference regular-season championship. Maryland's head coach, Gary Williams, was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year. This marks the second league-level award for Williams, who won in 2002 before guiding the Terrapins to the NCAA championship. Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was honored by Southeastern Conference coaches with the Coach of the Year award, his second in 11 years with the Commodores.

Gonzaga's senior Matt Bouldin, 2009 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational All-Tournament Co-MVP, was named a candidate for the John R. Wooden Award and was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. Joining Bouldin on the all-league team was his teammate and Maui Co-MVP, Steven Gray.

The 2010 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational will celebrate a powerhouse year as Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wichita State and host Chaminade University of Honolulu vie for the coveted early-season title Nov. 22-24 at Maui's Lahaina Civic Center.

Visit the official Tournament Web site at mauiinvitational.com or contact Oahu Travel, official travel agent of the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, at 800.826.3822, for more information. Ticket and travel packages for 2010 are now on sale.

About KemperSports
KemperSports Marketing & Communications, an affiliate of Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports, is a sports marketing, events and public relations agency, which has produced and managed major national and international events and communications programs, including the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational college basketball tournament, numerous PGA TOUR events and The Art of Food & Wine Palm Desert. For more information, visit www.kempersports.com.

About Our Sponsors
EA SPORTSÔ, the world's leading interactive entertainment software company and developer of the top-selling NCAA® Basketball 10 videogame, has been the title sponsor of the Maui Invitational since 2001. Other tournament sponsors include the Maui Visitors Bureau, County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation, Hawaii Tourism Authority, adidas, and GEICO. The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa, Sheraton Maui Resort and Spa and Westin Maui Resort & Spa, all located in the beautiful Ka'anapali Beach resort area, serve as host hotels for the thousands of fans and boosters who annually accompany their teams to Maui. KemperSports has operated the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational since 1990.

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TOURNAMENT DATES

November 22-24, 2010