Maui Invitational coaches conference

An EA Sports Maui Invitational tournament representative said he thought today’s pre-tourney coaches press conference was one of the goofier sessions in recent years.

The best-known names at the podium — UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Kentucky’s John Calipari and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo — mixed in some humor to their standard thoughts about their teams and thoughts leading into the tournament.

So did Matt Mahar, the self-deprecating coach of Chaminade, the Division II host.

“Our overall record for this week is 1-0. We won the video game challenge last night,” Mahar said to the assembled media, earning the loudest laughs of the morning.

Play starts for real tomorrow morning.

The matchups are as follows:

>> Wichita State (1-0) vs. Connecticut (2-0), 10 a.m, ESPN2

>> Oklahoma (3-0) vs. Kentucky (2-0), 12:30 p.m., ESPN2

>> Michigan State (2-0) vs. Chaminade (3-0), 4:30 p.m., ESPNU

>> Virginia (2-1) vs. Washington (2-0), 7 p.m., ESPN2

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Back on Oahu, it was a day off from practice for the 4-0 Rainbow Warriors as they recover for Wednesday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The UH women (1-1) take on Oregon State (2-0) at 5 p.m. for a chance at the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic tournament title.