By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Lahaina, Hawaii — The North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team will play the Dayton Flyers in the first round of the 2024 Maui Invitational, the school announced Tuesday.

The game is scheduled for Nov. 25 at 11:30 p.m. Eastern.

It is UNC’s first appearance in the tournament since 2020, when it was played in Asheville. UNC is 20-4 all-time in the event with four championships. The Tar Heels have advanced to the Final Four each time it has won the tournament (1999-2000, 2004-05, 2008-09, 2016-17).

The three-day tournament runs from Nov. 25-27 at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii. Tickets go on sale at 3 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug. 29.

Auburn, Colorado, Iowa State, Memphis, Michigan State and back-to-back national champion UConn will also play in this year’s tournament.

Here are the other first-round matchups:

• UConn/Memphis
• Michigan State/Colorado
• Auburn/Iowa State

UNC will play Auburn or Iowa State in its second game.

All 12 games of the Maui Invitational will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Memphis is the lone team in the 2024 Maui Invitational that didn’t make the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Three teams – Iowa State, North Carolina and UConn – made the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

All eight teams in the 2024 field have played in the Maui Invitational before at least once, with North Carolina making the most previous trips at eight. The Tar Heels have won the tournament four times, most recently in 2016.

Teams that have participated in the Maui Invitational throughout the event’s history have won 72 of the 83 NCAA Championships, and seven of those schools have gone on to win the National Championship after competing in Maui earlier in the season.

The Tar Heels will play at the University of Hawaii on Nov. 22 en route to Maui and return to Chapel Hill to host Alabama on Dec. 4 in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

UNC tips off its season on Nov. 4 against Elon.

2024-25 non-conference schedule

Nov. 4 vs. Elon

Nov. 8 at Kansas

Nov. 15 vs. American

Nov. 22 at Hawaii

Nov. 25 vs. Dayton (Maui Invitational), 11:30 p.m.

Nov. 26 vs. Auburn or Iowa State (Maui Invitational), 8 p.m. or 11 p.m.

Nov. 27 vs. TBD (Maui Invitational)

Dec. 4 vs. Alabama (ACC/SEC Challenge)

Dec. 14 vs. La Salle

Dec. 17 vs. Florida (in Charlotte, Jumpman Invitational)

Dec. 21 vs. UCLA (in New York City, CBS Sports Classic), 3 p.m.

Dec. 29 vs. Campbell

Source: wralsportsfan.com