Pair of Exhibition Games Set To Raise Money for Maui

A pair of Big Ten teams will play public exhibition games to raise money for wildlife relief funds for Maui.

Earlier this week it was announced that Michigan State and Tennessee will play a charity exhibition on October 29 at the Breslin Center. All proceeds from the game will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund to help provide financial resources to the relief efforts.

“The Maui Invitational and the city of Lahaina have always held a special place in my heart,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. “The images we’ve all seen and the stories we’ve heard following the wildfires have touched so many of us in the college basketball world and I know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have been affected.”

The exhibition game is set to replace what was supposed to be a closed door scrimmage between the two teams.

Also raising money for Maui will be Illinois and Kansas, with the two teams also set to play in a public exhibition game to raise money for the ongoing relief efforts.

Like Michigan State and Tennessee, this game was supposed to be a closed door scrimmage before the decision to make it a charity exhibition to raise money for Maui.

“It is heartbreaking to see the loss of life and devastation from the fires that have ravaged Lahaina,” Illini head coach Brad Underwood said. “The Maui Invitational is an integral part of college basketball, and we are thinking of everyone on the island of Maui who have felt the impact of this tragedy. Bill and I talked immediately about how we could come together to help, and turning our closed scrimmage into a charity exhibition is a way we can use our sport to make an impact. The spotlight of this game, heightened by Bill’s return to Champaign, should raise meaningful dollars that will go directly to help the community of Lahaina.”