The tournament began because of what is considered the greatest upset in the history of college basketball. On December 23, 1982, Chaminade, then an NAIA school (now NCAA Division II), defeated #1 Virginia which included Ralph Sampson, in Hawaii. Today the tournament provides schools an opportunity to compete on a neutral court with some of the top basketball programs in the country. Associated Press college basketball editor Jim O'Connell calls the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, "the best in-season tournament in the country – the standard by which all others are compared."