Michigan State, Kentucky Lead the Great Lineup For the Maui Invitational

Despite being an early tournament in the college basketball season, the Maui Invitational's prestige has made it a very important event. With great competition, good teams, and a great line up of teams, there is a lot of promise for the tournament to continue it's success this year.

Fronted by Kentucky and Michigan State, the 2010 Maui Invitational features Oklahoma, UConn, Washington, Virginia, and host Chaminade.

There are obviously a lot of things to look forward to in these early season match-ups. Here are a few:

Kentucky's Reloaded Roster

It's the John Calipari system, sign all of the best players and reload when all of your starters leave after one year. Last season, it lead to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament before losing to West Virginia in the Elite Eight.

This year, Kentucky brings in a fourth-generation point guard in Brandon Knight to follow in the footsteps of Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and last year's phenom, John Wall.

There is obviously a lot to prove for Calipari and the Wildcats early in this season as the new roster looks to show themselves on the national stage.

Michigan State Continues After Two Straight Final Fours

Tom Izzo is obviously one of the best coaches in the NCAA, and he has a loaded roster again this year after their Final Four appearance last season. Returning Draymond Green, Durrell Sumers, and Kalin Lucas, the Spartans are star-studded and ready for another great season.

The Maui Invitational just gives them an early chance to showcase the talent they have ready for the 2010-2011 campaign.

Connecticut Recovers From Last Season's Failure

Last year, neither North Carolina or UConn were in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in my lifetime. It was definitely a disappointing season for the Huskies with the recruiting violations showing up and Calhoun missing parts of the regular season.

This year isn't necessarily a do or die for Jim Calhoun because of his legacy and the success he has had in Connecticut, however, he needs to come out and make the tournament this year, at the least.

UConn fans will start to lose patience if they miss the March classic two years in a row.

So, the Maui Invitational definitely has it's stories for this year's go, and it will be a very interesting preseason tournament to watch. I can't wait to see it all play out.

This story was originally featured on www.sportshaze.com