By Jim O'Connell
The Associated Press

LAHAINA, Hawaii - There was one hot topic of discussion the day before the Maui Invitational got under way.

It wasn't the tournament field because having three ranked teams is nothing new. Last year's eight-team tournament had three teams ranked in the top five.

It wasn't the weather. Sunday was sunny and in the 80s like almost every other day on the island many consider a paradise.

It wasn't even the arrival of the 600 or so fans who came with Kentucky. This is their third trip here in the last 10 years and the locals have become accustomed to seeing rental cars adorned with blue flags bearing the letter "K."

What was on everybody's mind was the news that the Lahaina Civic Center is now air-conditioned.

That may not seem like such hot news to many, but to those who have sat in a building filled with many more people than the listed capacity of 2,500, and under lights added for television it is news worthy of heralds.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard about the air conditioning," said Massachusetts coach Steve Lappas, who won this tournament with Villanova in 1995. "I guess the heat was part of the ambiance of the tournament but I'm glad it's going to be cooler."

The Maui Invitational starts Monday with Virginia playing Chaminade in a matchup of the teams involved 20 years ago in college basketball's biggest upset ever, followed by Massachusetts against No. 22 Indiana, Arizona State against No. 17 Kentucky and Utah against No. 21 Gonzaga.

How hot it was in the Lahaina Civic Center was always a lighthearted matter for the most part until last year's event when players were cramping so severely they had to be carried off the court while others were slipping, some in spectacular falls.

"I was watching last year on TV when they had some problems," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said, referring to the tournament that featured No. 1 Duke, No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 UCLA. "I'm sure this will alleviate some of that and the air conditioning will be a help. I did sweat quite a bit the last time we were here."

That would have been 1997, Smith's first season at Kentucky and one that finished with the Wildcats winning the national championship.

Kentucky will again dominate the crowds at the games with a couple of planeloads of supporters making the trip, just as in 1993 when the Wildcats won it all, and 1997 when they finished third after losing to Arizona in the semifinals.

This will be the third time Rick Majerus has taken Utah to the Maui Invitational. The Utes lost in the semifinals in 1994 and '98.

"I'm an open-air guy myself," Majerus said when asked about the addition of the air conditioning. "I sweated through my Aloha shirt big time both times so I'm happy for the air."

How much of a difference can the air conditioning - which cost $100,000, with the tournament and county splitting the tab - make? At one of the practices on Saturday, ESPN analyst Bill Raftery used a towel as an impromptu shawl.

The Chaminade-Virginia game comes one month short of the 20th anniversary of the Silverswords' 77-72 victory over the top-ranked Cavaliers and three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson.

"Because of what happened that day we know the impossible can happen," Chaminade coach Aaron Greis said. "That was an unbelievable feat and we will try to repeat it again."

Chaminade, the host school for this tournament which is sponsored by EA Sports, was an NAIA program in 1982. Now it plays in the NCAA's Division II.

Virginia coach Pete Gillen said with the all the attention being paid to the anniversary he feels like "Davy Crockett getting a tour of the Alamo."

"We're a good team but we are nowhere near what the team was in 1982," he said.

The semifinals are Tuesday and the championship game will be played Wednesday night.