Aztecs Put the Squeeze on Chaminade for 3^rd Place in Maui

By Brad Best

Watching a San Diego State match-up against Chaminade was probably expected by many, but instead of battling to stay out of last place, these two teams were fighting for a 3^rd place finish on the final day of the Maui Invitational. Both teams pulled big upsets on Monday before losing their second round games on Tuesday.

The Aztecs had an athletic advantage over Division II Chaminade, who plays host to the annual event. But the Aztecs failed to show any killer instinct and let a 10-point lead fall to just a point at halftime. Chaminade has proven the ability to hang around (just ask Villanova) and they certainly did so against San Diego State. The Aztecs went on a 9-0 run early in the second period and built up a lead of as much as 17 points before holding on for a 75-67 victory.

This game was certainly important for both programs but somewhat anti-climactic as well. Chaminade had already achieved its first tournament win in 11 years. And while their opening round victory over Villanova doesn’t match the significance of their historic triumph over Ralph Sampson and his Virginia teammates in 1982, it was all the success Chaminade could have hoped for. In similar fashion, San Diego State got their big win by defeating Ohio State on Monday. With neither team expected to finish better than 5^th, even a loss in this game meant going home in 4^th place.

Ohio State was ranked 21^st in the Sports Illustrated preseason scouting report and featured three returning starters. The teams played to a 32-32 tie at the halfway mark. The Aztecs were a mere 2-for-10 on two-point shots but their three-point shooting kept them in the game. Early in the second half the Aztecs went on a 21-1 run and never looked back. Brandon Heath and Wesley Stokes were red hot beyond the arc with Heath going 5-of-6 and Stokes shooting 4-for-6 on their three-point shots. Heath led all scorers with 28 points.

Aerick Sanders was named to the All-Tournament team. He averaged 14.3 points and 14.3 rebounds over the three games. The lone senior and only returning starter for the Aztecs put up career high totals against Dayton by scoring 21 points and collecting 18 rebounds. His single-game rebound total was only one shy of the Maui record shared by Nick Collison of Kansas and Michael Wright of Arizona.

Third place finishers in the Maui Invitational have a great track record. Eight of the last nine teams who took third in Maui went on to the NCAA tournament, the other going to the NIT. The last eight finished with 20 or more wins and scored at least one post-season victory.

During the summer, ESPN speculated that the Aztecs may take a rain check on this year’s Maui Invitational and opt to come back when they have a more proven team. This would also allow the tournament to invite a higher ranked team to bolster this year’s field. This speculation was fueled in part by the 2-in-4 rule being rescinded and the fact that the Aztecs lost four starters from last year’s team. But the expectations for this year’s Aztecs were probably based more on what’s missing from last year’s team and not on what they bring to the court this year.

The Aztecs hope this is a good omen for the rest of their season. Picked by many to finish sixth or seventh in the Mountain West Conference, the Aztecs could sneak up to third or fourth if they can continue to play aggressive defense and knock down three pointers.

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