Coach Rose always talks about attacking and playing at our pace. I think if we can play on attack on both ends of the floor, I like our chances. – Tyler Haws
LAHAINA, Hawaii — For BYU guard Tyler Haws, playing in the Maui Invitational — famous for sun, surf and hoops — is both an honor and an opportunity.
“It means a lot. You grow up watching (the Maui) tournament. It’s a really big preseason tournament,” Haws said. “We’re happy to be a part of it, but we want to win games, too. We know the challenge ahead of us. We think we can compete with anyone. We’ve been looking forward to it and building up to this point.”
The Cougars face No. 16 San Diego State Monday (9:30 p.m. MST, ESPN2) at the Lahaina Civic Center in the Maui Invitational.
The winner will likely meet Pittsburgh Tuesday.
While the Lahaina Civic Center is a small gym, seating just 2,400, the Maui Invitational is a big stage. The field also features No. 2 Arizona, Kansas State, Purdue, Missouri and host Chimanade.
“It’s a great, great field,” said SDSU coach Steve Fisher. “I think this tournament will produce multiple NCAA tournament participants, and it has a chance to produce some folks to not only get in, but make deep advances.”
BYU coach Dave Rose knows this experience will help his team now, and in the future.
“I’m excited for the guys. The thing you want to do as a coach is give your team an opportunity,” Rose said. “If they play well and they can win games, the season can turn out to be something really special. That’s what these tournaments allow you to do. We’ll prepare hard and our guys will get a scouting report and hopefully give these guys an opportunity to do something special."
Last November, BYU competed in the College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City — beating Texas and falling to Wichita State. Playing those teams bolstered the Cougars' nonconference resume, and was a key factor in BYU receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in March.
“You’ve got to take advantage of these opportunities,” Rose said.
Monday, BYU (3-0) will take on an SDSU (3-0) team that has proved its defensive prowess, but has struggled offensively.
While the Cougars have opened the season by scoring at least 90 points in their first three games, the Aztecs have scored 53 and 51 points, respectively, in their last two games.
San Diego State held off Utah, 53-49, last Tuesday in San Diego, and then shot 24.5 percent from the field in a 51-27 win over against Cal State Bakersfield last Friday.
“They always have really, really good athletes,” Haws said. “I think their style fits our style. They want to push the ball. It’s an up-tempo game. We like that challenge. We like when teams want to do that. We’re ready to go.”
The way San Diego State plays under Fisher hasn’t changed since BYU used to play the Aztecs yearly when the Cougars belonged to the Mountain West Conference.
“They look very similar to the way when we played years ago,” Rose said. “Steve continues to put his teams together the same way, where they’re really long and really athletic and a great rebounding (team). The key to this game will be being able to rebound missed shots. If we can rebound missed shots, then we’ll have a chance to stay in the game.”
What's the key to beating SDSU?
“Coach Rose always talks about attacking and playing at our pace,” Haws said. “I think if we can play on attack on both ends of the floor, I like our chances.”