HONOLULU – After facing three Division I heavyweights in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Las Vegas, the Chaminade University men's basketball jumps right back into Division II competition.
However, it is not just an ordinary D-II opponent; it is top-ranked team in Lubbock Christian University, which visits McCabe Gymnasium on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
The Chaps, 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in both NABC Coaches and D2SIDA Media polls, have won both contests against the Hawai'i Division II squads. On Wednesday, LCU rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 19 Hawai'i Hilo, 72-66, and on Thursday, cruised past Hawai'i Pacific, 76-50.
Lubbock Christian is Chaminade's highest ranked opponent in
Eric Bovaird's 11-year tenure as head coach. The Chaps are also the highest ranked foe the program has faced since BYU-Hawai'i was third in February 2009.
Through their history, the Silverswords have clashed against No. 1-ranked foes twice before. On Nov. 20, 2000, the 'Swords faced Arizona in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Naturally, the most talked about No. 1 was on Dec. 23, 1984, when Chaminade stamped itself on the basketball map forever after its win over Virginia, still considered to be among the biggest upsets in sports history.
Strangely enough, Lubbock Christian is the first Division II opponent ranked in the top spot Chaminade has faced since the school became a full-time D-II program in 1990.
