Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Monday, November 20, 2000
LAHAINA, Maui -- Top-ranked Arizona, playing without preseason All-America Loren Woods, opened its season today with a 97-57 victory over Chaminade in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. No miracle
for ChaminadeDespite not having Loren
Woods in lineup, No. 1
Arizona romps in today's
Maui Invitational opener, 97-57By Jim O'Connell
Associated PressWoods, a 7-foot-1 senior center, did not make the trip with the team after being suspended for six games for an undisclosed NCAA violation.
The Wildcats didn't miss him against the Division II Silverswords, playing their first game under coach Aaron Greiss.
Arizona, which finished second in its two previous Maui Invitational appearances, advanced to tomorrow's semifinals and faces the winner of the game between No. 13 Connecticut and Dayton.
Richard Jefferson had 16 points to lead the Wildcats, while Michael Wright and Gilbert Arenas had 15 each, Eugene Edgerson had 13 and Jason Gardner 12.
Wright set a tournament record with 19 rebounds as the Wildcats finished with a 57-28 advantage on the boards. He broke the record of 18 rebounds set by Ron Reis of Santa Clara against Iowa State in 1990.
C.J. Cowgill had 16 points and Robert Watson added 14 for the Silverswords.
Arizona used its size and speed advantage to take control with a 19-0 run in the first half, taking a 29-8 lead with 10:09 to play. Jefferson had seven points in the run, which saw Chaminade go scoreless for 6:46. Arizona led 51-27 at halftime.
A 16-2 run in the second half, capped by a 3-pointer by Jefferson, gave the Wildcats an 81-44 lead with 9:05 remaining. They went on to lead by as many as 41 points.
The last time Chaminade played a No. 1-ranked team was in 1982 when it beat Virginia, led by center Ralph Sampson, 77-72.
The loss dropped the Silverswords record to 3-44 in the 17 years it has served as host of the tournament.
Wildcats stay No. 1: It's as close as it can be at the top of The Associated Press college basketball poll.
Arizona, one of only three ranked teams not to have played in the opening 11 days of the season, was still No. 1 in the Top 25 today, but the Wildcats' lead over Duke was down to one point.
Duke (2-0), which beat Princeton and Villanova to advance to the semifinals of the Preseason NIT, was 16 points behind in the first poll of the regular season.
Arizona received 33 first-place votes and 1,654 points from the national media panel, while Duke was No. 1 on 30 ballots. Last week Arizona had 35 first-place votes, 14 more than Duke.
Kansas (3-0), which beat North Dakota 92-61 in its only game last week, moved up one place to third, while Michigan State (1-0), which opened its season Sunday with a 97-61 victory over Oakland, Mich., dropped one spot to fourth. The Spartans received four first-place votes.
For the second straight week Stanford, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, Tennessee and Seton Hall were ranked fifth through 10th.
Maryland, which also opened it season today in the Maui Invitational, was the only other team to get a first-place vote.
Maui Invitational
Where: Lahaina Civic Center.
Arizona vs. Chaminade, 9 a.m.;
Connecticut vs. Dayton, 11 a.m.
Maryland vs. Louisville, 4 p.m.
Illinois vs. UNLV, 6:30 p.m. .
Consolation games, 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Championship games, 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Seventh place, 9 a.m.
Fifth place, 11 a.m.
Third place, 4 p.m.
Championship, 6:30 p.m.