Tip-Off: The Chicago State University men's basketball kicks off the South Padre Island Invitational Saturday night with its first contest of the tournament against No. 23 BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah with the tip-off set for 9 p.m., central time.
Scouting Chicago State: Chicago State heads into Utah sporting a season record of 1-2 and is in the middle of a seven-game road swing that lasts through early December. The Cougars opened this week's slate Wednesday night at Notre Dame, falling to the host Fighting Irish by a score of 102-62 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Senior guard Christian Wall (New Orleans, LA/John Ehret) leads four CSU players averaging in double figures as he currently averages 15.7 points and three steals per game. Senior forward Hajji Martin (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) is averaging 12 points a game, while sophomore guard/forward Victor Scott (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) averages 11.3 points per contest, and senior forward Carl Montgomery (Chicago, IL/Shepard) has averaged 11 points a game to go along with team-high averages of 9.7 rebounds and one block per game.
Scouting BYU: Ranked 23 rd in this week's Associated Press poll, BYU brings a 2-0 mark on the young season into the South Padre Island Invite opener after edging in-state rival Utah State Wednesday night at home by a score of 78-72 on Wednesday night. Senior All-American guard Jimmer Fredette, who scored 26 points versus Utah State, leads the Cougars with averages of 25 points, 6.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Junior forward Noah Hartsock is second on the team in scoring at 18 points per contest.
Series History: Saturday's contest marks the second time in history that Chicago State and BYU have met on the basketball court. The BYU Cougars captured the teams' first-ever meeting on Dec. 12, 1987 during the Cougar Classic in Provo, winning the matchup by a score of 91-60.
Up Next: The western portion of CSU's road swing continues as it heads to Moraga, Calif., on Nov. 23 to battle St. Mary's in the second game of the South Padre Island Invitational. The opening tip is scheduled for 9:30 p.m., central time.
