Hawk Opponent, Chaminade, to Open Season Against NCAA Runner-up, UCLA

NEW PALTZ — The SUNY New Paltz men’s basketball team will take on Division II Chaminade University on December 31, 2006 in Honolulu, Hawaii at 2 p.m (H-AT) or 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Chaminade, who was regionally ranked last season at number four by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Division II West Region, finished the year with their first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and an 18-8 regular season record.
The Chaminade Silverswords will open their season Nov. 20-22 as the host of the 2006 EA Sports Maui Invitational which will take place at Maui’s Lahaina Civic Center. Chaminade will be the only Division II institution joining seven NCAA Division I teams to vie for the coveted Maui crown in hopes of joining the lineup of past champions, including Connecticut (2005), North Carolina (2004), Dayton (2003), Indiana (2002), Duke (2001) and Arizona (2000).
Chaminade faces 11-time national champion and 2006 NCAA runner-up, UCLA, in the opening round of the tournament. The winner of the UCLA-Chaminade game will advance to a semifinal against the winner of the Kentucky-DePaul first-round game.
ESPN will televise all 12 games of the tournament on one of its networks.