Upset in AWC Tournament Is There for CSUN’s Taking

As long as the Cal State Northridge basketball team isn’t overconfident--could a 7-19 team possibly be?--the Matadors will have a chance in their American West Conference tournament opener tonight against Southern Utah at Matador Gym.

Northridge has played two of its best games of the season against the Thunderbirds (13-13), losing in overtime at Cedar City and winning by a remarkable 21 points at Northridge.

The teams met in the championship game of the tournament last season at Southern Utah, with the Thunderbirds winning on a last-second jumper by Reggie Ingram.

Tonight’s game, which begins at 8, will be for a chance to play in the final Saturday against regular-season champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (15-12) or Cal State Sacramento (7-19), which will meet at 3 p.m. today.

All games in the men’s and women’s tournaments will be played at Matador Gym.

In the women’s draw, last-place Northridge (5-21) will open against Southern Utah (15-11) at 5:30. Sacramento (9-17) will play Cal Poly (5-21) in the day’s first game, at 12:30 p.m.

The women’s championship game will be at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The men’s final will follow at 7:30.

No NCAA tournament bids are on the line because the AWC does not have enough teams to qualify for an automatic bid.

Although the Northridge men’s team has had a forgettable season, the Matadors would seem to have a reasonable chance in the tournament based on the way they have played against the Thunderbirds.

Point guard Trenton Cross has scored 36 points in two games against Southern Utah. In Northridge’s victory against the Thunderbirds, Cross (20 points), Josh Willis (22) and Rod Stinson (11) hit their personal highs.

Southern Utah’s Ingram and Don Faux, a 6-foot-10 center, have done the most damage to the Matadors this season. Ingram scored 33 points in the two games and Faux added 29 and 26 rebounds.

The Northridge women’s team does not match up as well with Southern Utah, which has gone 12-0 in two seasons of AWC play. In contrast, the Matadors are 1-11.