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After BYU downed Southern Virginia 101-48 on Wednesday night, star guard Tyler Haws said playing in the Maui Invitational was a "business trip" for the Cougars.
But that doesn't mean BYU players won't have any fun on the island, either.
"Any time you can go to Hawaii, I think everybody is a bit happier," Haws said, having made the trip to Honolulu as a freshman when the Cougars played the University of Hawaii in 2009, an 83-65 win.
The Cougars left for Maui on Thursday, and on Friday they went snorkeling for a team activity. They are scheduled to hold their first practice in Maui on Friday afternoon. The tournament begins Monday night at 9:30 p.m. MST for them when they meet San Diego State at the Lahaina Civic Center.
"Then we have another practice around noon on Saturday," coach Dave Rose said. "Then obviously we will do our normal preparation for games on Sunday where we go to church, then get after it on Monday. Hopefully we are adjusted to the time and everything and ready to go."
The No. 16 Aztecs and Cougars will meet for the first time since Jimmer Fredette's senior season (2010-11), when BYU won the two regular-season games and SDSU won the MWC tournament final over the Brandon Davies-less Cougars.
"Really athletic," was coach Dave Rose's description after watching the first half of the SDSU-Utah game last Monday. "They can make a mistake defensively, and then correct it really quickly. And then they are great rebounders. It reminds me of the teams we use to compete against back when we were in the Mountain West Conference."
The Cougars might be a tad shorthanded. Backup point guard Skyler Halford was injured in the first minute of Wednesday's game.
"It is a hip issue, but it is the opposite hip [than the one that had been bothering him]," Rose said. "That's why he ended up not being able to go. He's already got one sore hip, and then when he dove for that ball the first minute of the game [he hurt the other]. Hopefully it is not a hip pointer, but we will watch it and see how it goes."
Meanwhile, point guard Kyle Collinsworth is expected to be able to play as much as any other player.
"This was the plan [all along]," Rose said. "When we came back from the doctor about two weeks ago, and they said he can play in that exhibition game, this is kinda how they set this thing up, that they wouldn't play this back to back [vs. SVU], and he is set for practice on Friday in Maui. We will treat him like it never happened, just let him go."
As for Haws, he was part of the BYU team that swept SDSU in 2009-10 as a freshman.
"I remember shaking Kawhi Leonard's hand and feeling like a little kid," he said. "I remember [SDSU had] tough guys that competed for 40 minutes, never gave up. But they are fun games to play in. I remember down at San Diego State, whole place was filled. We got a big win down there.
I heard about all the Jimmer games after I left. So I mean, they are just battles. It will be fun to play them again."