After riding the 3-ball into third place with a pair of wins last weekend, the Chico State men’s basketball team will play host to the two teams it’s tied for third place with this weekend. Cal State Dominguez Hills will visit Acker Gym Friday and Cal State L.A. will be in town Saturday for the most important home weekend in years for the Wildcats.
Both games, scheduled to tip off at approximately 7:30 p.m., will be aired locally on Newstalk 1290-AM KPAY with Mike Baca handling the play-by-play; the broadcast will also be streamed online through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live Stats for both contests will also be available online.
Chico State is 11-3 overall and, like Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A., 5-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Wildcats are off to a 7-0 home start for the third time ever and first time since the 1997-98. That team rocketed to a school-record 9-0 start at home. This isn’t just one of the best home starts in Chico State history; it’s one of the best overall starts. Not since the 1944-45 campaign has a Wildcats team won as many as 11 of its first 14 games. The 1938-39 ’Cats started 11-3 as well. Only the 1927-28 and 1940-41 teams started faster at 12-2.
The 3-point shot has been a boon during the Wildcats’ fast start. They lead the league in 3-pointers made (110) and rank second in threes per game (7.9). And by hitting 20-of-41 from distance last weekend, they improved to 7-0 when making at least 30 percent from beyond the arc.
But that will be no easy task this weekend. Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. stand along side Chico State among the CCAA’s top four defenses in terms of points allowed. In fact, Cal State L.A. (9-3 overall) leads the league in points allowed (54.3), field goal percentage defense (.357), and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.263). Cal State Dominguez Hills (6-4) ranks fourth in points allowed and field-goal percentage defense and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Chico State ranks second in 3-point percentage defense (.304) and third in scoring defense (57.8). The Wildcats, attempting to be the first Chico State team to limit opponents to fewer than 60 points per game since 1951, have held all but one opponent to below their season average in scoring. And each of the team’s last six opponents have fallen at least 10 points shy of their season average.
They’ll rely heavily on that defense once again this weekend in trying to do something they could not do last season – beat Cal State Dominguez Hills and/or Cal State L.A. The shot a combined 55 percent while beating Chico State three times last season – each time by double digits – and have won seven of the last eight and 11 of the last 13 meetings to even the all-time series at 16 games apiece. The Toros have won their last three games in Chico by an average of 18 points.
Cal State L.A., which leads the all-time series 18-13, swept the season series from the Wildcats last season, winning 71-62 in L.A. and then 71-53 in Chico. They used a combined plus-14 rebound margin in doing so.
But the Wildcats are performing better in almost every category this season, including rebounding, where they rank 19th in the nation with an average margin of plus-7.1. And they are relishing the opportunity to put together the program’s best season in recent history. Since Chico State joined the CCAA in 1998-99, the men’s basketball team’s best finish has been a tie for third.
