LA JOLLA, Calif. – During the rosiest of seasons for the Chico State men’s basketball team, Sonoma State has been the thorn. The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Wildcats’ 23 wins are tied for the second most in the program’s 96-year history. Their .793 winning percentage is the second highest ever among 20-win teams. And at No. 5 in the West Region, the Wildcats are almost sure to earn an NCAA Championship Tournament invitation for the first time since 2005 and the 10th time ever.
The Wildcats are 23-4 against everybody else. Against Sonoma State, they’re 0-2.
The Seawolves beat Chico State 61-54 on Dec. 19 in Rohnert Park, holding the Wildcats to 32-percent shooting in what was their fifth road game in 19 days. The Wildcats were also coming off their first win since 1998 against Humboldt State in Arcata.
No such excuses were available when Sonoma State beat the Wildcats again on Jan. 27 in Chico, handing them one of just two home losses this season and one of their three losses in the last 19 games, 62-59. They held Chico State without a field goal over the game’s final 6:43 and erased a five-point lead with a late 9-0 run.
That win evened the all-time series between these long-time rivals at 41 games apiece.
That tie will be broken when the teams face off in the CCAA Championship Tournament semifinals Friday afternoon at 2:30 at RIMAC Arena on the campus of UC San Diego.
The winner will advance to the tournament title game Saturday at 5 p.m. against the winner of Friday’s first semifinal game: Cal Poly Pomona vs. Humboldt State. The loser will await word on their NCAA Championship fate, which will come down Sunday evening at 7:30.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 5 in the West Region, seem to have cemented a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament, win or lose. At No. 9 in the West, Sonoma State is squarely on the bubble. (Eight teams from the West will earn NCAA Championship Tournament berths, including the winner of this weekend’s conference championship tournament.) With a win Friday, the Wildcats could exact some serious revenge, not just by knocking Sonoma State out of the CCAA Championship Tournament, but by possibly poking the Seawolves right out of the postseason entirely.
Chico State entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and knocked off Cal State Dominguez Hills 52-45 Tuesday night in a first-round game. The 4th-seeded Seawolves, meanwhile, got a three-point play from CCAA Newcomer of the Year Justin Herold with one second remaining to beat Cal State San Bernardino 61-60.
Friday’s game, which precedes the Chico State women’s semifinal game at 5:30, will be broadcast locally on FOX Sports 101.7 FM and 1340 AM. Mike Baca’s play-by-play broadcast will also be streamed online via the Wildcat Webcast link on the right side of this page.
All four of the tournament’s semifinals and both of the finals will also be broadcast on Comcast Hometown Network, which is channel 104 in the Chico area. The broadcasts will also be streamed online at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/ccaa.portal#.
2012 CCAA Championship Tournament
Men’s Tournament
No. 1 Chico State 52, No. 8 Cal State Dominguez Hills 45
No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona 69, No. 7 Cal State Stanislaus 67
No. 3 Humboldt State 78, No. 6 Cal State L.A. 75
No. 4 Sonoma State 61, No. 5 Cal State San Bernardino 60
Friday - March 2 – (RIMAC Arena – UC San Diego; La Jolla)
Men’s Semifinal No. 1: Humboldt State vs. Cal Poly Pomona; Noon
Men’s Semifinal No. 2: Sonoma State vs. Chico State; 2:30 p.m.
Saturday – March 3 – (RIMAC Arena – UC San Diego; La Jolla)
Men’s Championship: 5 p.m.
2012 CCAA Tournament Ticket Prices
Semifinals and Finals (at UC San Diego)
Single Day – All Games
General Admission - $10
Students, Seniors, Children -$ 3
