The 56^th annual Chico State Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational takes place this weekend in Acker Gym. Few games in the first 55 years have been as highly anticipated than Friday night's Chico State-Seattle Pacific showdown.
 
It will mark the 8^th-ranked Wildcats first home game of the season and a matchup of two of the nation's top-25 ranked teams.
 
Tipoff Friday is scheduled for 7:30. Cal State East Bay will face Simpson University to start the tournament at 5:30.
 
Saturday, Cal State East Bay will clash with Seattle Pacific at 5:30 and Chico State will take on Simpson at 7:30.
 
Every Chico State basketball this season will be broadcast locally on Newstalk 1290 KPAY-AM. Links to streaming audio, video and live stats are available in the calendar section on the ChicoWildcats.com homepage and on the men's basketball schedule page.
 
Chico State is off to a 3-0 start thanks to an offense averaging a tick below 90 points per game. When the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) rankings were released Tuesday, and the Wildcats had climbed from No. 17 to No. 8, it marked their highest ranking in the history of the poll.
 
Seattle Pacific boasts the nation's longest string of consecutive NCAA Division II Championship Tournament appearances with 11. (Chico State has been to four straight.) The three-time defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament Champion Falcons are 3-1. After opening the season with an overtime loss to Concordia of Irvine, they've won three straight, dispatching of Dixie State (80-74), BYU-Hawaii (84-60) and Hawaii-Hilo (86-73).
 
Cal State East Bay is 1-2 this season. Former Chico State assistant Gus Argenal coaches the Pioneers. Jay Flores, who led Chico State to the 2011-12 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship and earned CCAA Player of the Year honors, is his lead assistant.
 
Simpson off to a 2-9 start, is led by Jacob Kaler – a 6-foot-4 guard averaging 20 points per game.