Hairpin turns, snow-capped mountains, coastal fog, L.A. smog, and two of the top teams in Division II basketball await the Chico State men this week. The Wildcats will be spending upwards of 15 hours on the road and taking two flights. The only thing more challenging than the logistics will be the opposition.
 
Chico State, ranked No. 20 in the nation at 11-2 overall and 5-1 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, takes on Humboldt State (11-1, 5-1 CCAA) Thursday and 7^th-ranked Cal Poly Pomona (12-1, 5-1 CCAA) Saturday in what might just be the toughest road trip – in terms of logistics and competition – in NCAA Division II basketball.
 
Those three teams are part of a four-way tie with UC San Diego for first in the CCAA.
 
Both games are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. and every Chico State basketball game 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.
 
To this point, the Wildcats have made their mark away from home, winning eight of nine. But they haven't faced a trip like this.
 
They will make the five-hour drive up to Redding and over the Coastal Range to Arcata on Wednesday, play Humboldt State Thursday, drive five-plus hours down the coast and then fly to the Inland Empire Friday, play Cal Poly Pomona Saturday, and fly home Sunday.
 
Outside of their shared successes – this season and in the past – Chico State's opponents are as different as the towns of Arcata and Pomona.
 
Humboldt State boasts far and away the highest scoring offense in the conference at 89.3 points per game. Cal Poly Pomona leads the nation in scoring defense at 60.1 points per game.
 
Chico State ranks fourth in the CCAA in scoring defense (10^th in the nation at 64.2 points per game) and fourth in scoring offense (74.8 ppg). The Wildcats lead the league in rebounding margin (+6.5), free throw attempts and blocked shots.
 
Humboldt State is Chico State's second longest-running rival behind only San Francisco State. They have been playing since 1933 and Thursday will mark their 198th meeting. The Wildcats lead the series 122-75 but Humboldt State swept the series last season. The Wildcats had lost seven straight in Arcata before the 2011-12 team pulled off a thrilling 65-63 win there on Jay Flores' game-winning bucket with four seconds left. They also won there two seasons ago.
 
The Wildcats' rivalry with Cal Poly Pomona is not nearly as old but it has been equally special of late. They've met in each of the past three postseasons and the last seven meetings have been decided by eight points or less. Five of those were decided by three points or less or in overtime.
 
The Broncos have been arguably the Wildcats' toughest opponent since joining the CCAA and lead the all-time series 29-20, including 27-12 since the Wildcats joined the conference. The Wildcats had dropped five straight and 12 of 16 in Pomona before winning there last season 51-50.
 
At 11-2, the Wildcats have matched the best start in the history of the program and been ranked among the nation's top 25 for six consecutive polls, which is a new program record.  If they win Thursday, they'll become just the fourth Chico State men's basketball team in 101 seasons to start 12-2 and the first since 1940-41. That 1940-41 team is the only one that started 13-2.
 
In case you are wondering, none of those teams made the Humboldt State-Cal Poly Pomona trip.
 
Following this weekend, the Wildcats will play eight of their final 12 regular-season games at home.