The high fives handed out when the Chico State men's basketball team's name was called during Sunday night's NCAA Division II Selection Show carried extra significance: the Wildcats will be making their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship Tournament!
 
The 22-6 Wildcats, champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) for the second straight season and third time in the past five years, received the No. 7 seed in the West Regional. They will face 2^nd-seeded UC San Diego in a first-round game Friday in Monmouth, Oregon – home to top-seeded host Western Oregon University – at a time yet to be determined.
 
Chico State beat UC San Diego 77-71 in their only meeting this season on Feb. 12 in La Jolla, grabbing hold of first place in the conference standings for good. Isaiah Ellis scored a career-high 26 points to lead the way for the Wildcats.
 
UC San Diego, 22-7, lost to Humboldt State in Saturday's CCAA Championship Tournament Final. The Tritons have lost four of their last eight dating back to their defeat against Chico State.
 
The winner of Friday's first-round game will take on the Cal Poly Pomona–California Baptist winner for a spot in the Sweet 16 and Regional final.
 
March Madness began anew for Chico State at the home of Burger Madness. The team joined family, friends and fans upstairs at the Madison Bear Garden for a selection show viewing party that included more nerves than the team would have hoped. The Wildcats lost two straight for the first time this season last week. The second loss – in the first round of the CCAA Championships Tournament – presumably left them on the bubble for an NCAA berth.
 
The seeding bore that out as the Wildcats were apparently the last of five at-large teams from the West Region selected.
 
Chico State is making its 13^th National Championship Tournament appearance, and up until last season, had never qualified more than three consecutive times. Senior center Christopher Magalotti now joins Mike Rosaroso, Jordan Barton and Jordan Semple as the only Wildcats to have advanced to the NCAA Championships four times. Magalotti does have a bit more to brag about, however. He was a redshirt on the team that qualified for the first time in seven years five seasons ago.
 
The Wildcats are 2-2 in first-round games during their current streak. They beat Humboldt State in the 2012 opener, lost to Cal Poly Pomona in the 2013 opener, beat California Baptist to start their run to the program's first ever West Regional Championship and Elite Eight trip in 2014, and then lost to the Lancers in the first round last season.
 
Top-seeded Western Oregon, ranked No. 6 in the latest NABC Coaches' Poll, will host the regional in the New P.E. Building in Monmouth, Oregon, about 20 minutes Southwest of Salem. The Wolves will face CCAA Championship Tournament winner Humboldt State in the opening round.
 
Fourth-seeded Seattle Pacific will play Azusa Pacific in Friday's other first-round game.
 
NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional Schedule
Monmouth, Oregon – New P.E. Building
Friday, March 11
12:00 p.m. – #6 Cal Poly Pomona (22-7) vs. #3 California Baptist (27-6)
2:30 p.m. – #7 Chico State (22-6) vs. #2 UC San Diego (22-7)
5:00 p.m. – #5 Azusa Pacific (22-8) vs. #4 Seattle Pacific (22-8)
7:30 p.m. – #8 Humboldt State (21-8) vs. #1 Western Oregon (27-3)
Saturday, March 12
5:00 p.m. – Cal Poly Pomona/California Baptist winner vs. Chico State/UC San Diego winner
7:30 p.m. – Azusa Pacific/Seattle Pacific winner vs. Humboldt State/Western Oregon winner
Monday, March 14
7:00 p.m. – Championship Game
 
Winner advances to the…
NCAA Division II Championship Elite Eight
March 23-26 - Frisco, Texas

NCAA DIVISION II CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT BRACKET (Note that the dates for the West Region are incorrect. Games begin in Monmouth on Friday, March 11. Semifinals on March 12 and final on March 14.)