The Chico State baseball team opens its season one week from today. So to borrow and reimagine a common baseball phrase, the Chico State basketball team is hoping to grip it and snip it once again over the next few weeks.
 
In winning two straight and three of the past five California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships, the Wildcats have developed a habit of holding tightly to the conference lead en route to the traditional cutting down of the nets. They have not dropped out of first place after reaching the top of the standings following the start of the New Year during their current run.
 
They moved into first place on Jan. 16, 2016, and went on to win the conference title. They jumped into first place on Jan. 24, 2015, and went on to claim the crown. And they grabbed a share of first place on Feb. 3, 2012, and held on to win their first-ever CCAA title that season.
 
The Wildcats, 9-2 in the CCAA and tied with UC San Diego for first place, face two major hurdles to the continuation of that trend this weekend as Cal State San Bernardino and UC San Diego visit Acker Gym as the second half of conference play begins in earnest.
 
The Wildcats are now 16-3 overall and tied with UC San Diego atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings at 9-2.
 
Both games are scheduled to tip at 7:30 p.m. The Wildcats are perfect 10-0 at home to start the season–a program record.
 
Chico State, which had its 10-game win streak snapped with a 63–60 loss at Cal Poly Pomona last Saturday, enters the weekend ranked No. 23 in the nation.
 
The Wildcats won at Cal State San Bernardino 80–67 earlier this month. Corey Silvestrom led the way with 25 points, Robert Duncan chipped in 21, and Jalen McFerren matched his career high with eight assists. Duncan has been red-hot as of late, averaging 19 points per game on 64-percent shooting over Chico State's last eight games.
 
But the Coyotes are clearly dangerous, coming off an impressive sweep of San Francisco State and Cal State San Marcos–two teams in the conference's top five. They beat San Francisco State 69–68 on Khleem Perkins' buzzer beater last Wednesday, and then Cal State San Marcos 106–100 Saturday as eight Coyotes combined to knock down 19 3-pointers.
 
Cal State San Bernardino is 8-7 overall and 4-6 in the CCAA.
 
UC San Diego has been atop the conference standings nearly all season long. The Tritons beat Chico State 60–56 on Dec. 1 in La Jolla, which was the game just prior to Chico State's 10-game win streak.
 
But they have struggled a bit without the services of big-man Chris Hansen, who has missed the last two games. The Tritons have dropped both to fall to 14-4 overall, 9-2 in the CCAA, and out of the national rankings.
 
Chico State power forward Isaiah Ellis has missed his team's last two games as well. It is unknown whether either will play this weekend.
 
Saturday night's game will feature two halftime celebrations. The Chico State cross country program will be honored after the men and women each won CCAA and West Region titles before bringing home the hardware with fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships.
 
We will also recognize 70 years of Chico State athletics on local radio and the 20 years of work put in by current play-by-play personalities Mike Baca and Mike Wessels. As has been the case for a long time, 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.