The Chico State men's basketball team has a chance to head into its week-long winter break on a nice little roll. The Wildcats have won three straight and seven of eight prior to Tuesday night's non-conference matchup with North Valley neighbor Simpson University of Redding.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Acker Gym where the Wildcats have won five in a row and 17 of their last 18. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY and accessible online. Links to the audio stream, streaming video, and live stats are available on the top-left corner of this story, in the calendar section on the homepage, and on the men's basketball schedule page.
Chico State, which won 77–65 Saturday at Cal State East Bay, enters the game with a record of 7-2. The Wildcats are ranked No. 21 in the nation in the D2SIDA Media Poll, and were among "others receiving votes" just outside the NABC (Coaches) Poll Top 25 last Tuesday.
Simpson is off to a 4-6 start under new Head Coach Todd Franklin, who spent 21 seasons leading Liberty Christian High School in Redding. Franklin compiled 481 wins while leading the Patriots to nine NSCIF Northern Section titles and 15 conference championships.
Chico State is 6-0 all-time against Simpson (and 20-0 against NAIA/NCAA Division III programs under Head Coach Greg Clink), including last season's 95–51 victory in Redding.
The Wildcats won't see many of the same players this time around in Chico. Franklin has re-tooled the Red Hawks' roster with 10 newcomers, including leading scorer Jalen Dupree (a senior transfer from Alaska Fairbanks) and Aaron Berry (a junior transfer from Las Positas Junior College).
Two-time First Team All-Conference performer Josh Brakkee, who scored 21 points in last season's meeting, is the Red Hawks' third-leading scorer.
Isaiah Ellis led the Wildcats with 21 points last season at Simpson. Nate Ambrosini (14 points and four steals) and Justin Briggs (12 points and eight rebounds) also had strong showings on a night in which all 10 Wildcats played 10 minutes or more.
Following Tuesday night's game and a 10-day layoff, the Wildcats will jump back into conference action at home against Cal State L.A. on Dec. 29 at 7:30 p.m., and Cal State Dominguez Hills in a 2 p.m. New Year's Eve matinee.
