The biggest game of the season is one day away. The Chico State men's basketball team opens the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Basketball Tournament Tuesday at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 7 p.m.
 
A limited number of reserved seats are still available for the game. They can be purchased by calling (530-898-6333) or visiting the University Box Office by Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Box Office is located in Sierra Hall on the corner of 3^rd Street and Chestnut in downtown Chico General admission tickets will go on sale at the Acker Gym box office beginning Tuesday at 5:30.
 
Chico State, 22-6 overall and 15-5 in the CCAA, will be playing for a berth in the tournament semifinals Friday on the campus of Cal State San Marcos, while at the same time, hoping to build its NCAA Championship Tournament resume.
 
The Wildcats enter the game as the tournament's No. 4 seed with a record of 22-6. They were ranked No. 5 in the most recent NCAA West Region Poll. The eight West Region teams in the NCAA Championship Tournament field will be announced Sunday night at 7:30, Pacific, on NCAA.com.
 
The winners of each of the region's three postseason tournaments will guarantee themselves one of those eight spots.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills (15-11) won its last three games to secure the No. 5 seed in the CCAA Tournament.
 
The Toros have already visited Chico once this year, and Chico State held them off for a 77–70 win.    

Jalen McFerren had 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading five Wildcats in double-figures. Robert Duncan scored nine of his 16 points in the final four minutes, closing the door on a hard-charging Toros squad that sank six straight 3-pointers from the 3:35 mark to the 35-second mark to turn a 13-point game into a tight affair down the stretch. Isaiah Ellis had 13 points, and Justin Briggs and Corey Silverstrom scored 10 apiece. Briggs also accounted for five of the Wildcats' 10 blocked shots–just one shy of the school record.
 
Vincent Golson, who made four of the Toros' late 3-pointers, finished with a game-high 25 points.
 
Tuesday will mark the fifth time in the past eight seasons that these teams have met in the opening round of the CCAA Tournament. Chico State won the first meeting 63–60 in 2010 in Carson. Cal State Dominguez Hills won the first meeting in 2011 in Carson, 75–59. Chico State beat the Toros at home in each of the next two seasons: 52–45 in 2012 and 80–78 in 2013.
 
A win Tuesday would mark the Wildcats' 23^rd win, a total only six teams in the history of the program have reached. Chico State won 25 games in 1983-84, 2011-12, and 2013-14. The Wildcats won 23 in 1940-41, 1975-76, and 1992-93.
 
Tuesday night's game will be joined in progress on AM-1290 KPAY following the completion of the women's game at Cal State East Bay, which tips off at 6 p.m. It will be streamed online in its entirety at www.chicowildcats.com, where links to live stats are also available. Fans can find those links in the calendar section on the homepage and on the men's basketball schedule page.  
 
2017 CCAA Tournament
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, Feb. 28 – higher seed hosts
No. 8 Humboldt State at No. 1 UC San Diego, 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Cal State L.A. at No. 2 San Francisco State, 7 p.m.
No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona at No. 3 Sonoma State, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Cal State Dominguez Hills at No. 4 Chico State, 7 p.m.
 
Semifinals: Friday, March 3 – The Sports Center in San Marcos, Calif.
UC San Diego/Humboldt State winner vs. Chico State/Cal State Dominguez Hills winner, 5:35 p.m.
San Francisco State/Cal State L.A. winner vs. Sonoma State/Cal Poly Pomona winner, 8:05 p.m.
 
Championship: Saturday, March 4 – The Sports Center in San Marcos, Calif.
Semifinal winners, 7:35 p.m.