Men's Basketball | 12/3/2019 4:53:00 PM

How much the Chico State men's basketball team has improved since last season? It's time to find out. The Wildcats face two of their toughest tests of the season this week. They play at fourth-ranked UC San Diego Thursday at 8 p.m. and return home to take on perennial power Cal Poly Pomona Saturday at 7:30 at Acker Gym. UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona were the co-champions of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) last season.
 
Winners of three straight and off to a 5-2 start, the Wildcats are 1-1 in CCAA play. Their opponents this week were picked to finish 1-2 in the preseason conference coaches' poll. Coming off a 9-14 campaign after winning 19 or more for seven years in a row, the Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the CCAA.
 
UC San Diego is 8-0 and ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the West Region. The Tritons are in their final season as a member of the CCAA and Division II before moving on to Division I and the Big West Conference.
 
Though this will be Chico State's final regular-season meeting with the Tritons in La Jolla, the Wildcats hope to return to RIMAC Arena in for the CCAA Tournament semifinals and final March 6-8.
 
Cal Poly Pomona is 5-2 and ranked No. 4 in the West Region. The Broncos, who will play at Humboldt State Thursday night before making their way to Chico, are 5-2 overall and 1-1 in CCAA play.
 
Both games will be broadcast locally on 93.9 FM KPAY. Links to streaming audio, streaming video, and live stats are available via the links on the top-right hand corner of this preview story, on the men's basketball schedule page, and in the calendar section on our homepage. 
 
Thursday's game at UC San Diego will also be broadcast on ESPN3, an online streaming service owned by ESPN that provides live streams and replays of global sports events to sports fans in the United States. The network is available nationwide to individuals who receive their high-speed Internet connection or cable television subscription from an affiliated service provider. ESPN3 is also available to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers with college/university (.edu) and U.S. military (.mil) IP addresses. ESPN3 is not carried by traditional cable and satellite providers, as it is not a single channel, but streams multiple live events at the same time.
 
To watch Thursday night's games, simply click on the link or open the ESPN app, and authenticate via your cable or satellite provider.
 
The Wildcats rank in the middle of the CCAA pack in scoring at 77.7 points per game, but are up to third in scoring defense (behind only UC San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona), having allowed only 67.1 points per game. They rank second in 3-point shooting percentage (.394), rebounding margin (+8.3), and blocked shots per game (3.29).
 
All five Chico State starters are averaging in double-figures in scoring, led by Malik Duffy at 15.1 points per game. Justin Briggs (13.0), Calvin Geraci (12.3), Isaiah Brooks (11.4), and Kevin Warren (11.3) follow.
 
Among the CCAA leaders: Duffy ranks 12^th in scoring, third in 3-point field-goal percentage (.514), fourth in made 3-pointers per game (2.6), and fifth in rebounds per game (7.4); Briggs is second in field-goal percentage (.639) and blocked shots per game (1.6), and seventh in rebounds per game (6.9); Geraci ranks eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage (.438); and Brooks is fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2) and seventh in assists per game (3.4).