One week from Wednesday comes the first real opportunity for the Chico State men's basketball team to get a glimpse of exactly where they stand in their quest to reach the college basketball promised land—the NCAA Championship Tournament—with the first release of the 2019–20 NCAA Division II regional rankings.
 
How the Wildcats fare on the road this week at Cal Poly Pomona (Thursday) and Cal State San Bernardino (Saturday) will play a role in just where the Wildcats stand. Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino are among a handful of West Region teams fighting for positioning, presumably behind California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leader UC San Diego and PacWest frontrunner Azusa Pacific, for the next six spots in the rankings.
 
Following the regular season and three West Region postseason conference tournaments, the three conference tournament champions and five at-large teams will receive NCAA Championship Tournament berths.
 
Chico State enters this week's important matchups with a record of 17-5 overall and 12-4 in the CCAA, and among "others receiving votes" in the NABC Coaches Top-25 Poll. Cal Poly Pomona, which defeated the Wildcats 69-67 in Chico back in December, is 17-5 overall, 13-4 in the CCAA, and listed just after Chico State in "others receiving votes." Cal State San Bernardino is ranked No. 16 in the nation and leads both teams by a game in the loss column in the race for second in the CCAA standings at 19-4 overall and 14-3 in the CCAA.
 
Each of the top four teams in the conference standings has clinched a spot in the CCAA Tournament.
 
Both games this week are scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on FM 93.9 KPAY sports. Links to streaming audio, streaming video, and live stats are available at www.chicowildcats.com.
 
The Wildcats' balanced offensive attack has been one of the keys to its success this season. All five starters—Kevin Warren, Calvin Geraci, Justin Briggs, Malik Duffy, and Isaiah Brooks—average at least 11 points per game and are shooting at least 45 percent from the field.
 
However, in that loss to Cal Poly Pomona, Warren was the only starter to reach double figures, finishing with 15 points. Spencer LaShells, who scored 13 off the bench, was the only other Wildcat to reach double digits in scoring.
 
This will mark the Wildcats' first meeting this season against Cal State San Bernardino.
 
Chico State is coming off a 1-1 week at home during which it lost to 4^th-ranked UC San Diego Thursday night before bouncing back to beat Cal State San Marcos Saturday. During that game, Brooks reached a pair of career milestones, knocking down his 100^th career 3-pointer and dishing out his 200^th career assist. He's the 16^th player in the program's history to reach 200 assists.
 
The Wildcats have played well away from home this season, posting a record of 8-2. Cal Poly Pomona is 6-2 at home and Cal State San Bernardino is 9-2 at home.