Calvin Geraci railed a 3-pointer from the left wing, set up by Isaiah Brooks' seventh assist of the night, to stretch the Chico State men's basketball team's lead to five with 1:45 to go in overtime. The Wildcats went on to beat Stanislaus State 75-73 in the opening round of the 2020 California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament on March 3. Since then, there hasn't been a single official basket scored by a Wildcat in Acker Gym.
 
That all changes on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Wildcats host Academy of Art in their 2021–22 home opener and their first official home game in 624 days. Tickets are on sale through the University Box Office and will be on sale at Acker Gym beginning Wednesday at 6 p.m. Please note that all fans (age 12 and older) attending Chico State basketball events must show proof of their fully-vaccinated status or a negative COVID-19 test administered by a healthcare professional from within 72 hours of the start of the event. CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION AND COMPLETE REQUIREMENTS.
 
Since his last bucket at Acker Gym, Geraci has graduated and is off in the working world. Meanwhile, Brooks is among three starters and nine Wildcats back and hoping to lead the team to a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. That pursuit is off to a good start. Chico State knocked off two other perennial West Region powers—Azusa Pacific and 21^st-ranked Seattle Pacific—over the weekend at the Conference Crossover Challenge on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona.
 
Another challenge awaits Wednesday in unbeaten Academy of Art (2-0). The Urban Knights are a seasoned group with four graduate students and six transfers and coming off wins against San Francisco State and Sonoma State at the San Francisco State Tipoff Classic. The Wildcats are 5-0 all time against the Urban Knights, including 2-0 in Acker Gym.
 
Links to streaming video, audio, and live stats are all available on the schedule page and calendar section at www.chicowildcats.com. The game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY.
 
The Wildcats jumped into the D2SIDA Men's Basketball Media Top 25 at No. 19 this week. They are also ranked No. 2 in the West Region.