Coaches from across the United States will walk into their office after practice Thursday, fire up their computers, and tune into the CCAA Network to watch two of the top-ranked teams in the land do battle in a rare men's basketball matinee. Thursday's game against Cal State San Bernardino will be the first of two top-25 showdowns for Chico State this week. The Wildcats—ranked No. 6 in the D2SIDA Media Poll and No. 8 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)—take on the NABC No. 11 Coyotes Thursday at 2 p.m. and the NABC No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The eyes of Chico State's fans, West Region basketball fans, and basketball fans all over the nation will be on the unbeaten Wildcats this weekend. At 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, the Wildcats are off to their best start since 2011. Their No. 6 ranking is their highest ever, eclipsing their No. 7 position in the 2017–18 NABC Preseason Poll. Their NABC ranking matches the program's best ever in the regular season, matching their rankings from November 24, 2015, and February 16, 2016.
In the D2SIDA Media West Region Poll, Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino are tied for first, while Cal Poly Pomona is ranked No. 4.
Fans can follow the action via the CCAA Network Livestream or listen to Mike Baca's call locally on AM-1290 KPAY and streaming online. Those links, along with one for live stats, can be found on the men's basketball schedule page and the calendar section on the homepage at
www.chicowildcats.com.
Chico State is looking to move to 6-0 (and 7-0) for the first time since 1943 and fourth time ever. The Wildcats are among four CCAA teams still unbeaten. Cal Poly Pomona (4-1, 0-1 CCAA) absorbed its first defeat Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino (6-0, 1-0 CCAA).
Thursday's game matches the CCAA's top-ranked offense (Cal State San Bernardino is scoring 85.6 points per game) against its top-ranked defense (Chico State is allowing only 56.4 points per game). For years the Coyotes dominated the series between the teams, but since the start of 2011-12, Chico State has won 17 of the last 19 meetings, including eight of 10 in San Bernardino.
During that same time, the Wildcats have struggled against Cal Poly Pomona, going just 6-16, including 2-7 at Kellogg Arena, where Saturday's matchup will take place. The Wildcats don't have to look too far back to find some good memories there, however. Chico State opened the season with wins against Azusa Pacific and then-nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific. And back in December of 2018, Kevin Warren, Isaiah Brooks and Malik Duffy also scored in double figures to lead the Wildcats past the then-8
th-ranked Broncos in Pomona.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Fans considering attending this week's games should familiarize themselves with respective ticketing and attendance policies via these links:
CLICK HERE to view Cal State San Bernardino Ticketing and Attendance Policies
CLICK HERE to view Cal Poly Pomona Ticketing and Attendance Policies
