Having clinched a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament berth last weekend with a thrilling overtime victory against San Francisco State, the Chico State men's basketball team has checked the first of many boxes on the list of accomplishments that can make a big difference in March. Next on that list is an unchecked box that reads first-round bye. Right after that: first-round bye and CCAA champion.
 
Neither will come easily, but both are distinct possibilities for the Wildcats (15-3 overall and 11-3 in the CCAA), who are ranked No. 11 in the nation. With four teams separated by a game-and-a-half atop the conference standings and only four regular season games remaining on the schedule, each result will have major repercussions. For the Wildcats, that starts this week with their final two regular season road games: at Cal State LA Thursday at 7:30 and at Cal State San Marcos Saturday at 3 p.m. They will wrap up the regular season at home the following week.
 
Every Chico State men's basketball is broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY. Links to streaming audio, video on the CCAA Network (with audio for home games), and live stats are available at www.ChicoWildcats.com in the calendar section of the homepage and on the men's basketball schedule page.
 
Fans planning to attend Chico State road or home games or the CCAA Tournament should familiarize themselves with respective campus health and safety protocols via the links below:
 
Cal State LA Attendance Policy
Cal State San Marcos Attendance Policy
Chico State Attendance Policy
 
The two teams with the highest winning percentages will earn first-round byes in the CCAA Tournament, hosted by Cal Poly Humboldt on March 3–5. Seeds three through six will play Thursday night, while the top two seeds await the winners on Friday. The winner of the CCAA Tournament earns an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will learn exactly where their NCAA Tournament resume ranks this afternoon with the unveiling of the first Regional Rankings at NCAA.com. The champions of the CCAA, Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and Pacific West Tournaments will make up three of the West Region's eight NCAA Tournament berths, and be joined by five at-large teams.
 
Chico State's opponent on Thursday night, Cal State LA, desperately needs a win to stay in the hunt for one of the six CCAA Tournament spots. The Golden Eagles have missed seven of their past 11 scheduled games due to COVID-19 protocols, but they have won three of the last five games they have played to move to 6-11 overall and 3-8 in the CCAA. They are scoring an average of 77.1 points per game, good for third in the conference.
 
Cal State San Marcos is among the four teams vying for conference supremacy, along with Chico State. The 14^th-ranked Cougars (14-3, 10-3 CCAA heading into Thursday night's home game against Stanislaus State) handed Chico State its first loss of the season, 87-85 in overtime, back on January 13 in Chico.