With two straight victories and three wins in its last four outings, the Chico State men's basketball team appears to be hitting its midseason stride—and not a moment too soon. The Wildcats face stiff tests as they wrap up their four-game homestand this week, facing two of the top teams in the West Region. The 'Cats welcome California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rival Cal Poly Pomona to Acker Gym Thursday at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Saturday conference showdown with nationally-ranked Cal State San Bernardino at 3 p.m.
Fans can follow the action of both games locally on KPAY Sports 1290-AM, with Mike Baca and Mike Wessel's broadcast simulcast on the Internet. Live Stats and live streaming video are also available online, with links located on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the men's basketball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
Chico State is 7-6 on the season and is tied with Cal State San Marcos for fourth place in the CCAA with a 5-3 conference record. The first two games of the Wildcats' current home stand were successful ones, with Chico State topping Cal State Dominguez Hills 69-63 last Thursday and Cal State East Bay 59-56 on Saturday.
The 'Cats own the third most productive offense in the CCAA, averaging 74.5 points a game. Defensively, Chico State is ninth in the conference, allowing an average of 73.2 points a contest. The Wildcats are third in the CCAA with 114 3-pointers on the season.
Chico State is 5-1 at Acker Gym so far this season.
Individually, the Wildcats are well represented among the conference leaders. Jojo Murphy is third in the CCAA in scoring (19.1 points per game) and free throw percentage (84.1 percent), fourth in 3-point shooting percentage (41.5 percent), seventh in 3-pointers (27), and ninth in field goal percentage (48.9 percent).
Josh Hamilton, averaging 12.8 points a game, is fourth among conference players in assists per game (4.3), sixth in assists (52), and seventh in free throw percentage (76.8 percent). Evan Oliver (10.4 ppg) leads the CCAA with 28 steals, and Justin Vigil's (8.5 ppg) team-high average of 6.4 rebounds a game is eighth best in the conference.
Cal Poly Pomona, Chico State's Thursday night opponent, is 7-4 overall and in sixth place in the CCAA with a 4-3 conference record. The Broncos, the No. 9 team in the latest D2SIDA West Region media poll, saw its losing streak stretch to three with a 65-63 defeat at the hands of Cal State LA last Thursday, but concluded the week with a 57-46 win Saturday over Cal State San Marcos.
The Cal Poly Pomona offense averages an even 70 points a game, while holding the opposition to 68.6 points a contest on the defensive end. The Broncos rank third in the CCAA in team rebounding, averaging just under 38 boards a game.
On the road, Pomona has won three of five decisions so far in 2022–23.
Sophomore guard Christopher Mitchell is the Broncos' leading scorer, averaging 12.5 points a game. Sophomore guard Jaden Winfield averages 9.9 points and a team-best 5.8 rebounds a contest, while freshman forward Derrick Claxton contributes 8.8 points a game and tops Pomona with 15 3-pointers.
The Wildcats and Broncos split their two-game season series in 2021–22, but Pomona has won 10 of the last 15 meetings. Since 1987, the Broncos hold a 37-20 series edge over the 'Cats.
Cal State San Bernardino, which takes on the Wildcats following a Thursday night road contest against Stanislaus State, comes to Acker Gym riding a six game winning streak and sporting an 11-1 season record while sitting atop the CCAA standings with a perfect 6-0 conference mark. Most recently, the 'Yotes—ranked No. 1 in the D2SIDA West Region media poll and No. 12 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Top 25 poll—have won three times over a five-day period, downing Cal State San Marcos 74-65 last Thursday, besting Cal State LA 92-80 on Saturday, and this Monday handing Cal State Dominguez Hills an 87-77 defeat.
San Bernardino is the top scoring team in the CCAA, averaging 86 points a game, and ranks second in defense, giving up just 68.4 points a contest. The 'Yotes shoot nearly 50 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from behind the 3-point arc—both best in the conference. San Bernardino also ranks first among CCAA teams in rebounding, averaging 44.3 boards a game.
The 'Yotes are 7-1 on the road this season.
San Bernardino features four players scoring in double figures, including the CCAA's No. 2 scorer and 3-point shooter, senior guard Brandon Knapper (20.3 points a game, 43 treys). Junior guard Dontrell Shuler ranks fifth in the conference with a 17.5 points per game average to go along with 26 3-pointers on the season. Senior forward Eddie Davis and senior guard Darius Mickens have combined to average over 23 points a game, with Mickens and junior forward Robby Robinson ranking in the CCAA top five in rebounding, grabbing 7.8 and 7.6 boards a contest.
Chico State beat San Bernardino three times last season, including a 91-82 victory in the NCAA Championship Tournament West Region semifinals. Since 1987, the two teams have each defeated the other 26 times, but the Wildcats have won 20 of the last 22 meetings dating back to 2012.
