GAME PREVIEW

• Sacramento State (0-1) will play the second leg of its season-opening three-game road trip on Saturday at UC San Diego (0-1). Tip-off at LionTree Arena is set for 7 p.m.
• The Hornets opened the season on Monday night with a 76-50 road loss at seventh-ranked UCLA. The Hornets held a 16-12 lead with nine minutes left in the first half, before UCLA took control with a 20-0 run spanning the next six minutes.
• The Hornets have never defeated a nationally ranked team (0-17) during the Div. I era.
• Sacramento State will now turn its attention to UC San Diego, as the Tritons will be the first of two road opponents over a three-day stretch (Monday at Denver).
• The Tritons begin their season with a three-game homestand, which included an 85-71 loss to Seattle U on Monday. The Redhawks scored at least 42 points in both halves.
• The Hornets and Tritons have played each other twice, and the series is tied at 1-1. Both games came in the Nest, including a 71-56 UC San Diego win last season on Nov. 20. The other outcome was an 82-64 Hornet win during the 1974-75 season.
• In that game last season, Sacramento State held a 29-27 halftime lead, but the Tritons outscored the Hornets, 44-27, in the second half. That included UCSD going 16-for-18 from the free throw line after halftime.
• The Hornets did not play an exhibition game this season, opting instead to play a pair of controlled scrimmages. Because of that, the UCLA game marked the first time Sacramento State played in front of fans.
• Monday's game marked the Hornet head coaching debut of David Patrick, who became Sacramento State's 15th head coach in program history (1948-pres.) when he was named to the position on April 5.
• Patrick, who is 46, is a veteran collegiate and international coach with 17 years of coaching experience. A native of Bermuda who moved to Australia at the age of 10, Patrick came to the United States prior to his senior year of high school. He is a renowned recruiter with worldwide connections and has won at every stop of his coaching career.
• Last year's Hornet squad, under the guidance of interim head coach Brandon Laird, posted an 11-18 overall record and 6-14 mark in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets have not finished higher than seventh place in the Big Sky each of the last seven seasons.
• Sacramento State was selected sixth in both the Big Sky media and coaches polls.
• The Hornets return just six players from a year ago, including the team's second (Zach Chappell 11.6 ppg) and fourth (Cameron Wilbon 9.1 ppg) leading scorers. Those two players both scored a team-high 10 points in the opener at UCLA.
• UC San Diego is currently in its third year of a four-year transition to NCAA Div. I status, culminating in a full Div. I status as a member of the Big West for the 2024-25 season. The Tritons already play a Big West schedule, but are not eligible for conference tournament or NCAA Tourney postseason play until 2024-25.
• Last season, the Tritons went 13-16 overall and 7-11 in league. They return three starters. UC San Diego led the Big West in 3-pointers made (265) and 3-point percentage (.370). Forward Jake Kosakowski led the nation in 3-point percentage last season at .473.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Saturday's game will be streamed live on ESPN+. The subscription-based service will stream on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• There will be no radio available for Monday's game.
• For the second straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will be streamed on ESPN+.
• In addition, every home game this year will be broadcast live on ESPN 1320 AM with 26th-year play-by-play man Steve McElroy calling the action.
• Links for all multimedia options, including live stats for every game, can be found next to each game on the men's basketball schedule at hornetsports.com.