GAME PREVIEW

• With 13 non-league games in the books, Sacramento State (4-9, 0-0) will open Big Sky Conference play Saturday at home vs. Portland State (8-5, 0-0). Tip at the Nest is 1 p.m.
• The Hornets are coming off back-to-back home blowouts over non-Div. I opponents. That includes a 98-47 victory over Div. II Stanislaus State, and a 78-38 victory over Bethesda of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association).
• The win over Bethesda came on Monday as the Hornets are in the midst of a season-long five game homestand. Each of the team's first three Big Sky games will come at home.
• The Vikings are also coming off a victory over a non-Div. I opponent, as PSU defeated Walla Walla (NAIA) at home on Tuesday by a 96-39 score.
• Sacramento State is riding its first winning streak of the season (2 games), and is 3-4 at home. Of the Hornets' four wins this year, only one has come against a Div. I team (63-61 at Air Force). The other three wins were blowout home victories vs. non-Div. I teams.
• The Hornets are 8-20 in their Big Sky openers since joining the league in 1996. The team is opening Big Sky play at home for the first time since defeating Portland State at the Nest (74-63) to begin the 2022-23 conference season.
• The Hornets have won each of their last two Big Sky home openers - 71-69 win over Weber State on Jan. 11 a year ago, and 74-63 victory over Portland State during the 2022-23 season.
• Sacramento State is 23-35 all-time against Portland State in a series that dates back to 1969. All but two of those meetings came since both teams joined the Big Sky in 1996-97.
• The Hornets have won three of the last four in the series. That includes a season split a year ago with both teams winning at home.
• Sacramento State is 17-12 at home vs. the Vikings, including two straight wins at the Nest: 73-61 on March 2, 2024, and 74-63 on Dec. 31, 2022. The last time the Hornets fell at home to PSU came in a 67-62 loss on Jan. 15, 2022.
• The Hornets have won six of the last seven at home against PSU with the lone loss coming in that 67-62 loss in 2022. That is the only home loss since 2016.
• Portland State is one of the nation's top shooting teams - 27th in the country with a .498 field goal percentage - but does not shoot the 3-pointer all that well (.331).
• The Vikings have eight players averaging better than seven points, led by Jaylin Henderson's team-high average of 15.0 ppg.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• Every game the remainder of the season (home and away) will stream on ESPN+. Steve McElroy, in his 28th season as the team's play-by-play voice, will be on the call.
• For the fourth straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service streams on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• 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.

A LOOK AT THE LAST GAME

• Four Hornets scored in double figures, led by Jacob Holt's 21 points and 10 rebounds, as Sacramento State defeated Bethesda, 78-38, on Monday afternoon at the Nest.
• After Bethesda scored the first two points of the game, Sacramento State responded with a 22-3 run, and cruised from there.
• During the 22-3 spurt, the Hornets converted each of their first four 3-pointers, held Bethesda scoreless for over six minutes, and took a 22-5 lead with 10:28 to play. The Hornets led, 35-16, at halftime, and the team's 40-point margin of victory was also the largest lead of the contest.
• The Hornets held a large rebounding advantage (48-27), turned 13 offensive boards into 13 second chance points, and outscored the Lion Angels, 25-6, in points off miscues. Sacramento State shot 45% (28-62) from the field, and buried 13 3-pointers (13-for-39) while Bethesda shot just 30% (16-53), and 3-of-17 from distance.
• Holt led the team in scoring for the seventh straight game (nine of the last 10) after finishing with his first double-double of the season. The senior had 21 points (7-9 FG, 3-5 3FG, 4-6 FT) to go with 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
• Three other Sacramento State players scored in double figures, including Bowyn Beatty's 11 points and nine rebounds (five offensive).

INTERNATIONAL ROSTER

• The Hornets' roster is one of the most international in the nation.
• Sacramento State has players representing six different countries - Australia (5), United States (5), Canada (1), England (1), Finland (1) and South Sudan (1).
• In addition, Sacramento State has players from four of the seven continents - North America, Africa, Europe and Australia.
• The Hornets' head coach, Michael Czepil, is from Melbourne, Australia, and took the team on a trip to Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne during the summer.

THE CZEPIL ERA

• Sacramento State is under the guidance of interim head Michael Czepil (Zep-pull). David Patrick, who coached the Hornets the previous two seasons, stepped down on May 22 to become the associate head coach at LSU.
• Czepil spent the previous two seasons on Patrick's staff as the associate head coach.
• A native of Melbourne, Australia, Czepil entered the season with 14 years of collegiate, international and professional coaching experience.
• He arrived at Sacramento State after spending four seasons at UC Riverside (2018-22), including the final two as the team's associate head coach.
• Czepil has had a big influence on all areas of the Hornet program the last two seasons, including recruiting, on-floor coaching, player development and scouting.

EFFECTS OF THE KOVATCHEV INJURY

• After starting the first four games of the season, sophomore guard Alex Kovatchev has missed nine straight games with a leg injury, and is out indefinitely.
• Although Kovatchev's numbers are not eye popping, he was a big part of what the Hornets do. A very good defender, Kovatchev's strength was always being in the right place at the right time, both offensively and defensively.
• During the four games with Kovatchev in the lineup, the Hornets were outscoring their opponents by 8.7 ppg (71.5-62.8) while shooting 47% FG and 36% 3FG. Without him, against the team's Div. I opponents (excluding Stanislaus and Bethesda), they have been outscored by 12.1 ppg (60.9-73.0) while shooting 39% FG and 31% 3FG.

SLOW STARTS

• In five of the last six games vs. a Div. I opponent, Sacramento State found itself trailing by at least eight points during the opening minutes of the contest.
• That includes a 9-0 deficit at Air Force, 8-0 vs. Mercyhurst, 18-9 at Denver, 12-4 vs. Omaha, and 19-7 at Oregon State. Sacramento State used three different starting lineups during those five games, but it has not changed the rough starts.
• The one time the Hornets got off to a nice start during that six-game stretch - the team  jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the opening stages of the game vs. UC Davis.

YOUNG ROSTER

• Last season, Sacramento State was one of four Div. I teams in the nation to play their freshmen over 40 percent of the team's total minutes.
• Each of those freshmen are back this season and are now sophomores - Emil Skytta, Alex Kovatchev, Bowyn Beatty, Bailey Nunn and Michael Wilson.
• Of the team's nine returners this season, six are sophomores and one is a redshirt freshman. Of the team's 14 total players, only five are upperclassmen.

3-POINT LAND

• Sacramento State is not afraid to shoot the long ball, as the team is averaging 9.2 made treys per game - third best in the Big Sky and 82nd best in the nation.
• The team has buried double-figure 3-balls in five games, at least eight 3-balls in 10 games, and has connected on less than five just once (season-low four at Oregon State).
• The Hornets have four players that have connected on at least 17 treys - EJ Neal (24), Bailey Nunn (21), Jacob Holt (20), Julian Vaughns (18) and Lachlan Brewer (17).
• Brewer is shooting 52% (17-33) from the 3PT line, and has been automatic when taking a wide open look. Holt, despite standing 6-foot-10, is shooting 39% (20-51), and Neal is shooting a respectable 35%. Nunn (21-for-62) is 10 for his last 17 from distance.

HOLT CONTINUES TO COOK

• Senior forward Jacob Holt has been one of the best players in the Big Sky, ranking fifth in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and field goal percentage (.540), and sixth in scoring (16.3 ppg).
• He is the only player in the Big Sky to rank among the top six players in both scoring and rebounding, and has led the Hornets in scoring seven straight games.
• Holt was named Big Sky Player of the Week on Tuesday after posting 21 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the team's win over Bethesda.
• He has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games, including five 20-point efforts. Three of those 20-point efforts have come in the last six games.
• If the season ended today, his scoring average would be the highest for a Hornet since Bryce Fowler averaged 19.0 ppg during the 2021-22 season.
• Holt is averaging 5.8 free throw attempts per game, and leads the Big Sky with 56 made free throws. He is shooting 74% (56-76) from the charity stripe.
 
PLENTY OF CLOSE GAMES

• Of the team's 10 games vs. a Div. I opponent, eight have been decided by 10 points or fewer. Though the team is 1-7 in those contests, they have been in games at the end. In fact, the Hornets are 0-7 in games decided by 6-10 points.
• The two outliers were 80-59 loss at Denver, and 82-45 defeat at Oregon State.
• Last season, of the Hornets' 21 games against a Big Sky opponent (including the conference tournament), 16 were decided by single digits, and the Hornets went 5-11 in those games. Eleven of those were decided by five points or less (4-7 in those outcomes).
• In the team's three Big Sky Tournament games, the Hornets posted an eight-point win over Idaho in the first round, five-point win vs. Eastern Washington in the quarters, and a three-point loss to Montana State in the semis.

FINAL SEASON IN THE NEST

• Sacramento State will embark upon its final year in the Nest. Next season, the team will move into the The Well on campus.
• The project is set to convert a portion of The Well, an on-campus fitness facility, into a venue for both the men's and women's basketball teams. The Well sits next to the football field on the south end of campus. Seating capacity will likely be around 3,000.
• Built in 1955, the Nest is currently one of the oldest facilities among all NCAA Div. I institutions with a seating capacity of only 1,012.
• The Hornets have played in the Nest every year since 1955, except four seasons (1996-00) when they played at downtown Memorial Auditorium. Those four seasons were also the team's first four in the Big Sky Conference.

QUICK NOTABLES

• Shooting guard Julian Vaughns, second on the team at 10.1 ppg, has been a little hit and miss. He has scored in double figures six times, averaging 15.0 ppg in those contests. In his six single digit point games, he is averaging 5.2 ppg.
• Point guard Bailey Nunn, after a rough shooting start to the season, continues to get better. His 3-point perentage is up to a respectable 35% after connecting on 10-of-17 from long range over his last three games. Nunn has played 30+ minutes in seven of the last eight games, and is one of the team's toughest players despite his modest six-foot frame.
• After connecting for double figures in points in six of the first 10 games of the season, shooting guard EJ Neal has scored six points or less in three straight games. However, Neal is always a threat from long range, connecting on multiple treys nine times.
• True freshman wing Lachlan Brewer continues to be the team's best shooter from the outside, connecting on 54% FG (27-50) and 52% 3FG (17-33). When Brewer gets an open look from long range, he seemingly converts every time. The Tasmania, Australia, native has scored in double figures four times, including back-to-back games.
• Dating back to last season, point guard Emil Skytta has started 39 straight games. The durable Skytta leads the team in minutes (28.6 mpg) while averaging 7.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.2 apg and 1.2 spg. He has multiple assists in all but two games this season.
• Bowyn Beatty scored a career-high 11 points vs. Bethesda, and nearly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. After going seven straight games without a point, the seven-foot center has combined for 19 points and 15 rebounds over the last two games.