GAME PREVIEW

• Sacramento State (3-2) will play its third game in five days when the team travels to 20th-ranked UCLA (3-1) on Tuesday. Tip at Pauley Pavilion is set for 7:30 p.m.
• The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network, and also aired on the Big Ten Network's streaming service.
• Tuesday will mark the Hornets' first game against a ranked opponent since opening the 2022-23 season with a 76-50 loss at seventh-ranked UCLA.
• The Hornets are making just their fourth-ever trip to Pauley Pavilion. The iconic building was built in 1965, and renovated from 2010-12.
• Since joining the Div. I ranks prior to the 1991-92 season, the Hornets have never defeated a nationally ranked team, going 0-17 over that span. 
• Sacramento State has never defeated a team from the current alignment of the Big Ten Conference. They have played eight of the conference's 18 teams, and have gone 0-26. The most games played against a Big Ten opponent are five vs. both Oregon and USC.
• Sacramento State is 0-3 all-time against UCLA, and each of those games have been played on the road, and each decided by at least 26 points. That includes a 76-50 loss in 2022, 86-50 in 2013, and 86-56 in 2005.
• UCLA has been nationally ranked every time the two teams have met. That includes the Bruins ranking #7 in 2022, #22 in 2013, and #12 in 2005.
• Sacramento State is coming off a 64-62 win over Presbyterian of the Big South Conference. In that game, the Hornets closed the final 7:37 on a 12-2 run.
• Of the Hornets' first five games, four have come at home in the brand new Hornet Pavilion. Three of those four games were packed houses, and Sacramento State drew over 2,200 fans in all four. The Hornets are 3-1 at home, and 0-1 on the road.
• Each of the Sacramento State's last three games have been decided by five points or less, including 92-87 vs. UC Santa Barbara, and 77-73 at UC Davis. The other two games were double-digit wins over non-Div. I competition at home.
• UCLA is coming off a 69-65 loss to fifth-ranked Arizona at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. That snapped the Bruins' three-game winning streak to start the season. 
• The Bruins have yet to leave Southern California, including a 3-0 home record, and the neutral floor loss at Intuit. Only 15 miles separates Pauley Pavilion from the Intuit Dome.
• The Bruins opened the season by defeating Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference by an 80-74 score. The Hornets are in their 30th and final year in the Big Sky, and will play Eastern Washington twice later in the season during conference play.
• The Hornets have four players averaging double figures in Jeremiah Cherry (18.2 ppg), Prophet Johnson (16.4 ppg), Mikey Williams (16.4 ppg) and Jayden Teat (10.6 ppg). No one else on the team averages more than 7.4 ppg.
• Tuesday's game is part of the Empire Classic MTE, which began with the Hornets' win over Presbyterian and concludes Nov. 25. Four teams are competing in the event, comprised of UCLA, Cal, Presbyterian and the Hornets. As part of the tournament, Sacramento State will also play Friday on the road at Cal to conclude its portion of the event.
• The Hornets finished last season with a 7-25 overall record and 3-15 in the Big Sky Conference. The team finished in last place (10th) for the second straight year.

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• For the fifth straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service will stream on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• Tuesday's game will be televised and streamed on the Big Ten Network.
• 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..

PRESBYTERIAN WIN BRIEFS

• Sacramento State went on a 12-2 run over the final 7:37 to propel the Hornets to a 64-62 victory over Presbyterian on Sunday afternoon at Hornet Pavilion.
• In a game Presbyterian led for over 31 minutes of clock (31:05), it was Sacramento State that tightened up the defense late. The Blue Hose missed 12 of their final 13 shots from the field, including a Triston Wilson heavily contested 13-footer at the buzzer. 
• A steal and fast break layup by Prophet Johnson gave the Hornets a 62-60 lead with 2:52 remaining. That was the Hornets' first lead in over 29 minutes of clock.

BIBBY ERA HAS BEGUN

• Head coach Mike Bibby, who spent half of his 14-year NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, returns to the city where he became a fan favorite while helping the Kings to multiple playoff appearances in the early 2000s.
• A first team All-American, Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Bibby helped Arizona to a 1997 NCAA national championship.
• Recently, Bibby had assistant coaching stops with the Puerto Rican National Team, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies summer league teams, and the NBA G-League Ignite.
• During his six seasons at Shadow Mountain High School (five as head coach), he coached the team to five state championships, a 157-21 overall record, a 72-game winning streak, and a six-year home winning streak.

SHAQ JOINS PROGRAM AS GENERAL MANAGER

• Shaquille O'Neal is currently in his first season as general manager of the Hornets. He joined the program shortly after the appointment of Mike Bibby to head coach.
• O'Neal played 19 years in the NBA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
• He accepted the position in a volunteer capacity and will focus on recruitment, marketing, and holistic player development - both on and off the court.

FORMER KING BRAD MILLER ALSO ON STAFF

• Fourteen-year NBA veteran Brad Miller is also on staff as the team's Lead Advisor.
• Miller spent six years with the Kings where he and Bibby were teammates from 2003-07.
• A two-time All-Star, Miller finished his career with 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.

ENTIRE COACHING STAFF IS NEW

• Not only is Mike Bibby brand new to the program, so is his entire coaching staff. That includes his son, Michael Bibby, who is one of two associate head coaches.
• Joining the Bibbys on the staff are associate head coach Raymond Walcott, and assistant coaches Jason Fraser, Greg Moody II and Dr. August Mendes.
• The Hornets list two general managers, including Zach Chappell and Shaq. Chappell was an assistant coach on last year's coaching staff, and also played three highly successful seasons as player at Sacramento State (2020-23). An all-Big Sky Conference performer as a senior in 2022-23, he played one season of pro ball in Germany in 2024.
• The Hornets also have two new basketball operations guys in Michael Warren and Gerrard Carmichael, and new strength and conditioning coach Dr. Al Biancani. It was Biancani that developed a relationship with Bibby when he was the strength and conditioning coach with the Sacramento Kings while Bibby was a player.

THE MOVE TO HORNET PAVILION

• Sacramento State's 66-year run in the Nest has come to an end.
• The team moved its home games to The WELL on campus. The name of the facility is Hornet Pavilion. The project has converted a portion of the The WELL, an on-campus fitness facility, into a venue for both the men's and women's basketball teams.
• Overall capacity is 3,000, and the project was completed in late October. The fixed seating portion of the facility sold out each of the Hornets' first three games.
• The Hornets had played in the Nest every year since 1955, except four seasons (1996-00) when they spent their first four Big Sky years at downtown Memorial Auditorium.

BRAND NEW ROSTER

• All 14 players on the Hornets' roster are brand new to the program. Sacramento State is one of eight programs in the country with zero returning players from a year ago. One of those teams is Baylor, who the Hornets play on Dec. 2 in Waco, Texas.
• Of the 14 players on the roster, there are 10 Div. I transfers, two high school players, one junior college transfer, and one transfer from a Div. II school. 
• Sacramento State has two local players on the roster in sophomore Jayden Teat, who transferred from Utah after starring at Capital Christian High School and Jesuit High School in Sacramento. The other is freshman Mark Lavrenov from Rocklin High School.

FINAL SEASON IN THE BIG SKY

• This season marks the Hornets' 30th in the Big Sky Conference (1996-pres.), but will also serve as the team's last.
• During the summer, Sacramento State announced that it will join the Big West Conference as a full member beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
• In 2026, the Hornets will join a Big West lineup that includes California Baptist, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, CSUN, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and Utah Valley.

NBA LINEAGE

• Sacramento State has two players on the roster that have fathers that played in the NBA.
• That includes Shaqir O'Neal's father, Shaq, who played 19 seasons in the NBA (1992-2011) and is a member of the Hall of Fame. Taj Glover's father, Dion, played in the NBA for six seasons (1999-05).
• In addition, Isaiah Bronson's father, Lorenzo, was an official in the NBA.
• Also, of course, assistant coach Michael Bibby's father, Mike, played 14 seasons in the NBA and is Sacramento State's head coach.

BEAR HAVING A BIG SEASON

• Jeremiah "Bear" Cherry has posted double-doubles in three of his first five games, and ranks among the Big Sky's top five players in blocked shots (1st, 2.8 bpg), rebounding (2nd, 9.6 rpg) and scoring (4th, 18.2 ppg).
• Currently 22nd in the nation with 2.8 blocks per game, Cherry has posted at least 15 points, seven rebounds and 30 minutes in each of the first five games
• He added his third double-double on Sunday with 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. Presbyterian. He had scored 20+ points in two straight games prior to the 17 vs. the Blue Hose.
• Cherry is averaging 5.2 trips to the free throw line per game, made his first career collegiate 3-pointer vs. Jessup, and is averaging 2.0 offensive boards per game.
 
STAT SHEET STUFFING PROPHET

• A great rebounding guard at previous stops, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Prophet Johnson is at it again. He is currently averaging 16.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.0 spg and 33.4 mpg.
• He had posted double-doubles in three straight games (pts and reb) before being limited to eight points and six rebounds vs. Presbyterian. Johnson was one rebound shy in the season opener (21 pts, 9 reb) of posting four straight double-doubles to begin the year.
• He ranks among the Big Sky's top seven players in five categories, including first in rebounding, fifth in steals and minutes, sixth in assists, and seventh in scoring.
• Johnson is getting to the free throw line at a staggering rate, attempting 7.0 per game. The highly efficient Prophet is shooting 52% (25-48) from the field, 56% (9-16) from the 3-point line, and has 82 points on just 48 field goal attempts.
 
MIKEY MAKING HIS MARK

• Sophomore guard Mikey Williams, who is a nationally known player with over 3 million followers on Instagram, has been very good, including a 30-point explosion vs. UCSB.
• In that UCSB game, he had 30 points (10-16 FG, 4-7 3FG, 6-8 FT) and five assists in a game-high 39 minutes. That included 14 points in the first half, and 16 in the second half. 
• He ranks third on the team with 16.4 ppg, and has done a nice job setting up his teammates. His 28 total assists rank 10th in the nation, he has led the team in assists in every game, and his 35.7 minutes per contest ranks atop the Big Sky.
• Williams is one of two Hornets (Cherry) to score in double figures in all five games.
 
NOTABLES

• Cherry and Johnson are tied for third in the nation with three double-doubles.
• Sacramento State has used the same starting lineup in each of the first five games - Summers, Johnson and Williams at guard, and O'Neal and Cherry at forward.
• The Hornets rank 25th in the nation in both 3-point FG% (.416) and blocks (6.0 bpg).
• Guard Jayden Teat has done a nice job as the team's sixth man, averaging 10.6 ppg on 46% (10-22) from the 3-point line. His scoring average ranks fourth on the team.
• The Hornets' turnover margin of -3.8 per game ranks 331st out of 355 Div. I teams.