GAME PREVIEW

• With 12 non-league games in the books, Sacramento State (4-8, 0-0) opens the Big Sky Conference portion of the schedule on New Year's Day at Idaho State (7-6, 0-0). Tip at Reed Gym is 6 p.m. PT, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
• The Hornets will play the fifth leg of a season-long seven game road trip. Sacramento State is 0-4 on the trip, but three of those losses came to teams ranked among the top 130 in the NET ratings (#39 Baylor, #101 California Baptist, #127 Pacific).
• In each of the last two losses, the Hornets had chances late, but did not convert. The team trailed California Baptist, 69-67, with 3:13 to play, but did not score again. The Hornets led at CSUN, 80-78, but the Matadors closed the final 5:47 on a 22-8 run.
• The current road trip is part of a remarkable stretch of 49 straight days without a home game. The streak, which is the third longest in the nation among Div. I teams, began on Nov. 26, and concludes with the Big Sky home opener on Jan. 15 vs. Northern Arizona.
• Six Hornets have missed games to injury/illness this season, combining for 20 missed games. None bigger than 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward Jeremiah Cherry (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) who has missed each of the last six games with injury.
• Sacramento State is seeking its first road win as the team is 0-7 away from home.
• The Hornets' last win was a 94-46 home victory on Nov. 25 vs. San Francisco State.
• The Hornets are 9-20 in their Big Sky openers since joining the league in 1996. The team opened the Big Sky slate last season with a 56-53 home win over Portland State. The last Big Sky road opener victory came against Idaho (85-83 in OT) in Moscow on Jan. 5, 2023.
• Idaho State is coming off a 93-83 home loss to UC Davis on Dec. 21, which was its first home loss of the season (4-1). The Hornets fell on the road at UC Davis, 77-73, on Nov. 14.
• The Bengals feature sophomore swingman Lachlan Brewer, who played for the Hornets a year ago. Brewer started all but three games for the Hornets as a true freshman while averaging 6.0 points on 45% shooting from 3PT. This season, he has started all but two games for the Bengals, averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds.
• In a series that dates back to 1951 and is littered with close games, the Hornets are 29-35 all-time vs. Idaho State. That includes a 12-21 record when playing in Pocatello.
• Dating back to 2008, in the last 34 meetings between the two schools, 24 have been decided by six points or less, or went into overtime. That includes a 75-71 Hornet home victory last season. However, in the teams' latest matchup, ISU won in Pocatello, 83-66.
• Idaho State uses a 10-man rotation, and the team's average of 33.5 bench points per game rank as the 42nd best mark in the nation. 

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.
• In fact, every game the remainder of the season will be streamed on ESPN+.
• 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..

CSUN LOSS RECAP

• In a back and forth game that featured 14 lead changes and seven ties, CSUN used a late 9-0 run to pull away and defeat Sacramento State, 100-88, on Monday, Dec. 22.
• With the Hornets leading, 80-78, after a Mikey Williams layup, the Matadors went on a 9-0 run over the next 1:41 to take an 87-80 lead with a little over four minutes to play. 
• Sacramento State would get within five points of that deficit on two occasions during the final four minutes, but got no closer.
• Sacramento State, which trailed by eight at the break (52-44), used a 15-2 run to take its first lead of the second half at 63-62 with 12:30 remaining. The Hornets would eventually extend that lead to five points (73-68), but CSUN responded by scoring the game's next six points. The two teams exchanged buckets the next three minutes before the Matadors pulled away with the 9-0 spurt.
• In a highly intense and physical game that featured a combined three technical fouls and three flagrant fouls, CSUN had a big advantage in fast break points (28-12).
• After missing Saturday's game to injury, Hornet guard Prophet Johnson came back in a big way, scoring a season-high 26 points to go with 11 rebounds and three steals. The double-double was his sixth of the season, and 15th of his career.

THE BIBBY ERA

• Head coach Mike Bibby, who spent half of his 14-year NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, returned 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 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 ON BOARD AS GENERAL MANAGER

• Shaquille O'Neal is 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.
• Dr. Al Biancani, the new strength and conditioning coach, developed a relationship with Bibby when he served in the same role with the Sacramento Kings while Bibby was a player. Biancani was the second-ever strength coach hired by an NBA team.

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 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 has sold out four of the Hornets' first five home games. The only non-packed house came on a Sunday afternoon game vs. Presbyterian.
• 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 15 players on the Hornets' roster are brand new to the program. Sacramento State is one of seven programs in the country with zero returning players from a year ago. 
• Of the 15 players on the roster, there are 11 Div. I transfers, two high school players, one junior college transfer, and one transfer from a Div. II school. 
• The 13 total transfers on the Hornets' roster are third most in the country, trailing only 14 by both Memphis and Southern Miss. There are seven teams that sit just below the Hornets with 12 transfers.
• Davis Ambuehl, who played for Hornet Football in the fall as a tight end, joined the Hornets on Nov. 25. He has yet to play for the basketball team while dealing with injury.

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.

THE 3-POINT SNIPER

• Junior shooting guard Jahni Summers is on a heater. The sharp shooter has buried each of his last seven 3-point attempts, and is 13 for his last 17 from distance.
• In fact, over the last five games, he is averaging 15.6 ppg while shooting 66% (21-32) from the 3-point stripe. He scored in double figures in each of those five contests.
• The recent surge has propelled Summers to sixth in the nation (among players with 2.5 makes per game) in 3-point percentage at 51% on 30-for-59 shooting.
• In his last 3 games, he went 3-for-3 at CSUN, 6-for-8 at California Baptist, and 4-of-6 at Baylor.

LAVRENOV FILLING IN WELL FOR INJURED BEAR

• Freshman forward Mark Lavrenov was thrust into action after Jeremiah Cherry went down with injury at UCLA. Cherry, off to a big start (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg), was injured at the 8:18 mark of the first half against the Bruins and has not played since.
• In stepped in Lavrenov, who immediately posted a double-double (10 pts, 10 reb) in 29 minutes against the Bruins. He then followed that up at Cal where he had 14 points and eight rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. 
• Over the last seven games, he is averaging 8.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 28.6 minutes. That includes 80% (27-34) from the free throw line while also securing 26 offensive boards.
• There is no time table for Cherry's return. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward is tied for the team lead in scoring (15.5 ppg) while ranking second in rebounding (8.2 rpg).
 
STAT SHEET STUFFING PROPHET

• An extremely valuable all-around guard, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Prophet Johnson is averaging 16.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.6 steals and 32.6 minutes.
• He already has six double-doubles, leads the Big Sky in rebounding and steals, and is the third best rebounding guard in the country.
• He has scored in double figures in nine of 11 games (missed the California Baptist game to injury), and has a team-best five games with at least 20 points. That includes a season-high 26 points at CSUN after he dropped 21 points at Baylor.
• He is 11th in the nation in steals, and has combined for 14 steals over his last four games.
• He leads the Hornets in scoring, rebounding and steals while ranking second in assists.
• Johnson is the Big Sky's seventh leading scorer, averages 5.5 FTA per game, shoots 40% from deep, and has scored 12+ points in nine games. His six double-doubles are just four shy of the Hornet Div. I era season record of 10, set by center Callum McRae in 2022-23.
 
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 in his first season with the Hornets
• He has scored in double figures in four straight games, and is averaging a team-high 18.0 ppg during that stretch. That includes 21 points at Baylor, and 19 at CSUN.
• Overall, he has nine games in double figures, including at least seven in every game. He ranks 23rd in the country, and first in the Big Sky, with 34.8 minutes per contest.
• Also, among conference leaders, he is second in free throw attempts (5.8 per game), and fourth with 5.5 assists per game. That includes nine assists and zero turnovers at CSUN.
 
NATIONAL RANKS

• Among the 361 NCAA Div. I teams, the Hornets rank 34th in free throw percentage (.768), 69th in blocks (4.3 bpg), 70th in free throws made per game (17.7), 89th in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.308), and 97th in rebounds per game (38.8).
• The Hornets have attempted at least 20 free throws in all but three games.