GAME PREVIEW

• After a seven-game road, Sacramento State (4-11, 0-3) finally returns home on Thursday to face Northern Arizona (6-11, 0-4). Tip at Hornet Pavilion is 7 p.m.
• The road trip, which ended in Saturday's loss to Portland State, was 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 on Thursday.
• The Hornets are 4-1 at home with the last victory coming via 94-46 score over San Francisco State on Nov. 25.
• That win over San Francisco State was also the Hornets' most recent victory, as Sacramento State went 0-7 on the road trip. Thursday's game vs. Northern Arizona is the Hornets' Big Sky home opener.
• Sacramento State is the only team in the Big Sky that has yet to play a conference home game. In fact, every team in the conference except the Hornets and Portland State (1-0) have played at least two home league games.
• Both the Hornets (0-3) and Northern Arizona (0-4) are seeking their first Big Sky win. They are the only teams in the conference that has yet to win a league game.
• Northern Arizona has dropped four straight, including an 81-79 home loss to Idaho State on Saturday. The Lumberjacks are seeking their first road win of the season (0-7).
• Seven Hornets have missed games to injury/illness this season. None bigger than 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward Jeremiah Cherry (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) who has missed each of the last nine games with injury. The Hornets are 1-8 without Cherry in the lineup.
• In a series that dates back to 1991 (the Hornets' first year of Div. I play), Sacramento State is 18-47 all-time against Northern Arizona. That includes an 11-20 home record.
• The Hornets have lost five straight in the series, and are seeking their first win over the Lumberjacks since a 59-56 victory on Jan. 14, 2023, in the Nest.
• NAU won both meetings a year ago via 65-61 victory in the Nest, and a 77-53 win in Flagstaff. The Lumberjacks have won two straight in Sacramento.
• Northern Arizona ranks last in the Big Sky in scoring at 73.7 points per game. They are also last in Big Sky play at 69.0 points per contest. Thursday will be an interesting game as the Hornets are yielding the most points in Big Sky play at 96.0 per contest. All three Big Sky opponents have scored between 95 and 97 points against Sacramento State.
• The Lumberjacks have two players averaging double figures in sophomore forward Zack Davidson (14.0 ppg) and junior guard Ryan Abelman (11.1 ppg). Northern Arizona's .368 3-point field goal percentage is third in the Big Sky, and 49th 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.
• That includes Thursday night that airs on ESPN+ with 29th-year play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy and former Hornet assistant coach Ajay Riding on the call.
• 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..

PORTLAND STATE LOSS RECAP

• Despite a game-high 29 points from Mikey Williams, it was not nearly enough in Sacramento State's 96-69 loss at Portland State on Saturday afternoon at Viking Pavilion.
• Williams continued his assault on Big Sky opposition. The dynamic guard finished with 29 points on 9-for-20 shooting from the field and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. He averaged a point per minute was fouled 10 times during the contest. 
• He scored each of the Hornets' first 12 points of the game and connected on each of his first five field goal attempts. Williams also had 16 of the team's first 19 points on the way to a 21-point first half. At one point, with Portland State leading by three points (22-19), Williams was 6-for-8 from the field while the rest of the team was 1-for-13.
• Neither team led by more than six points the first 15 minutes of clock before Portland State closed on a 15-5 run to enter halftime with a 46-32 lead.
• The Vikings never led by anything less than 14 points the entire second half. Portland State controlled the glass with a 47-25 rebounding advantage and connected on 10-for-25 from the 3-point line while the Hornets were 3-of-21 from distance.

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.

MIKEY MAKING HIS MARK

• Sophomore guard Mikey Williams, who is a nationally popular player with over 3 million followers on Instagram, has been very good in his first season with the Hornets.
• He has scored at least 26 points in all three league games, and easily leads the Big Sky with an average of 29.7 ppg in conference play.
• That includes a career-high 34 points at Idaho State, 26 at Weber State, and 29 at Portland State. That's all part of a stretch in which he has scored in double figures each of the last seven games, including 18+ points in each of the last six.
• Overall, he has 12 games in double figures (two 30-point games), including at least seven points in every game. After averaging 13.3 ppg through the first eight games of the season, he is averaging 23.0 ppg over the last seven games.
• Among conference leaders (overall), he is second in minutes (34.8 mpg), free throws made (80) and attempted (102), and fourth in scoring (17.8 ppg) and assists (4.7 apg).
 
THE 3-POINT SNIPER

• Junior shooting guard Jahni Summers has buried 14 of his last 21 (67%) from distance. That included seven straight makes until he missed one at Idaho State.
• He is shooting a team-best 49% (31-63) from the 3-point line, but has been held in check during Big Sky play.
• In 12 non-conference games, Summers was averaging 10.8 ppg on 51% (30-59) from the 3-point line. However, in three games vs. the Big Sky, he has combined to score just four points (1.3 ppg) on 1-for-4 shooting from long range.

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 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 10 games, he is averaging 8.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 27.1 minutes. That includes 78% (38-49) from the free throw line while also securing 32 offensive boards.
• There is no time table for Cherry's return. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward is second on the team in both scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.2 rpg).
 
STAT SHEET STUFFING PROPHET

• A valuable all-around guard, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Prophet Johnson is averaging 14.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.6 steals and 33.3 minutes.
• He already has six double-doubles, leads the Big Sky in steals, ranks second in rebounds, and is the third best rebounding guard in the country.
• He has scored in double figures 10 times, including five games with at least 20 points. That includes a season-high 26 points at CSUN, and 21 points at Baylor.
• Overall, Johnson is the Big Sky's ninth leading scorer, averages 4.8 FTA per game, and has scored 12+ points in 10 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.
 
NOTABLES

Behind Mikey Williams (29.7 ppg), Jayden Teat (9.7 ppg) and Mark Lavrenov (9.7 ppg) are tied for second on the Hornets in scoring vs. Big Sky opposition. Teat is shooting 42% from 3PT in league, and has scored in double figures in each of the last two games.