Mustangs Back on the Central Coast to Host UC Riverside and UC Irvine
2/9/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COMPLETE PREVIEW AND PLAYER BIOS (pdf)
VIDEO PREVIEWS: JOE CALLERO | CHRIS EVERSLEY
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The Cal Poly men's basketball program looks to stem what matches its lengthiest slide of the season when returning home to host UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 9 and UC Irvine on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tip time for both matchups inside Mott Gym is set for 7 p.m. The Mustangs (13-11, 4-6), who enter play this week seventh in the Big West Conference standings, previously dealt UC Irvine a 66-50 defeat (Jan. 12) before dropping a 60-53 decision at UC Riverside (Jan. 14). Both UC Riverside (11-12, 5-5) and UC Irvine (9-14, 5-5) enter play this week just a game ahead of Cal Poly in the Big West standings. The Highlanders, who ended a four-game losing streak with a 59-54 victory versus UC Davis (Feb. 4), allow the second-fewest points per game among conference programs (63.1), but rank last in scoring offense (60.3). UC Irvine visits second-place Cal State Fullerton (15-7, 7-3) before visiting San Luis Obispo.
HOW TO ENJOY MUSTANG BASKETBALL THIS WEEK: Tom Barket returns to the headset to provide play-by-play detail of both of Cal Poly's upcoming matchups HERE and in San Luis Obispo County on ESPN 1280. Live stats and streaming video for both games will be available HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: Cal Poly swept the last two regular season series from UC Riverside, but it has been the Highlanders who have prevailed of late with victories during the first round of the 2011 Big West Tournament and earlier this season in Riverside. Two of the past five meetings against UC Riverside have gone to overtime – the most frequent occurrence against any Mustang opponent during Cal Poly's recent history. Overall, the Highlanders maintain a 43-41 series advantage since the first meeting between the two sides on Dec. 22, 1968.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC IRVINE: Cal Poly has produced back-to-back victories against UC Irvine dating to last season, but the Anteaters have prevailed during their previous three visits to Mott Gym. Overall, the Anteaters hold a 21-18 series advantage since the first meeting between the two programs on Dec. 3, 1965.
DEFENSE REMAINS AT THE FOREFRONT: Despite their current two-game slide, the Mustangs remain atop the Big West and NCAA defensive charts. Cal Poly enters Thursday's matchup against UC Riverside ranked 18th among NCAA programs in opponent points per game (59.0) as well as leading the Big West in opponent rebounds per game (29.0) and ranking second in opponent three-point percentage (33.3). Highlighted by limiting USC to 36 points on Nov. 19 – the fewest points scored by a Cal Poly opponent in 18 years at the Division I level – the Mustangs have held foes under 60 points during 12 of 24 games this year. The Mustangs have also held opponents under 30 percent from three-point range a further 10 times during the 2011-12 season.
CAL POLY TOUGH ON THE BOARDS: Cal Poly has grabbed the same amount of boards or outrebounded its opponent during 21 of 24 games this year, mass production that has the Mustangs ranked 21st nationally and second among Big West squads in rebounding margin (plus-6.5) entering Thursday's matchup versus UC Riverside. Not surprisingly, Cal Poly is 11-6 this season when outrebounding the opposition with the only defeats coming at DePaul (Dec. 21), versus UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 2) and Long Beach State (Jan. 5, Jan. 19) and at UC Riverside (Jan. 14) and CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 4).
POSSESSION IS NINE-TENTHS OF THE WIN: Cal Poly enters Thursday's matchup versus UC Riverside ranked 15th among NCAA programs and first among Big West squads with just 11.0 turnovers committed per game. Also 51st nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.14-to-1), the Mustangs have finished with a single-digit turnover total during nine of their last 18 contests.
MUSTANG BOUNCEBACKABILITY: Cal Poly has compiled a 7-3 record this year following a loss and failed to drop more than two successive games during any stretch. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Cal Poly has posted a 14-10 mark following a defeat.
20-20 VISION: Through 24 games this season, no Cal Poly player has scored 20 points during any contest. Through the course of the season, three different Mustangs have registered 19 points during a game: Will Taylor (vs. Menlo College, Dec. 14), Chris Eversley (vs. Cal State Northridge, Jan. 21) and David Hanson (at Pacific, Jan. 26). Additionally, Cal Poly players have posted an 18-point game five separate times.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE: Cal Poly's 14 home games this season are the most contests inside Mott Gym since the program hosted 16 opponents during the 1999-00 campaign. Under Joe Callero, Cal Poly has posted an 19-14 overall mark in Mott Gym, a 11-9 record against Big West opposition and, this season alone, allowed just 59.8 points per game.
TAYLOR CONTINUES TO RISE TO THE OCCASION: With five double-doubles tucked into his back pocket this season – including an 18-point, 10-rebound effort against Cal State Northridge (Jan. 21) – senior forward Will Taylor enters Thursday's matchup versus UC Riverside ranked second among Big West players with a 53.2 (100-for-188) percent field goal mark and third with 7.3 rebounds per game. A starter during all 24 of Cal Poly's contests after redshirting last season, Taylor has grabbed seven-plus rebounds in a game 13 times this year, recorded double-digit scoring figures 12 times and shot higher than 60 percent from the floor on nine occasions.
EVERSLEY EMERGING: Sophomore forward Chris Eversley had recorded just 52 points during his initial 15 contests as a Mustang, but the Chicago native and 2010 transfer from Rice has registered double-digit scoring figures during six of Cal Poly's last nine outings and, since Jan. 7, ranks second among Mustangs with 11.6 points per game. Eversley, who worked his way into the Mustang starting lineup during the last three games after scoring a career-high 19 points against Cal State Northridge (Jan. 21), has grabbed a collegiate-high nine rebounds during three of Cal Poly's previous five contests.
FERMIN FORGES THE BULLETS FOR CAL POLY TO FIRE: Arguably the Big West's most efficient point guard, senior Amaurys Fermin enters Thursday's matchup versus UC Riverside ranking second among conference players in assists (88), assists per game (3.67) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.66-to-1). Fermin, who matched a career high with eight assists at DePaul (Dec. 21), also ranks second among Mustangs with 15 double-digit scoring games and third with 10.0 points per contest. After redshirting the 2009-10 (transfer) and 2010-11 (injury) seasons, Fermin has started all 24 games for Cal Poly this year.
HANSON'S HIGHLIGHT EFFORTS: A 19-point, 11-rebound performance at Pacific (Jan. 26) marked senior forward David Hanson's fourth double-double during Cal Poly's previous 13 games. The program's leader with 18 double-digit scoring games after notching just four total points during Cal Poly's opening two contests, Hanson enters Thursday's matchup versus UC Riverside leading all Mustangs with 11.6 points per game and ranking 13th among Big West rebounders with 5.5 boards per game.
MUSTANGS DRAW NORTHERN COLORADO IN ESPN SEARS BRACKETBUSTER: Cal Poly will face a Big Sky Conference opponent for the second successive season in the ESPN BracketBuster series when visiting Northern Colorado inside Butler–Hancock Sports Pavilion on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 6:05 p.m. PT. Northern Colorado (7-15, 4-7), the defending Big Sky Tournament champion, currently ranks second among NCAA Division I programs with a 43.3 percent three-point mark and 37th nationally with a 47.3 percent field goal figure. Cal Poly's only previous meeting against Northern Colorado was a 76-62 home triumph on Dec. 17, 1990 when both programs were Division II members.
MUSTANGS FACE NATION'S FINEST IN 2011-12: In what has become a hallmark of head coach Joe Callero's three-season tenure, Cal Poly will again face another testing schedule during the 2011-12 campaign. Continuing with a Feb. 18 ESPN BracketBuster road clash at Northern Colorado, Cal Poly will play eight regular season games this year against programs that qualified for either the 2011 NCAA Tournament or NIT.
DEAR DIARY: In what ranked as one of the finest offensive displays in Cal Poly program history, the Mustangs registered numerous historic achievements during their 100-54, regionally-televised decimation of Cal State Northridge on Jan. 21:
– Consecutive Three-Pointers: The Mustangs matched a 25-year-old NCAA record by knocking down their first 11 three-point attempts. The Mustangs, 11-for-11 during the first half before finally missing to open the second, equaled sharp-shooting marks established by Niagara (Jan. 7, 1987) and Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 14, 1987).
– Three-Point Percentage, Single Game: Cal Poly's 71.4 (15-for-21) mark from beyond the arc established a new program single-game record.
– Margin of Victory: Cal Poly's highest since dismantling Cal State Monterey Bay, 104-50 (Nov. 30, 2000) – a span of 334 games.
– Point Total: The program's loftiest amount since toppling Hawai'i, 102-89 (Feb. 21, 2010) in an ESPN BracketBuster matchup.
– Home Point Total: Cal Poly's highest total since dismantling Portland State, 100-79 (Nov. 27, 2001) – a span of 306 total games.
– Players in Double-Digit Scoring Figures (Five): Aside from a 91-58 (Dec. 14) victory versus NAIA Menlo, the second time this season Cal Poly reached the total. It also marked the third time under third-year head coach Joe Callero that the Mustangs had managed five double-digit scorers.
HAWAI'I AND SAN DIEGO STATE SET TO JOIN BIG WEST CONFERENCE: Cal Poly's number of conference games will swell to 18 next season and 20 for the 2013-14 campaign with the successive additions of Hawai'i and San Diego State to the Big West. Previously a member of the Big West from 1984-96, Hawai'i will resume official competition during the 2012-13 campaign with San Diego State – an original conference member (1969-78) – set to rejoin the following year. Both schools will compete in every sport in which the Big West sponsors a championship.
MUSTANGS SIGN THREE FOR 2012-13 CAMPAIGN: Joe Callero and the Mustang Athletics Department increased Cal Poly's collective height and strengthened the program's collective depth on Nov. 9 with the joint announcement that 6-7 Zachary Allmon (San Luis Obispo, Calif. / Mission College Prep), 6-9 Brian Bennett (Romeoville, Ill. / Plainfield East HS) and 6-8 Josh Hall (Brush Prarie, Wash. / St. John's Northwestern Military Academy) each signed National Letters of Intent to join the Mustangs for the 2012-13 campaign. As a junior during the 2010-11 campaign, Allmon averaged 12.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for a Mission Prep side that reached the California Interscholastic Federation Division 5-AA semifinals. An All-San Luis Obispo County first team selection last season, Allmon also served as a captain for the Royals. Bennett helped lead Plainfield East HS to the program's first victory in the Illinois State Tournament during the 2010-11 season. Ranked among the Southwest Prairie Conference's leaders in both field goal and free throw percentage, Bennett has been named to the honor roll during each of his semesters at Plainfield East HS. Hall is attending St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (Delafield, Wisc.) following a standout career at Hockinson HS. Hall earned All-Washington first team praise and was named Most Valuable Player of the Greater St. Helens League as a senior during the 2010-11 campaign after averaging more than 20 points per game and leading the Hawks to a conference championship. A four-year All-Greater St. Helens League first team honoree, Hall owns half of Hockinson's school scoring records, including career points (1,571).
ETC.: Cal Poly improved to 9-9 in season-opening contests at the Division I level with a 79-52 victory against San Jose State (Nov. 12) … Cal Poly's lone victories when trailing at halftime this season came at USC on Nov. 19 (trailed, 20-13) and at UC Davis on Jan. 28 (trailed, 39-25) … Cal Poly's lone defeat when leading at halftime was a 59-54 home defeat against Saint Mary's (the Mustangs led at the break, 26-25) … Cal Poly's Nov. 22 matchup at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center drew 12,061 spectators, the largest attendance figure for the Mustangs since 17,230 fans packed Wisconsin's Kohl Center on Dec. 16, 2009 … Cal Poly's 62-61 victory against Morgan State (Nov. 25) was the program's 200th triumph at the Division I level … a 58-57 Big West Conference-opening loss against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 2) marked Cal Poly's 500th game at the Division I level … Cal Poly's 65-50 triumph at UC Irvine (Jan. 12) marked the program's 100th Big West victory.
