Photo by: Owen Main
Cal Poly Hosts UC San Diego Thursday, Visits UC Davis Saturday
1/18/2023 2:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COMPLETE WEEKLY PREVIEW
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program closes January with three of four games at home inside Mott Athletics Center, first hosting UC San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The Mustangs then visit UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. before welcoming Long Beach State (Thursday, Jan. 26) and Cal State Fullerton (Saturday, Jan. 28). After opening Big West Conference action with a Dec. 29 home victory against CSUN, the Mustangs have dropped five straight – most recently falling in overtime at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), 83-78. Ranked 35th among NCAA Division I programs with a 75.4 percent free throw mark, Cal Poly – following Monday's setback at UC Riverside – remained in ninth place in the Big West standings alongside UC San Diego (6-12, 1-5). The Tritons enter Thursday's matchup also having dropped five straight. UC Davis (11-7, 4-2), meanwhile, has won four straight to climb to fifth place in the Big West standings. The Aggies host UC Riverside Thursday prior to Cal Poly's arrival.
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ of Thursday's home matchup with UC San Diego HERE (ESPN+ will also be available for Saturday's matchup at UC Davis HERE) … Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer has the audio play-by-play call for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com of both games HERE … live stats from both matchups will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: Cal Poly swept the Tritons last season, securing a pair of four-point victories during the first matchups as Big West foes (the 2020-21 season series – in UCSD's initial year of conference participation – was cancelled). The Mustangs lead the all-time series against the Tritons, 9-1, with UC San Diego's only victory an 87-76 decision at Cal Poly on Dec. 20, 1969.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: The Mustangs look to snap an 11-year, eight-game winless streak inside the University Credit Union Center with Cal Poly's last road win against UC Davis a 67-65 decision on Jan. 28, 2012 (the Mustangs overcame a 17-point second half deficit during that win). Overall, Cal Poly has edged UC Davis just once in the last 11 meetings, dealing the Aggies an 82-74 defeat in San Luis Obispo last January. Cal Poly's oldest continual series, the Mustangs lead the all-time matchups, 36-30, dating to the first meeting – a 49-48 UC Davis home win – on Dec. 30, 1946. UC Davis, however, leads the Division I series, 23-15.
MUSTANGS FROM THE LINE: Cal Poly enters Thursday's matchup with UC San Diego ranked 35th among 352 Division I programs with a Big West leading 75.4 (218-for-289) percent free throw mark. Highlighted by 9-for-9 performances against San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) and at UC Riverside (Jan. 16) and a 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) outing versus California Baptist (Dec. 3), Cal Poly has shot better than 81 percent from the free throw line nine times.
MUSTANG 1K CLUB: Graduate guard Chance Hunter surpassed 1,000 career points against Long Beach State (Jan. 12) and senior forward Alimamy Koroma has the opportunity to join him in reaching the milestone Thursday versus UC San Diego. With Hunter now on 1,013 career points, Koroma requires just four more to become the 25th career Mustang to reach 1,000 in a career.
KOROMA REMAINS CAL POLY'S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: One of Cal Poly's top two scorers for a third successive season, forward Alimamy Koroma once again leads the program with 10.8 points per game following a season high 23-point performance versus Idaho (Nov. 23) and 19-point effort against California Baptist (Dec. 3). Ranked second among Big West players with a 50.4 (67-for-133) percent field goal mark, Koroma – with 47 career double-digit scoring games (including 11 this season) – is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.1 (369-for-736) percent through 94 collegiate outings and 63 starts. He requires four more points to become just the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Koroma also ranks sixth in program history with 73 career blocks and 17st with 454 collegiate rebounds.
TAYLOR MADE OUTPUT: Cal Poly's second leading scorer at 10.6 points per game and with a season best 21-point effort at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), senior guard Trevon Taylor completed a second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20). Taylor also owns 13-point efforts at Washington (Dec. 13) and Long Beach State (Jan. 12). The only Mustang to start all 18 games this season, Taylor – who has produced four double-digit scoring games in his last six outings – also leads Cal Poly with 5.0 rebounds per game.
CHANCE THE SCORER: A Cal Poly best 19-point performance during the program's Jan. 7 matchup against UC Santa Barbara marked graduate guard Chance Hunter's seventh double-digit scoring game as a Mustang. Hunter also scored 18 points against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20) before adding 15 versus California Baptist (Dec. 3). A starter in 14 of 18 matchups, Hunter is Cal Poly's third leading scorer with 8.8 points per game.
SANDERS IN THE SCORING COLUMN: Junior guard Kobe Sanders has twice led Cal Poly in scoring through six Big West matchups, first finishing with a season best 17 points in a Dec. 29 conference-opening victory versus CSUN before recording 14 at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 5). Sanders is Cal Poly's fourth overall leading scorer at 7.5 points per game following a 15-point outburst at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), but ranks second in the lineup in Big West play at 10.5 points per six conference games. With 11 starts in 15 appearances, Sanders also ranks second in the lineup with an 84.4 (27-for-32) percent free throw mark.
THE SMITHS: With the addition of Jamal Smith – son of fourth-year head coach John Smith – as director of operations, Cal Poly is one of only three Division I programs with that familial distinction. Louisiana Monroe features head coach Keith Richard and director of operations Luke while North Florida counts head coach Matthew Driscoll alongside operations director and son, Chase.
ETC.: Cal Poly is in its 79th season as a four-year program and 29th at the Division I level … since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly improved to 47-1 against non-Division I programs with a 72-59 home victory against NAIA San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) … Cal Poly's 73-68 home setback versus Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 18) marked the program's first all-time matchup versus The Mount and just the fourth all-time game against a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent … forward Alimamy Koroma and guard Trevon Taylor earned spots on the California Thanksgiving Jam all-tournament team (Nov. 20, 23) … Cal Poly's 58.3 (30-for-51) percent field goal mark in an 82-71 home victory against Idaho (Nov. 23) marked the highest single game total under fourth-year head coach John Smith … Cal Poly's seven turnovers versus Idaho were the fewest amount since finishing with seven against UC Riverside on Jan. 16, 2021 … due to health and safety protocols with Pepperdine, Cal Poly's Nov. 30 road matchup with the Waves was cancelled … Cal Poly held Portland State to its lowest scoring output in eight seasons during a 72-49 victory (Dec. 10) … Cal Poly's four-game win streak from Nov. 23-Dec. 10 marked the program's lengthiest since November 2015 … Cal Poly's 67-57 home win against CSUN (Dec. 29) marked the program's first Big West opening-night victory since the 2017-18 season … Cal Poly's Dec. 31 matchup at Hawai'i marked the final Division I men's game of the 2022 calendar year and the program's only scheduled game outside of the Pacific Time Zone this season … transferring to Cal Poly with 854 combined points between Long Beach State (2019-21) and California Baptist (2021-22), graduate guard Chance Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point at Long Beach State (Jan. 12).
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program closes January with three of four games at home inside Mott Athletics Center, first hosting UC San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. The Mustangs then visit UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. before welcoming Long Beach State (Thursday, Jan. 26) and Cal State Fullerton (Saturday, Jan. 28). After opening Big West Conference action with a Dec. 29 home victory against CSUN, the Mustangs have dropped five straight – most recently falling in overtime at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), 83-78. Ranked 35th among NCAA Division I programs with a 75.4 percent free throw mark, Cal Poly – following Monday's setback at UC Riverside – remained in ninth place in the Big West standings alongside UC San Diego (6-12, 1-5). The Tritons enter Thursday's matchup also having dropped five straight. UC Davis (11-7, 4-2), meanwhile, has won four straight to climb to fifth place in the Big West standings. The Aggies host UC Riverside Thursday prior to Cal Poly's arrival.
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play coverage for ESPN+ of Thursday's home matchup with UC San Diego HERE (ESPN+ will also be available for Saturday's matchup at UC Davis HERE) … Zachary Anderson-Yoxsimer has the audio play-by-play call for ESPN 1280 (San Luis Obispo County) and GoPoly.com of both games HERE … live stats from both matchups will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: Cal Poly swept the Tritons last season, securing a pair of four-point victories during the first matchups as Big West foes (the 2020-21 season series – in UCSD's initial year of conference participation – was cancelled). The Mustangs lead the all-time series against the Tritons, 9-1, with UC San Diego's only victory an 87-76 decision at Cal Poly on Dec. 20, 1969.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: The Mustangs look to snap an 11-year, eight-game winless streak inside the University Credit Union Center with Cal Poly's last road win against UC Davis a 67-65 decision on Jan. 28, 2012 (the Mustangs overcame a 17-point second half deficit during that win). Overall, Cal Poly has edged UC Davis just once in the last 11 meetings, dealing the Aggies an 82-74 defeat in San Luis Obispo last January. Cal Poly's oldest continual series, the Mustangs lead the all-time matchups, 36-30, dating to the first meeting – a 49-48 UC Davis home win – on Dec. 30, 1946. UC Davis, however, leads the Division I series, 23-15.
MUSTANGS FROM THE LINE: Cal Poly enters Thursday's matchup with UC San Diego ranked 35th among 352 Division I programs with a Big West leading 75.4 (218-for-289) percent free throw mark. Highlighted by 9-for-9 performances against San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) and at UC Riverside (Jan. 16) and a 16-for-17 (94.1 percent) outing versus California Baptist (Dec. 3), Cal Poly has shot better than 81 percent from the free throw line nine times.
MUSTANG 1K CLUB: Graduate guard Chance Hunter surpassed 1,000 career points against Long Beach State (Jan. 12) and senior forward Alimamy Koroma has the opportunity to join him in reaching the milestone Thursday versus UC San Diego. With Hunter now on 1,013 career points, Koroma requires just four more to become the 25th career Mustang to reach 1,000 in a career.
KOROMA REMAINS CAL POLY'S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: One of Cal Poly's top two scorers for a third successive season, forward Alimamy Koroma once again leads the program with 10.8 points per game following a season high 23-point performance versus Idaho (Nov. 23) and 19-point effort against California Baptist (Dec. 3). Ranked second among Big West players with a 50.4 (67-for-133) percent field goal mark, Koroma – with 47 career double-digit scoring games (including 11 this season) – is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting 50.1 (369-for-736) percent through 94 collegiate outings and 63 starts. He requires four more points to become just the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Koroma also ranks sixth in program history with 73 career blocks and 17st with 454 collegiate rebounds.
TAYLOR MADE OUTPUT: Cal Poly's second leading scorer at 10.6 points per game and with a season best 21-point effort at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), senior guard Trevon Taylor completed a second career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20). Taylor also owns 13-point efforts at Washington (Dec. 13) and Long Beach State (Jan. 12). The only Mustang to start all 18 games this season, Taylor – who has produced four double-digit scoring games in his last six outings – also leads Cal Poly with 5.0 rebounds per game.
CHANCE THE SCORER: A Cal Poly best 19-point performance during the program's Jan. 7 matchup against UC Santa Barbara marked graduate guard Chance Hunter's seventh double-digit scoring game as a Mustang. Hunter also scored 18 points against Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 20) before adding 15 versus California Baptist (Dec. 3). A starter in 14 of 18 matchups, Hunter is Cal Poly's third leading scorer with 8.8 points per game.
SANDERS IN THE SCORING COLUMN: Junior guard Kobe Sanders has twice led Cal Poly in scoring through six Big West matchups, first finishing with a season best 17 points in a Dec. 29 conference-opening victory versus CSUN before recording 14 at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 5). Sanders is Cal Poly's fourth overall leading scorer at 7.5 points per game following a 15-point outburst at UC Riverside (Jan. 16), but ranks second in the lineup in Big West play at 10.5 points per six conference games. With 11 starts in 15 appearances, Sanders also ranks second in the lineup with an 84.4 (27-for-32) percent free throw mark.
THE SMITHS: With the addition of Jamal Smith – son of fourth-year head coach John Smith – as director of operations, Cal Poly is one of only three Division I programs with that familial distinction. Louisiana Monroe features head coach Keith Richard and director of operations Luke while North Florida counts head coach Matthew Driscoll alongside operations director and son, Chase.
ETC.: Cal Poly is in its 79th season as a four-year program and 29th at the Division I level … since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly improved to 47-1 against non-Division I programs with a 72-59 home victory against NAIA San Diego Christian (Dec. 22) … Cal Poly's 73-68 home setback versus Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 18) marked the program's first all-time matchup versus The Mount and just the fourth all-time game against a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent … forward Alimamy Koroma and guard Trevon Taylor earned spots on the California Thanksgiving Jam all-tournament team (Nov. 20, 23) … Cal Poly's 58.3 (30-for-51) percent field goal mark in an 82-71 home victory against Idaho (Nov. 23) marked the highest single game total under fourth-year head coach John Smith … Cal Poly's seven turnovers versus Idaho were the fewest amount since finishing with seven against UC Riverside on Jan. 16, 2021 … due to health and safety protocols with Pepperdine, Cal Poly's Nov. 30 road matchup with the Waves was cancelled … Cal Poly held Portland State to its lowest scoring output in eight seasons during a 72-49 victory (Dec. 10) … Cal Poly's four-game win streak from Nov. 23-Dec. 10 marked the program's lengthiest since November 2015 … Cal Poly's 67-57 home win against CSUN (Dec. 29) marked the program's first Big West opening-night victory since the 2017-18 season … Cal Poly's Dec. 31 matchup at Hawai'i marked the final Division I men's game of the 2022 calendar year and the program's only scheduled game outside of the Pacific Time Zone this season … transferring to Cal Poly with 854 combined points between Long Beach State (2019-21) and California Baptist (2021-22), graduate guard Chance Hunter recorded his 1,000th career point at Long Beach State (Jan. 12).
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