Mustangs Back Home to Host San Jose State Wednesday on ESPN+

Wednesday, November 29

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

San Jose State

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Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Back Home to Host San Jose State Wednesday on ESPN+

11/28/2023 2:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE GAME PREVIEW (pdf)

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Following a 10-day break, the Cal Poly men's basketball program returns home to Mott Athletics Center to host San Jose State on Wednesday, Nov. 29. Tip time on ESPN+ is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (2-4), playing just its second home game of the year and first since a Nov. 6 season-opening victory against La Verne. The Mustangs resume action Wednesday following a three-game stretch at California Baptist's Lancer Joust (Nov. 17-19) with Cal Poly opening the competition with a 61-60 defeat of St. Thomas before falling to Portland State (73-57) and CBU (67-58). San Jose State (5-2), which defeated another Big West foe in UC Irvine to open the season, stretched its winning streak to three Monday evening with a 78-65 home win against North Dakota State.

CAL POLY VERSUS SAN JOSE STATE: The Mustangs saw a three-game winning streak against the Spartans snapped with a 65-43 road loss last season. Cal Poly prevailed during San Jose State's last two trips to Mott Athletics Center, defeating the Spartans at home on Dec. 10, 2011 (79-52) and Dec. 13, 2020 (73-71). The Division I series is tied (4-4) while San Jose State leads the all-time series (16-5) dating to the first matchup between the two sides on Feb. 14, 1947.

SANDERS TAKES THE SCORING LEAD: After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, guard Kobe Sanders – the lone senior in the lineup – has scored in double digits in all six games this year and ranks ninth among Big West players with a team leading 16.2 points per game. Having most recently scored a season best 20 points against Portland State (Nov. 18) and 17 at California Baptist (Nov. 19), Sanders also tops Cal Poly with a 91.3 (21-for-23) percent free throw mark while shooting 42.1 (8-for-19) percent from three-point range.

THE GRADUATE: Playing for the first time in two years after missing last season through injury, graduate guard Jarred Hyder ranks second in the lineup with 11.7 points per game following a 25-point effort at Wyoming (Nov. 9) – a performance one point shy of his career best 26 while a freshman at Fresno State on Nov. 10, 2019. An offseason transfer from California, Hyder – shooting 80.0 (12-for-15) percent from the free throw line – also scored 15 points at Denver.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 48.4 (184-for-380) percent career shooter and ranked 10th in program history with 56 career blocks, graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola – after performing for Cal Poly from 2018-22, earning his bachelors degree and departing the university – has returned to utilize his renewable 2020-21 season. As one of a handful, if not the only Division I player in this situation, Jaakkola appeared in all 28 of Cal Poly's games during his 2021-22 senior season. With 109 career games played for Cal Poly, Jaakkola needs just 20 more appearances to surpass guard Jamal Johnson's program record of 128 (2010-14).

LOOKING AHEAD (DEC. 2/4): Cal Poly plays its next three on the road, a stretch beginning at Idaho on Saturday, Dec. 2 and continuing at Oregon State on Monday, Dec. 4. Cal Poly, which defeated Idaho at home last season, 82-71, visits the Vandals for the first time since a Jan. 6, 2005 Big West matchup. Cal Poly's trip to Oregon State marks just the program's fourth all-time matchup with the Beavers and first since a 78-65 road setback on Nov. 12, 2006.

ETC.: Cal Poly is its 30th Division I season this year and 80th as a four-year program … Cal Poly improved to 48-1 all-time against non-Division I opposition with an 80-62 home victory against Division III La Verne (Nov. 6) … against La Verne, Cal Poly also prevailed in a season opener for the fourth straight year … Cal Poly's Nov. 9 matchup at Denver marked the programs first all-time matchup with the Pioneers with the Mustangs having now faced all nine current Summit League members … Cal Poly played the program's first all-time game in the state of Wyoming and the first game ever against Wyoming while having now faced all 11 current Mountain West Conference programs during a Nov. 11 visit to Laramie … Cal Poly has now faced all nine current Summit League members in its program history following a 61-60 victory against first-time opponent St. Thomas (Nov. 17) … senior guard Kobe Sanders was named to California Baptist's Lancer Joust all-tournament team (Nov. 17-19) after averaging 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and shooting 51.3 percent in three matchups.