Cal Poly Back on Road to Visit Idaho Saturday, Oregon State Monday

Saturday, December 2

Moscow, ID

2 p.m.

Idaho

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Back on Road to Visit Idaho Saturday, Oregon State Monday

12/1/2023 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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SAN LUIS OBISPO – Following Wednesday's 81-77, come-from-behind, overtime home victory against San Jose State, the Cal Poly men's basketball program opens a three-game road trip on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. versus Idaho on ESPN+. The road stretch continues Monday, Dec. 4 against Oregon State at 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks for Cal Poly (3-4), which trailed San Jose State by six with 66 seconds to play. Senior guard and leading scorer Kobe Sanders, however, knocked down a three-pointer with six seconds left to force overtime and Cal Poly prevailed to remain unbeaten at home this season. Idaho (3-4), playing the second matchup in a three-game home stand, resumes action following a 67-65 home setback to Denver (Nov. 29). Three of Idaho's five games against Division I opponents this season have been decided by three points or less. Oregon State (4-3), meanwhile, snapped a three-game slide Thursday with a 71-59 home victory against fellow Big West foe UC Davis.

CAL POLY VERSUS IDAHO: The Mustangs have defeated Idaho during each of previous two Novembers, but trail in both the all-time (12-9) and Division I (11-9) series. The two sides first met on Dec. 14, 1954 at Idaho (a 95-72 Vandals victory) and then not again until the Mustangs joined the Big West ahead of the 1996-97 season. Cal Poly has faced Idaho just three times since Idaho departed the Big West, including a Nov. 25, 2017 matchup at the 40th and final Great Alaska Shootout.

CAL POLY VERSUS OREGON STATE: The Beavers have prevailed in two of the three all-time matchups with Cal Poly, last defeating the Mustangs at home on Nov. 12, 2006, 78-65. Cal Poly edged Oregon State in the first matchup between the two sides on Dec. 15, 2001 in San Luis Obispo, 72-68.

SANDERS IN THE SCORING LEAD: After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, senior guard Kobe Sanders has scored in double digits in all seven games this year – including matching a career high with 22 points to fuel Cal Poly's Nov. 29 overtime home victory against San Jose State – and ranks seventh among Big West players with a team leading 17.0 points per game. Having also scored 20 points against Portland State (Nov. 18) and 17 at California Baptist (Nov. 19), Sanders also ranks second among Big West players with an 87.9 (29-for-33) percent free throw mark while leading Cal Poly with a 45.5 (10-for-22) three-point mark. Now with 23 career double-digit scoring games, Sanders is averaging 7.2 points per 74 collegiate outings.

THE GRADUATE: Playing for the first time in two years after missing last season through injury, graduate guard Jarred Hyder – having scored in double digits four times in Cal Poly's last six games – ranks second in the lineup with 11.7 points. Hyder most recently scored 12 points in Cal Poly's 81-77 overtime home victory against San Jose State (Nov. 29) and enjoyed 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 – sixth among Big West players with a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio – also scored 15 points at Denver.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 48.8 (187-for-383) percent career shooter and ranked 10th in program history with 57 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 110 career games played for Cal Poly, Jaakkola needs just 19 more appearances to surpass guard Jamal Johnson's program record of 128 (2010-14).

LOOKING AHEAD (SATURDAY, DEC. 9): Cal Poly closes a three-game road trip – and plays its final scheduled non-conference road game of the season – when visiting Weber State on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Cal Poly has dropped both previous meetings with Weber State, comprising a 2013 postseason CIT loss and 74-45 setback inside Mott Athletics Center last December.

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.