Cal Poly Hosts Eastern Washington, Omaha to Complete Big West Prep

Monday, December 18

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

Eastern Washington

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Hosts Eastern Washington, Omaha to Complete Big West Prep

12/14/2023 3:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE WEEKLY PREVIEW (pdf)

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program completes preparations for its 28th Big West campaign when hosting Eastern Washington on Monday, Dec. 18 and Omaha – for the first time – on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tip time on ESPN+ is 7 p.m. both evenings for Cal Poly (3-7), which resumes action following a nine-day break for finals and looks to snap a two-game slide after a Dec. 4 double-overtime setback at Oregon State and Dec. 9 loss at Weber State. Eastern Washington (3-6), facing Cal Poly for the first time in 18 seasons, returns to the court after a 103-34 Wednesday home win versus Portland Bible College (the Eagles own just one victory against Division I opposition this season, picking up a 73-68 triumph at Air Force on Dec. 9). Omaha (5-6), Cal Poly's third Summit League opponent this season following a 97-76 loss at Denver (Nov. 9) and 61-60 victory versus St. Thomas (Nov. 17), hosts Stetson on Sunday, Dec. 17 before heading west.

CAL POLY VERSUS EASTERN WASHINGTON: Cal Poly's fourth Big Sky opponent already this season, Eastern Washington has won the last two decisions against the Mustangs, most recently prevailing at home on Dec. 23, 2005, 76-62. Cal Poly's last victory against the Eagles was a 75-70 road win on Dec. 9, 2001. Dating to the first meeting on Dec. 15, 1954 – an 84-75 Eagles home win that served as the lone matchup between the two sides for 50 years – Eastern Washington leads the all-time series, 5-4.

CAL POLY VERSUS OMAHA: The Mavericks prevailed in the only previous meeting between the two sides at Cal Poly on Nov. 30, 1990 (93-83).

SANDERS INCREASES 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 10 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 sixth among Big West players with a team leading 17.4 points per game. Having also scored 20 points against both Portland State (Nov. 18) and Idaho (Dec. 2) and 19 at Oregon State (Dec. 4), Sanders also ranks 44th among NCAA Division I players with an 89.7 (52-for-58) percent free throw mark. Now with 26 career double-digit scoring games, Sanders is averaging 7.6 points per 77 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 five times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 10.4 points per game. Fourth in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.1 minutes per game, Hyder 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 – a starter in all 10 games – also scored 15 points at Denver.

Q-BALL: A career best 21-point performance at Oregon State (Dec. 4) marked the fourth double-digit scoring performance for freshman guard Quentin Jones in Cal Poly's last seven outings. A starter in nine of 10 matchups, Jones now ranks third in Cal Poly's lineup with 10.0 points per game. He also leads the Mustangs with 1.5 steals per game.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 49.0 (191-for-390) 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 113 career games played for Cal Poly, Jaakkola needs just 16 more appearances to surpass guard Jamal Johnson's program record of 128 (2010-14).

LOOKING AHEAD (DEC. 28/30): Cal Poly begins its 28th season of Big West action when hosting CSUN on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. and visiting UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. Both matchups will be broadcast on ESPN+ for Cal Poly, which looks to open Big West play with a victory against CSUN for the second successive season.

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 … Cal Poly's double-overtime matchup at Oregon State (Dec. 4) marked the program's lengthiest game since a two-overtime setback versus CSUN (Feb. 10, 2022).