Cal Poly Closes 2023 Saturday Afternoon at UC Davis on ESPN+

Saturday, December 30

Davis, CA

2 p.m.

UC Davis

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Closes 2023 Saturday Afternoon at UC Davis on ESPN+

12/29/2023 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE GAME PREVIEW (pdf)

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Seeking its first victory at UC Davis in 12 seasons, the Cal Poly men's basketball program completes the 2023 calendar year versus the Aggies on Saturday, Dec. 30. Tip time inside the University Credit Union Center on ESPN+ is 2 p.m. for Cal Poly (4-9, 0-1), which resumes action after dropping its Thursday Big West opener at home to CSUN, 83-73 – a matchup in which the Mustangs trailed by 17 points late in the first half before cutting the deficit to one in the second. UC Davis (6-6, 1-0), which has won nine straight home matchups against Cal Poly dating to the 2011-12 season, opened Big West play with a 76-62 home victory against UC Santa Barbara. The Aggies concede the second fewest points of any Big West program at 67.8 per game.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVS: Cal Poly has prevailed just once against the Aggies in the last 13 matchups dating to the 2016-17 season, winning an 82-74 home decision on Jan. 15, 2022. The Mustangs also look to snap a nine-game slide at UC Davis, last defeating the Aggies on the road on Jan. 28, 2012 (67-65). Cal Poly leads the all-time series (36-32) while UC Davis leads the Division I series (25-15).

SANDERS UPS THE SCORING PACE: The first Mustang in five years with multiple 30-point games in one season, senior guard Kobe Sanders followed a 30-point effort against Omaha (Dec. 21) with a career best 33-point performance versus CSUN (Dec. 28). After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, Sanders has scored in double digits in all 13 games this year – including a 22-point night against San Jose State (Nov. 29) and 20-point showings at Portland State (Nov. 18) and Idaho (Dec. 2) – and ranks third among Big West players with a team leading 19.5 points per game. Having led Cal Poly in scoring 10 times this season, Sanders – now with a 29 career double-digit scoring games – is averaging 8.3 points per 84 collegiate outings. Equally proficient from the free throw line as the floor, Sanders – entering Saturday's matchup at UC Davis having converted 19 straight attempts – ranks 25th among NCAA Division I players with an 91.2 (83-for-91) percent free throw mark.

MORE PERFECT: With his 17-for-17 performance from the free throw line against CSUN (Dec. 28), guard Kobe Sanders eclipsed the Cal Poly single game record of 16 conversions, equaled twice by guard Lorenzo Keeler during the 2009-10 season and established by forward Gabe Stephenson in the 2005-06 campaign. Sanders also enjoyed the top free throw shooting game by any Division I player this season (four previous players finished 14-for-14 earlier this year). His 17 conversions are the second highest total in the nation this season.

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 eight times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 11.0 points per game. Second in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.5 minutes per game, Hyder most recently scored 15 points against CSUN (Dec. 28) after finishing with 14 versus Omaha (Dec. 21). His Cal Poly best 25-point effort at Wyoming (Nov. 9) was a performance one 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 13 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 10 outings. A starter in 12 of 13 matchups, Jones remains third in Cal Poly's lineup with 9.0 points per game while ranking sixth among Big West performers with 1.6 steals per game and 32.2 minutes played per appearance.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 49.4 (200-for-405) percent career shooter and ranked 10th in program history with 60 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. Having appeared in 12 of 13 matchups this year with five starts, Jaakkola scored a season best 11 points against Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) to chalk up his first double-digit scoring performance since a 10-point outing against Cal State Fullerton on March 9, 2021. He also grabbed a season best nine rebounds against both Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) and Omaha (Dec. 21). With 116 career games played for Cal Poly, Jaakkola needs just 13 more appearances to surpass guard Jamal Johnson's program record of 128 (2010-14).

FROM LONDON WITH BLOCKS: Recording a second five-block game this season against CSUN (Dec. 28), junior center Joel Armotrading now ranks second among Big West players in total blocks (18) and blocks per game (1.4). An offseason transfer from two-year College of Southern Idaho, Armotrading also leads Cal Poly with 5.2 rebounds per game after grabbing a career best nine at Oregon State (Dec. 4).

LOOKING AHEAD (JAN. 4/6): Cal Poly opens the 2024 calendar year by hosting the Big West's two highest scoring programs in Long Beach State (Thursday, Jan. 4) and UC Santa Barbara (Saturday, Jan. 6). Tip time is 7 p.m. on ESPN+ both nights for Cal Poly, which defeated Long Beach State in the opening round of last year's Big West Championship (88-68) before being eliminated by UC Santa Barbara (64-54).

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).