Cal Poly Back Home to Host UC Irvine, UC Davis

Thursday, February 1

San Luis Obispo, CA

7 p.m.

UC Irvine

Tickets

Photo by: Owen Main

Cal Poly Back Home to Host UC Irvine, UC Davis

1/29/2024 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

COMPLETE WEEKLY PREVIEW (pdf)

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Cal Poly men's basketball program's Big West Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, the Mustang Athletics Department will be honoring the accomplishment and recognizing the players during the team's Saturday, Feb. 3 matchup with UC Davis at 3 p.m.

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Completing the opening half of Big West action and beginning the second this week, the Cal Poly men's basketball program returns home to Mott Athletics Center to host conference leader UC Irvine on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. and third place UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. Both matchups will be broadcast on ESPN+ for Cal Poly (4-17, 0-9), which resumes action following an 83-73 setback at Hawai'i (Jan. 27). UC Irvine (15-6, 8-1), which stayed atop the Big West standings alongside UC San Diego (14-7, 8-1) following a 77-72 home win versus CSUN (Jan. 27), allows Big West lows for points per game (65.8) and field goal percentage (39.4). UC Davis (12-8, 7-2), sits just a game behind both programs in third following a 92-59 home defeat to UC San Diego on Saturday. The Aggies, who first visit UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, defeated Cal Poly in the first game of the season series, 71-46 (Dec. 30).

CAL POLY VERSUS UC IRVINE: Since a 61-58 Big West Tournament semifinal victory against UC Irvine on March 14, 2014, Cal Poly has topped the Anteaters just twice in the previous 20 outings – a 79-66 road win (Jan. 26, 2017) and 65-54 home victory (March 3, 2022). UC Irvine leads both the all-time (42-23) and Division I (39-20) series.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC DAVIS: Cal Poly has prevailed only once against the Aggies in the last 14 matchups dating to the 2016-17 season, winning an 82-74 home decision on Jan. 15, 2022. Cal Poly leads the all-time series (36-33) while UC Davis leads the Division I series (26-15).

SANDERS KEEPS UP THE SCORING PACE: The first Mustang since guard Lorenzo Keeler during the 2009-10 season with three 30-point games in one year, senior guard Kobe Sanders followed a 30-point effort against Omaha (Dec. 21) with a career best 33-point performance versus CSUN (Dec. 28) and 32-point showing at Hawai'i (Jan. 27). After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, Sanders has scored in double digits in all 19 games he's played this year – including 22-point nights against San Jose State (Nov. 29) and UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 6) and 20-point showings at Portland State (Nov. 18) and Idaho (Dec. 2) – and ranks third among Big West players with a team leading 18.7 points per game. Having led Cal Poly in scoring 13 times this season, Sanders – now with 35 career double-digit scoring games – is averaging 8.8 points per 90 collegiate outings. Equally proficient from the free throw line as the floor, Sanders – entering Thursday's matchup with UC Irvine having converted 51 of his last 58 attempts – ranks 37th among NCAA Division I players with an 87.8 (115-for-131) percent free throw mark.

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 nine times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 10.3 points per game. Second in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.3 minutes per game, Hyder's most recent standout performance was a 13-point effort at UC Davis (Dec. 30) after finishing with 15 against CSUN (Dec. 28) and 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 16 of 21 games – also scored 15 points at Denver.

Q-BALL: A 16-point performance at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 20) marked the seventh double-digit scoring performance for freshman guard Quentin Jones this season. Third in Cal Poly's lineup with 9.1 points per games, Jones owns a career best 22-point night versus Long Beach State (Jan. 4), a 21-point effort at Oregon State (Dec. 4) and a 17-point performance versus St. Thomas (Nov. 17). A starter in 20 of 21 matchups, Jones ranks 10th among Big West players with 1.4 steals per game and 12th at 31.3 minutes per outing.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 50.1 (224-for-447) percent career shooter and ranked ninth in program history with 63 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 20 of 21 matchups this year with 13 starts, Jaakkola scored 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. Most recently, Jaakkola scored a season best 15 points at UC Riverside (Jan. 11) and 11 versus Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 25) and ranks fourth in the lineup with 6.4 points per game. He also grabbed a season best nine rebounds against both Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) and Omaha (Dec. 21). Just the seventh player in program history with 120-plus appearances (and currently on 126), Jaakkola needs just three 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 ranks fourth among Big West players in total blocks (26) and blocks per game (1.2). His most recent performance was a four-block night at UC Riverside (Jan. 11) after opening the season with five against La Verne (Nov. 6). An offseason transfer from two-year College of Southern Idaho, Armotrading also leads Cal Poly with 4.5 rebounds per game after grabbing a career best nine at Oregon State (Dec. 4).

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.

LOOKING AHEAD (FEB. 8/10): Cal Poly plays six of its final nine regular season games away from home, beginning Thursday Feb. 8 at CSUN (7 p.m.) and Saturday, Feb. 10 at Long Beach State (4 p.m.). Both matchups will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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) … Cal Poly's 50-point second half at Hawai'i (Jan. 27) marked the highest total the Rainbow Warriors have allowed this season … the 43 free throw attempts by Hawai'i were the fourth highest opponent total in program history.