Mustangs Visit UCSB Thursday, Host Cal State Bakersfield Saturday

Thursday, February 29

Santa Barbara, CA

7 p.m.

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: Owen Main

Mustangs Visit UCSB Thursday, Host Cal State Bakersfield Saturday

2/26/2024 12:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SAN LUIS OBISPO – Playing three of its final four games away from Mott Athletics Center, the Cal Poly men's basketball program visits Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 29 before completing its 14-game home schedule on Saturday, March 2 against Cal State Bakersfield. Tip time on ESPN+ for both matchups is 7 p.m. for Cal Poly (4-24, 0-16), which resumes action following an 84-78 home setback to UC Riverside (Feb. 24) – a matchup in which the Mustangs cut a 21-point deficit with nine minutes remaining to three in the final minute. Previously eliminated from Big West Championship contention, Cal Poly plays on Feb. 29 for just the third time in program history and first instance since a 70-67 home victory against Cal State Bakersfield to close the 1991-92 season. Ranked 14th among 351 NCAA Division I programs with a Big West leading 49.2 percent field goal mark, UC Santa Barbara (14-12, 7-9) has slipped to eighth placed in the conference standings after dropping four of its previous five matchups. Cal State Bakersfield (11-17, 6-11), snapping a three-game slide with a Feb. 24 victory against third place UC Davis, sits just one-and-a-half games behind UC Santa Barbara.

CAL POLY VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA: Since handing UC Santa Barbara a 69-38 quarterfinal defeat to open the 2014 Big West Tournament, Cal Poly has topped the Gauchos just once in the last 21 matchups – an 80-79 home victory on Jan. 4, 2018. The Mustangs have dropped 13 straight games since. The most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's history, UC Santa Barbara leads both the all-time (83-35) and Division I (49-14) series.

CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: The Mustangs attempt to snap an 11-game series slide against Cal State Bakersfield, having last defeated the Roadrunners on Jan. 29, 2011 in a 77-61 road decision. With Cal State Bakersfield having won all seven matchups against Cal Poly since joining the Big West for the 2020-21 season, the Roadrunners lead both the all-time (41-25) and Division I (15-2) series.

SANDERS SETS AN HISTORIC SCORING PACE: Now with four 30-point games this season, senior guard Kobe Sanders' 35-point effort against UC Riverside (Jan. 24) marked the highest regulation scoring game by a Mustang since guard Lorenzo Keeler finished with 38 at UC Irvine on Jan. 4, 2010. Ranked fourth among Big West players with 18.4 points per game, Sanders also owns a 33-point performance versus CSUN (Dec. 28), a 32-point showing at Hawai'i (Jan. 27) and a 30-point effort against Omaha (Dec. 21). After missing Cal Poly's final six games last season through injury, Sanders has scored in double digits in all 25 appearances this year – including a 23-point game against UC Irvine (Feb. 1), 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). Having led Cal Poly in scoring 16 times this season, Sanders – now with 41 career double-digit scoring games – is averaging 9.4 points per 96 collegiate outings. On the boards, Sanders grabbed a career high 10 rebounds at Hawai'i (Jan. 27) to complete a first career double-double. With six games of five-plus assists – including a career best nine against Long Beach State (Jan. 4) – ranks 11th in the Big West with a team leading 3.1 assists per game. Equally proficient from the free throw line as the floor, Sanders – entering Thursday's matchup at UC Santa Barbara having converted 101 of his last 115 attempts – ranks 42nd among NCAA Division I players with an 87.5 (140-for-160) percent free throw mark.

SANDERS RISING IN THE RECORD BOOK: One of the nation's top free throw shooters, Kobe Sanders now ranks sixth in Cal Poly single season history with 140 free throws and seventh with an 87.5 percent free throw mark. Poised to become Cal Poly's highest scorer in 24 seasons, Sanders also sits ninth in single season history at 18.4 points per night.

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 11 times this year – ranks second in the lineup with 10.4 points per game. Second in the Big West averaging a team leading 33.5 minutes per game, Hyder's most recent standout performance was a 13-point effort against UC Riverside (Feb. 24) after finishing with 21 at Long Beach State (Feb. 10), 15 against CSUN (Dec. 28) and Denver (Nov. 9) 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 has started 21 of 28 games for the Mustangs.

Q-BALL: An 11-point, 10-rebound effort versus Hawai'i (Feb. 15) marked a first career double-double for freshman guard Quentin Jones, who most recently chalked up a 10th career double-digit scoring effort with 14 at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 22). Third in Cal Poly's lineup with 9.5 points per games, Jones also owns a career best 22-point night versus Long Beach State (Jan. 4), a 21-point effort at Oregon State (Dec. 4), another 19-point game at Long Beach State (Feb. 10) and a 17-point performance versus St. Thomas (Nov. 17). A starter in a team leading 27 of 28 matchups, Jones ranks ninth among Big West players with 1.6 steals per game and 12th at 31.4 minutes per outing.

BACK IN THE GREEN: A 51.0 (242-for-475) percent career shooter and ranked seventh in program history with 69 career blocks, graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola – after performing for Cal Poly from 2018-22, earning his bachelor's 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 played in all 28 of Cal Poly's games during his 2021-22 senior season. Having appeared in 26 of 28 matchups this year with 19 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. Jaakkola enters Thursday's matchup at UC Santa Barbara having reached double-digit scoring figures in three of his last four matchups, most recently finishing with 10 points against Hawai'i (Feb. 15). Including a season best 15-point effort at UC Riverside (Jan. 11), Jaakkola ranks fourth in the lineup with 6.6 points per game. He also grabbed a season best nine rebounds against both Eastern Washington (Dec. 18) and Omaha (Dec. 21). Already the program's all-time leader for games played (132), Jaakkola became the first Mustang in program history with at least 130 appearances versus Hawai'i (Feb. 15).

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 (33) and blocks per game (1.3). His most recent standout performances were four-block efforts at UC Riverside (Jan. 11) and versus UC Davis (Feb. 3) after opening the season with five against La Verne (Nov. 6). An offseason transfer from two-year College of Southern Idaho, Armotrading produced his first Division I double-double with 10 points and a career best 13 rebounds against UC Davis. He remains Cal Poly's leader with 4.7 rebounds per game.

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 before Markeese Hastings of Robert Morris also finished 17-for-17 against Detroit Mercy on Jan. 17. The 17 conversions are the fourth highest total in the nation this season.

LOOKING AHEAD (MARCH 7/9): Cal Poly completes the regular season when visiting Big West co-leaders UC Irvine on Thursday, March 7 (7 p.m.) and UC San Diego on Saturday, March 9 (4 p.m.). Both matchups will be streamed 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 … graduate forward Tuukka Jaakkola became Cal Poly's all-time games played leader with his 129th career appearance at Long Beach State (Feb. 10), surpassing guard Jamal Johnson's previous mark set from 2010-14.