MEN'S HOOPS HOSTS SAN JOSE STATE IN ESPN BRACKETBUSTERS GAME SATURDAY NIGHT

2/17/2012

Junior swingman Joe Eberhard is averaging 15.2 points over his last five games

GAME PREVIEW

Winners of four the last six games, Sacramento State (9-16) will play its final non-conference game of the regular season when the Hornets welcome San Jose State (8-17) to the Nest on Saturday evening at 7:05 p.m…the two teams will be playing each other for the first time since an 85-77 Spartan overtime win in San Jose on Dec. 13, 2003…the Hornets and Spartans are playing as part of the 10th annual ESPN BracketBusters event which provides participating programs an opportunity to play non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday…each conference selected its participating teams before the season and the matchups for the event were determined by ESPN in conjunction with the leagues…as part of the event, 142 teams from 17 conferences will compete in 71 games around the nation from Feb. 17-19…this season marks the second time the Hornets have participated in the event, with the first time coming last year in a 67-52 loss at Southeast Missouri on Feb. 19…the Hornets have dropped two straight games after a season-high four-game winning streak…after Saturday’s game, the Hornets have just two conference games remaining as the team still has a small opportunity to qualify for one of the six spots into the Big Sky Tournament…San Jose State has dropped nine of its last 11 games, but defeated Fresno State in overtime last Thursday and lost to a very good Nevada team by just six points on Saturday…the Spartans are 1-11 on the road this season with the only win coming at Seattle on Dec. 30…in a series which dates back to 1950, the Hornets are 2-18 all-time against San Jose State, including a 1-4 mark in Sacramento…the Hornets’ last win came in a 72-70 triumph at the Nest on Dec. 10, 2002…the Spartans’ last victory in Sacramento was an 83-58 win at Arco Arena on December 20, 2000…Saturday’s game can be heard live on the radio on KAHI 950 AM and on the internet at www.hornetsports.com with 15th year play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy calling all the action…like every game played in a Big Sky venue, a free live video stream is available at www.bigskytv.org…live stats of the game can be found at www.hornetsports.com.

For Sacramento State's complete set of game notes, click on the link above the story.