MEN’S BASKETBALL RELEASES 2007-08 SCHEDULE; HIGHLIGHTED BY DATES AT OREGON, MARQUETTE, STANFORD AND KANSAS STATE

8/28/2007

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head men’s basketball coach Jerome Jenkins announced the team’s schedule for the 2007-08 season today. The schedule includes a total of 28 games, including 13 at home and 15 on the road. In all, the Hornets will play four teams that reached last year’s NCAA Tournament (Oregon, Marquette, Stanford and Weber State) and one that played in the NIT (Kansas State).

The Hornets’ slate of road games are highlighted by dates at Kansas State, Stanford, Oregon, Marquette, Pacific and Causeway rival UC Davis. The contest against Kansas State will mark the first time the two programs have faced each other while the game against Marquette will mark just the second time the two teams have played. Home dates include the Hornets’ first meeting with Santa Clara since the 1994-95 season, the complete Big Sky schedule and the first meeting with Cal State Bakersfield since Sacramento State was a Div. II member in 1990-91.

After a home exhibition game against Cal State Maritime on Nov. 5, the Hornets open the regular season with their first-ever trip to Manhattan, Kan., for a date with Kansas State on Friday, Nov. 9. The Hornets return to Sacramento for their home opener on Monday, Nov. 12, against Simpson followed by another home game against Southern Utah on Nov. 14.

Sacramento State then begins a brutal stretch that will see the team play eight of its next 10 games on the road. That stretch begins with games at San Francisco (Nov. 17) and Pacific (Nov. 21), followed by the team’s first home game against Santa Clara since 1993 on Sunday, Nov. 25. The Hornets defeated Pacific on a buzzer beating three-pointer in overtime last season in Sacramento. The Hornets then return to the Farm for the third time in nine years when they face Stanford on Tuesday, Nov. 27. The two teams also faced each other at Stanford in 1999-00 and 2003-04, with the Cardinal victorious both times.

After a home game with William Jessup on Dec. 4, the Hornets open a season-long five game road trip with a trip at Oregon on Tuesday, Dec. 11. The meeting will be the first between the two teams since the 1978-79 season. Four days later on Dec. 15, Sacramento State will travel to Marquette for just the second time in program history, and first time since the 1991-92 season.

After nearly a two-week hiatus, Sacramento State begins its Big Sky Conference portion of the schedule on Friday, Dec. 28 at Northern Colorado. The Hornets will play their first three league games on the road, including dates at Portland State (Jan. 3) and Eastern Washington (Jan. 5).

Sacramento State plays its Big Sky home opener against Montana State on Thursday, Jan. 10. The game against MSU is the first of a season-long four game homestand and begins a pivotal stretch that will see the Hornets play seven of next nine games inside the friendly confines. After the Montana State game, the Hornets then host Montana (Jan. 12), Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 15) and Northern Arizona (Jan. 19).

After a brief road trip to Weber State (Jan. 23) and Idaho State (Jan. 25), the Hornets return home for dates against Northern Colorado (Feb. 2), Eastern Washington (Feb. 7) and Portland State (Feb. 9).

Sacramento State concludes its regular season schedule with four of its final six games on the road, including the basketball version of the Causeway Classic on Saturday, March 1, at UC Davis. The Hornets are 61-44 all-time against UC Davis, including a 100-77 rout of the Aggies last season in Sacramento.

Sandwiched around the UC Davis game are road dates at Montana (Feb. 14), Montana State (Feb. 17) and Northern Arizona (Feb. 21), and home games against Idaho State (Feb. 28) and the regular season finale vs. Weber State (March 3). The Big Sky Tournament dates feature the quarterfinal rounds on March 8, semifinals on March 11, and the championship game on March 12. The tournament format remains the same with the top six teams in the nine-member league advancing to the postseason event. Sacramento State has reached the postseason tournament four times in the last five years.

Sacramento State returns eight players and two starters from last season’s team, including junior shooting guard Loren Leath (12.8 ppg) and senior combo guard Roderick Adams (5.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.0 spg). After failing to win more than nine games in any of its first 11 years of Div. I play (1991-pres.), Sacramento State has posted double-figure victories each of the last five years.