Game Notes (25 pages) - PDF

GAME PREVIEW

After a seven-day hiatus without a game, Sacramento State (1-2) returns to the hardwood on Tuesday when the team travels across the Causeway to take on rival UC Davis (3-3)…tip-off at The Pavilion is scheduled for 7:05 p.m…the tip could be pushed back slightly if the UC Davis women's game, which begins at 4:45 p.m. that day, goes long…in a series which dates back to the 1948-49 season, Sacramento State owns a 64-47 all-time record against the Aggies…after the teams went six years without playing each other (1998-04), they renewed their rivalry in 2004-05, and the Hornets are 5-4 in the nine meetings since…that includes two straight victories in Davis, and three in the teams' last four meetings at The Pavilion…Hornet sixth-year head coach Brian Katz has yet to lose to the Aggies in Davis (2-0)…the 111 meetings with UC Davis marks the longest standing rivalry for the Hornet basketball program against any team…Tuesday's game will be worth 10 points in the annual Causeway Cup presented by ScholarShare, the all-sports competition between the two schools that was started in 2004-05…although the Hornets have gone seven days without playing, Tuesday will mark the Aggies' fourth game in five days as the team just went 2-1 at a three-day tournament hosted by Portland State…the game will mark the end of a three-game road trip for Sacramento State that has seen the team lose at CSU Bakersfield (74-66) and 22nd-ranked UCLA (86-50)…Tuesday's game can be heard over the airwaves on KTKZ 1380 AM The Answer and on the internet at www.hornetsports.com with 17th year play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy calling all the action…a live video stream of the game is being offered at www.bigwest.org/tv…live stats for the game are available at www.ucdavisaggies.com…in last year's game, the Aggies overcame a nine-point deficit to win in Sacramento, and in 2011-12, the Hornets overcame a 17-point deficit to win in Davis.

MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE OF THE GAME

Like every game this season, Tuesday's contest will be broadcast live over the airwaves on KTKZ 1380 AM The Answer and online at www.hornetsports.com with 17th-year play-by-play man Steve McElroy calling all the action. A live video stream will be provided at www.bigwest.org/tv and live stats can be found by clicking here.

MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Though last year's Big Sky Conference record isn't glaring, Sacramento State has improved its league record each of the last four years. The Hornets went 8-12 last season against Big Sky teams, improving upon a 5-11 record in 2011-12, 4-12 in 2010-11, 3-13 in 2009-10, and 1-15 in 2008-09. Last year's 8-12 conference record also included four heartbreaking one-point losses.

551 AND COUNTING

Sacramento State has converted at least one three-pointer in 551 straight games. It has been nearly 20 years since the Hornets failed to convert a three ball. The last time the program was blanked from beyond the arc came on Nov. 28, 1993, when the Hornets went 0-for-6 in a loss on the road at Montana State.

TEAM CAPTAINS CHOSEN

Junior point guard Dylan Garrity and junior shooting guard Mikh McKinney are sharing the team captain duties this season. Garrity and McKinney, if they remain healthy, will likely start every game of the season. This will mark the second straight year that Garrity has shared the team captain duties.

ATTEMPTING TO CRACK THE .500 MARK

Sacramento State's 14 victories last year were the most in seven years, and the second most during the program's Div. I era. The Hornets, who never lost more than two games in a row, were at or above the .500 mark the first 28 games of the season until dipping below the .500 mark for the first time in the regular season finale. Sacramento State has still never had a team finish with a record above the .500 mark since joining the Div. I ranks in 1991. The closest was the 2005-06 squad which posted a 15-15 record.

NEW CONTRACT FOR COACH KATZ

Head coach Brian Katz is currently in his sixth season with the program in 2013-14, received a new five-year contract in July, lengthening his tenure as the Hornets' head coach through at least the 2017-18 season.

GRADUATING PLAYERS

Academically, of the 18 Hornets that have expired their eligibility under head coach Brian Katz, 14 have graduated, and three more are on pace to graduate during the 2013-14 academic year.

WHERE DID THE CLOSE GAMES GO?

Though still very early in the season, Sacramento State has yet to play a game where the final two minutes mattered. While the loss to CSU Bakersfield wasn't a blowout, Sacramento State was trailing by at least eight points the final eight minutes of that contest. This comes in stark contrast to last season where 19 of the Hornets' games were decided by single digits, including six that were decided by a single point. Sacramento State went 2-4 in those one-point games with all four losses coming during conference play.

OFFENSE NOT CLICKING YET

Through three games, Sacramento State's offense has produced just 63.0 points per game, the second lowest mark among the Big Sky's 11 teams. After scoring 73 points against UC Santa Cruz in the season opener, the Hornets have posted 66 and 50 points, respectively, against CSU Bakersfield and UCLA. Sacramento State is shooting just .424 from the field, .286 from the 3-point line and .646 from the free throw line. The Hornets, who often extend possessions late into the shot clock, have just one player (Dylan Garrity) shooting better than .333 from beyond the arc.  

GARRITY AVERAGING BIG NUMBERS THUS FAR

Entering the season, junior point guard Dylan Garrity was the most decorated player on the team, having earned honorable mention all-Big Sky honors each of his first two years with the program. Garrity, who already ranks fourth in school history with 344 assists, began to shed his pass-first mentality last season, and has taken that notion to new heights this year. One of the best point guards in the Big Sky, Garrity averaged 8.1 points as a freshman, and increased that to 11.6 ppg last season. Coaches have practically begged Garrity to shoot more often, and he has returned the favor thus far, ranking eighth in the Big Sky with 17.0 points per game. He is shooting .472 (17-36) from the field and .478 (11-23) from the 3-point line, and his 51 total points are 19 more than any other Hornet. He is the only Sacramento State player to score in double figures all three games, has led the team in scoring each of the last two contests, leads the Big Sky in 3-pointers made per game (3.7) and ranks third in minutes played (35.0 per game).

THE BACKCOURT

The Hornets possess one of the best backcourts in the Big Sky Conference in junior point guard Dylan Garrity and junior shooting guard Mikh McKinney. Garrity has led the conference in assists each of the last two seasons, and McKinney burst onto the scene last year by averaging better than 12 points. As expected, Garrity (17.0 ppg) and McKinney (10.7 ppg) are the team's top two scorers, and have accounted for 44 percent of the team's points. Unless foul trouble is involved, both players will usually play big minutes.

NO LONGER REDSHIRTING

True freshman point guard Trevis Jackson, who hails from Santa Monica High School, played in his first collegiate game Monday at UCLA when he received three minutes of playing time. While that may not seem like a big deal, that appearance was a surprise. Originally, Jackson was going to redshirt, but he has impressed in practice and the coaching staff will use him in spurts which will allow starting point guard Dylan Garrity to get more rest. Garrity has logged 35.0 per game thus far.

BACK IN DAVIS

If Tuesday's game wasn't big enough in the long standing rivalry between the two programs, the game may carry even more weight to 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward Alex Tiffin. It was Tiffin who played for UC Davis from 2010-12 before deciding to transfer to Sacramento State where he took a redshirt last season. So far, Tiffin has started each of his three games in the Green and Gold and has played well, averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting .524 (11-21) from the field. In last Monday's loss to #22 UCLA, Tiffin finished with nine points, four rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes of play.

DEMPS PLAYING BIG MINUTES

After fouling out in just eight minutes in the season opener, true sophomore swingman Cody Demps has played 39 and 38 minutes, respectively, over the last two games. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Demps has led the team in rebounds each of the last two contests, including his first career double-double (10 pts., 12 reb.) at CSU Bakersfield.

DOES HE EVER MISS?

Over his last 19 games dating back to last season, senior forward Jordan Salley is shooting .789 (30-of-38) from the field. He finished last season by going 22-of-29 over his final 16 games, and is currently 8-for-9 from the floor this year.

NOTABLES

True freshman center Eric Stuteville, a 6-foot-11 local product from Casa Roble High School, received his first start last Monday at UCLA…Stuteville started in place of senior forward Joey Quigley, who missed the game with a groin injury…Dylan Garrity is shooting 11-for-23 (.478) from the 3-point line while the rest of the team is shooting just 7-for-40 (.175) from beyond the arc…Garrity has a true shooting percentage of .631, a high mark for a point guard…true shooting percentage takes into account field goals, 3-point field goals and free throws…Quigley (+23) and true freshman Nick Hornsby (+20) have the best two plus-minus ratios on the team…plus-minus ratio takes into account how many points were scored for and against when a certain player is on the floor.