GAME PREVIEW

• The second year of the Mike Bibby era begins as Sacramento State opens the 2026-27 season on Monday night vs. Jessup. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Hornet Pavilion on campus.
• Both teams are playing their season openers.
• Jessup is an NCAA Div. II school that resides in Rocklin. The Warriors are part of the PacWest Conference, and the two teams will play each other for the second straight season.
• Sacramento State finished last season with a 10-21 overall record and 6-12 mark in its 30th and final season in the Big Sky Conference.
• The Hornets enter their first season in the Big West, and have a roster that features 16 players (one starter). Only five of those players are returners, 11 are newcomers.
• The Big West is the sixth conference the Hornets have played in program history (1948-pres.). That includes the Far Western (1953-82), Northern California Athletic (1982-85), Great Northwest (1988-90), American West (1994-96) and Big Sky (1996-26).
• The Hornets are 10-0 all-time against Jessup with all 10 of those victories coming at home. Each of those outcomes resulted in double-figure point wins.
• In fact, the closest outcome was last season's 86-76 Hornet win on Nov. 7. Sacramento State's average margin of victory in the 10 games vs. Jessup is 27.9 points.
• Monday is one of just two home games the Hornets will play during the first month of the season (Nov. 14 vs. UC Davis is the other). Despite Sacramento State playing a school-record 16 home games this year, five of the team's first seven games will be on the road.
• The Hornets did not play any exhibition games, opting instead to play scrimmages at San Francisco (Oct. 18), and home vs. Menlo (Oct. 24).

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• For the sixth straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big West venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service will stream on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• That includes Monday's game that will air on ESPN+ with 30th-year play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy and former Hornet assistant coach Ajay Riding on the call.
• Links for all multimedia options, including live stats for every game, can be found next to each game on the men's basketball schedule at hornetsports.com..

SEASON OPENERS

• Entering its 36th season as a Div. I member, the Hornets are 14-21 in season openers since making the jump from Div. II to Div. I prior to the 1991-92 season. Despite the record, the team has won 10 of the last 15 season openers.
• Since its first year of men's hoops in 1948-49, Sacramento State is 28-50 all-time in season openers. Last year's opener was a 103-79 home victory against Dominican.

VS. NON-DIV. I COMPETITION

• Since making the jump to the Div. I ranks in 1991, the Hornets have played a number of games against non-Div. I competition.
• Excluding all games against UC Davis (a Div. II member until 2007), Sacramento State is 55-0 against non-Div. I opponents, winning those games by an average of 27.5 points per contest. That includes wins of 24, 10, and 48 points a year ago.
• Sacramento State did play its rival, UC Davis, nine times when it was a member of Div. I and the Aggies were still Div. II. In those nine meetings between 1992 and 2006, the Hornets were 5-4.

TWO SCRIMMAGES

• The Hornets had a pair of preseason scrimmages, the first of which was a 67-63 road loss to San Francisco on Oct. 18. The second was a 100-85 home win over Menlo on Oct. 24.
• In the game against the Dons, the Hornets went on a 13-0 run to take a one-point lead with under three minutes to play. However, San Francisco edged the Hornets in the end. The Hornets outscored the Dons, 32-26, in the second half after trailing by 10 (41-31) at halftime.
• In the game against Menlo, Sacramento State held an advantage for nearly 36 minutes of clock, scoring 60 points in the second half after having 40 at halftime. The Hornets shot 43% (12-28) from the 3-point line and converted 36 free throws. 

NEW CONFERENCE

• After 30 years in the Big Sky Conference, the Hornets are joining the Big West this season. Sacramento State will play 22 Big West games (11 at home, 11 on the road).
• That is four more conference games than the Hornets are accustomed.
• In the Big Sky, the Hornets played 18 conference games. Gone are out-of-state conference road trips to Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona, Washington and Oregon. In fact, of the team's 11 road games in Big West play, 10 will be played in California. The Utah Valley game (Dec 5) is the only out-of-state road conference game this season.
• The Big West is the sixth conference the Hornets have played in program history (1948-pres.), which includes the Far Western (1953-82), Northern California Athletic (1982-85), Great Northwest (1988-90), American West (1994-96) and Big Sky (1996-26).

THURSDAY & SATURDAY GAMES THE NORM

• Every Big West game will take place on a Thursday or Saturday. In fact, of the team's 31 games overall, 27 will come on a Thursday or Saturday.
• The Hornets are not scheduled to play on a Friday the entire season. They play once each on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES

• For the second straight season, the Hornets will play home games at Hornet Pavilion on campus. The facility, which opened last year, was kind to Sacramento State.
• The Hornets went 10-4 in their new home (6-3 in league), and the 10 home victories were the most for the program since the 2019-20 season. 
• The average attendance of 2,758 fans per home game set a school record, and was the third best mark in the Big Sky. The team's 16 home games this season are the most in program history (1948-pres.).
• Prior to Hornet Pavilion, the Hornets played 66 years in the Nest on campus.

SEMI NEW LOOK TO THE ROSTER

• Of the 16 players on the roster, 11 are brand new to the program. The lone returners are guards Mikey Williams, Arman Madi, Romari Robinson, Taj Glover and Zach Anderson.
• Those five returners accounted for 31 percent of the team's scoring output a year ago.
• Williams averaged 17.1 ppg, but missed 10 games with injury. Madi averaged 7.0 ppg, but averaged 14.5 ppg over the final eight games. That Madi scoring production was second best on the Hornets during that eight-game span.
• Of the 11 players new to the roster, there are six Div. I transfers, two junior college transfers, and three high school players.

EXPECT ANOTHER HIGH POWERED OFFENSE

• The Hornets featured a high powered offense a year ago - the program's 2,408 total points, and average of 77.7 points per contest were both the top marks in Sacramento State's Div. I era (1991-pres.).
• The 77.7 ppg average was the most since the program's final season of Div. II in 1990-91 when the team averaged 79.9 ppg.
• Expect to see plenty of scoring this season as the team's trio of starting guards - Mikey Williams (17.1 ppg), Larry Hughes II (17.7 ppg at CSUN) and Marcus Wilson (12.5 ppg at UC Davis) - combined to average 47.3 ppg last season.

COACHING STAFF REMAINS THE SAME

• Head coach Mike Bibby, who spent half of his 14-year NBA career with the Sacramento Kings and became a fan favorite, is back for his second season with the Hornets.
• A first team all-American, Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Bibby helped Arizona to a 1997 NCAA national championship.
• Shaquille O'Neal also enters his second season as general manager of the Hornets. He joined the program shortly after the appointment of Mike Bibby to head coach. O'Neal played 19 years in the NBA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. His son, Shaqir, was a senior for the Hornets last season and won the State Farm College Slam Dunk Championship in April.
• Of the 365 Div. I college basketball programs in the country, the Hornets are one of just 20 that retained their entire coaching staff and support staff from a year ago.

HITTING THE FREEBIES

• Led by Mikey Williams (83%, 127-153), Sacramento State's 595 made free throws a year ago were easily the most in the team's Div. I era, and second in program history. 
• In addition, the team shot a school-record 78% from the free throw line. The average of 19.2 made free throws per game ranked 11th in the nation, and the free throw percentage ranked 20th.
 
BRAND NEW FRONT COURT

• All five front court players from a year ago - listed as a forward or center - are no longer on the team. They have been replaced by eight players (six forwards and two centers) that could see minutes in the front court this year.
• Much of last season, the Hornets were undersized, especially after the loss of Jeremiah Cherry six games into the season.
• The Hornets have five newcomers standing 6-foot-9 or better - 6-11 Ridvan Tutic, 6-10 Sasa Ciani and Joao Das Chagas, and 6-9 Giannis Asimakopoulos and Osiris Grady. All are transfers from Div. I schools except Asimakopoulos.
 
SONS OF NBA PLAYERS

• Sacramento State has two players on the roster that have fathers that played in the NBA.
• That includes Larry Hughes II father, Larry, who played 13 seasons in the NBA (1998-2012). Taj Glover's father, Dion, played in the NBA for six seasons (1999-05).
• Coincidentally, both Bibby and Hughes were selected among the top 10 picks in the 1998 NBA draft - Bibby was taken second, and Hughes was selected eighth. Glover was also a first round pick after being selected 20th overall in the 1999 NBA draft.
• The Hornets are one just six teams in the country with multiple sons of NBA players on the roster (USC, Baylor, Coastal Carolina, Duke and Florida State are the others).
• In addition, associate head coach Michael Bibby is the son of head coach Mike Bibby.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

• Sacramento State has players from five different countries on its roster, including the United States (12), Brazil (1), Greece (1), Serbia (1) and Slovenia (1).
• Of the Hornets' 12 Americans, nine different states are represented - Arizona (4), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (1), Indiana (1), Missouri (1), Nevada (1), New Mexico (1) and New York (1).
 
THE MOVE FROM ADIDAS TO NIKE

• The Hornets are beginning their first full season with Nike, and have three uniforms sets - white, green and black. There is also the possibility the team breaks out two additional alternate jerseys.
• During the summer, the Sacramento State athletics department transitioned from Adidas to Nike, although the men's basketball program began wearing Nike uniforms about halfway through last season.
• Mike Bibby has been with Nike's Jordan Brand since he entered the NBA in 1998.

HORNET NOTABLES

Senior guard Larry Hughes II, a transfer from CSUN and a second team all-league player a year ago, was one of six players from the 12-team Big West to be named preseason all-league. Hughes averaged 17.7 ppg a year ago and buried 3.1 3-balls per game…the Hornets were selected seventh in the 12-member league in the Big West preseason coaches poll…Sacramento State went 0-16 on the road last season, and will be seeking its first road win since Feb. 20, 2025 - an 80-77 victory at Weber State…a program-record seven Hornets were named to the Big Sky Conference all-academic team last season…there are zero opponents on this season's schedule that Sacramento State has yet to play…the Hornets feature a nice balance of four seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and three freshmen…high profile guard Mikey Williams (2.9 million followers on Instagram) is back for his second season after averaging 17.1 ppg in 21 starts last year. That includes ranking third in the Big Sky with 20.1 ppg in conference play…guard Marcus Wilson (honorable mention) is one of two Hornet transfers that were all-Big West a year ago (Larry Hughes II was 2nd team). Wilson averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.9 apg and 1.1 spg at UC Davis.