So much for that four-game winning streak for the men’s basketball team. That game against Montana didn’t go so well – and the refs seemed to forget that you’re supposed to get the calls at home. Anyways, here’s the links:
Just like in football, it always seems to come down to Montana. The Hornets put their four-game winning streak on the line tonight when they play host to Montana. Can the Hornets really keep up this run? The answers come tonight. The links come now:
How good is Montana? The Grizzlies didn’t fare too well against Weber State and Damian Lillard in one of their few losses this season:
There’s kind of a buzz around the campus with the Sac State men winning three in a row in basketball. Now let’s see if they can keep it up. Here’s some links:
What do we know about Montana State, which is coming in Thursday? Learn a little bit about them with this highlights video from a month ago against Portland State:
In Hornets related basketball news:
*First, the Feb. 18 Bracket Buster Tournament game at home against San Jose State now has a 7:05 p.m. start.
* The Deseret News reported that Damian Lillard was selected Big Sky player of the week for the fifth time after averaging 37.5 points a game last week. It makes you appreciate the Hornets defense 10 days ago that held him to 21 points.
Signing day has begun with the recruits rolling in. Here is the first of many capsules today on the Hornets signees by beat writer Kyle Madson. Stay tuned. The capsules will be coming a fast clip this morning.
Name: Casey Dakin (Templeton High School)
Position: OL
Height/Weight: (6-4/ 255)
How He Fits: The Hornets’ offensive line came together nicely last season, and kept quarterbacks Jeff Fleming, Garrett Safron and Tommy Edwards well protected for much of the year. The Hornets lost two members off of the offensive line with center Dustin Pfaff and tackle Nate Doverspike both graduating. The holes left by Pfaff and Doverspike will most likely be filled by one of the Hornets’ underclassmen. Barring injury, Dakin probably won’t be an integral part of the Hornets’ offensive line for a couple of seasons.
Records: Northern Arizona 5-15, 1-7; Sacramento State 5-14, 0-8.
Last game: Northern Arizona lost at Idaho State last Saturday; Sacramento State lost their ninth game in a row, losing to Weber State 75-60 on Thursday in Sacramento.
Next game: The next opponent for both teams is Northern Colorado. Northern Arizona will host the Bears Monday in the first game of a six-game homestand. Sacramento State will travel to Northern Colorado on Thursday.
TV/Radio: Live audio and stats on hornetsports.com. Live video at BigSkyTv.org. Continue Reading →
Yes, we admit it. We’re all Damian Lillard all the time today at SacStateSports.com. Sure, he plays for the visiting team coming into Hornet Gym today, but it’s not often the Hornets have hosted a player this good. And we think we’ll have a few links about him today:
We had an inkling that Lillard would be this good during this his freshman season two years ago. Here’s highlights of that season, 13 minutes worth:
Damian Lillard’s moves have gained the attention of NBA scouts, who now say he is a sure-fire first round pick. Photo by Lightning Bryan Photography via Flickr.com
By Bryan Metcalf, SacStateSports.com Staff Writer
The Sacramento State Hornets will face a tough challenge when Weber State comes to town tonight: NCAA leading scorer Damian Lillard.
A school-record nine NBA scouts have already been confirmed in attendance, including representatives of the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. That’s more scouts than Sac State officials can remember credentialing for one game.
It’s all because of the Oakland native, who has blossomed into one of the nation’s best basketball players. He has averaged 25.1 points a game this season, an improvement of more than five points per game from last season. He has complemented those numbers with 3.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds a game.
The Hornets (5-13, 0-7) faced Lillard and the Wildcats (15-3, 7-0) earlier this season, and Hornets Coach Brian Katz was impressed with what he saw from the junior guard.
“He has great intangibles,” Katz said. “His work ethic, shooting, he makes everybody better around him and he’s very physical, aggressive and tough.” Continue Reading →
The new Big Sky Conference TV deal with regional network Root Sports may not directly bring programming to Sacramento area, but Sac State Athletic Director Terry Wanless said that it will save the athletic department a significant amount of money.
Wanless, who is part of the league’s TV committee, told SacStateSports.com on Wednesday night that the conference’s nine schools paid $100,000 to have games televised on Altitude, their previous television partner. That came to about $11,000 a school. Now Root Sports will pay the Big Sky televise about as 30 events a year.
“If I can save the athletic department $11,000 and possibly bring in about $5,000-$10,000, then that’s a big win for us,” Wanless said. “Now that’s not huge dollars compared to some of the BCS leagues, but for us it’s about exposure and bringing the product into a bigger region.”
The five-year deal, which only covers football and men’s basketball, was announced Tuesday. It will allow Root Sports Northwest and Root Sports Rocky Mountain to televise up to 18 Big Sky football games, as many as 12 league men’s basketball games each year and the first two rounds of the men’s basketball postseason tournament. Wanless said beyond a certain commitment to the Montana schools, the number of appearances per Big Sky school is still being negotiated as is the financial split among the Big Sky schools, which grows to 13 for football and 11 for basketball next fall. Continue Reading →
