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UP NEXT: The Roadrunner men's basketball team begins a stretch in which it will play seven of eight games on the road Wednesday at West Coast Conference member the University of San Diego. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

ON THE AIR: As always, you can follow all of the action on the radio at KERN NewsTalk 1410 AM. Corey Costelloe will call the play-by-play.

TORERO NOTES (7-9 overall): USD has been up and down so far, winning consecutive games 3 times while enduring losing streaks of 3 and 4 games...beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena, 81?72, on Dec. 29...Jr. G Brandon Johnson is enjoying a nice season, averaging team bests of 17.5 ppg and 3.4 apg...he has made nearly half (35) of USD's 75 3?pointers...Jr. F Gyno Pomare adds 14.3 ppg and a team?leading 6.9 rpg.

SERIES HISTORY: The series is tied 2?2...The first 3 meetings came during the 1973 season...Theo White posted an 11?point, 10?rebound double?double in USD's 20?point win last season...The last meeting prior to that was in the 1973 NCAA Division II Tournament in Bakersfield.

LAST 10 MEETINGS
2007 -- at USD 92, CSUB 72
1973 -- at 'RUNNERS 50, USD 44++
1973 -- at USD 70, 'RUNNERS 69
1973 -- at 'RUNNERS 73, USD 56

++NCAA Tournament game

(ALMOST) THIS WEEK IN ROADRUNNER HISTORY: CSUB and USD met for the first time on Jan. 16, 1973 with the Roadrunners taking a 73?56 decision at the Bakersfield Civic Auditorium.

FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS ON THE INJURY FRONT: For the first time this season, the Roadrunners received some good news on the medical front. Freshman guard Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) has been cleared to resume practice following last week's shoulder injury suffered in the UC Davis game. His status for Wednesday's game at the University of San Diego will be a game?time decision.

Johnson has made an immediate impact as a freshman, leading CSUB with 51 assists (3.6 apg) through 14 games. He also is shooting a team?best 47 percent (22-of-47) from beyond the arc this season.

“HALL” OF FAME NIGHT FOR DEMARCUS: Head Coach Keith Brown gave senior forward Demarcus Hall (Richmond/College of the Sequoias) the starting nod Monday versus Loyola Marymount to add some defensive intensity to the 'Runner front line. Hall made the most of his first start this season, setting career highs in the following categories: Points (23); Field Goals (9); FG Attempts (14); FG Pct. (.643); Free Throws (4); FT Attempts (8); Rebounds (13); Assists (3) and Minutes (27).

NOT A ONE?MAN SHOWCASE: Demarcus Hall wasn't the only 'Runners to make hay in the win over LMU, as several CSUB reserves took advantage of extended playing time. Freshman guard Donavan Bragg (Inglewood/Serra HS), starting in place of the injured Alex Johnson, passed for a career?high eight assists. Junior forward Donald Lee (L.A. Pierce College) posted a career?high nine points in just 11 minutes off the bench. Sophomore guard Robert Rose (Sacramento/Sheldon HS) needed just 14 minutes to match his career high of eight points.

ON THE REBOUND: Despite being relatively undersized against most opponents, the Roadrunners are continuing to show amazing improvement on the glass. After grabbing a season?best 42?26 rebounding margin Monday versus LMU, CSUB now has out?rebounded four of its last seven opponents, posting a +3.9 rpg margin during that span.
The 16?rebound margin vs. Loyola Marymount Monday not only was the biggest of the season for the 'Runners, it was their biggest ever over an NCAA Division I opponent. The previous high?water mark was +15 (44?29) versus Pepperdine on Dec. 14, 2006.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS: That the 'Runners rebounding is improving as a team ? even without leading rebounder Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County College) ? can be attributed in large part to the play of sophomore forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS). With Latunde on the mend, Blakley has averaged a team?best 7.0 rpg over the past eight games. He has been CSUB's top rebounder in six of the last eight games.

HE'S NUMBER TWO WHEN IT COMES TO THREES: Senior guard Zack Grasmick (Strathmore/Granite Hills HS) has firmly established himself as the No. 2 three?point shooter in CSUB history. He enters Wednesday's game against San Diego with 139 treys in his career, six better than former teammate Dwuan Rice.
In case you're wondering, Grasmick would have to average only 10.7 three?pointers per game over the final 13 games to catch all?time leader Kenny Warren for the top spot. To put that in greater perspective, Grasmick now has exactly half as many treys as Warren (278).

...AND THE LITTLE ONES SHALL LEAD THEM: With an eye towards the future, the Roadrunners continue to play a rotation that leans heavily on their younger players. Freshmen and sophomores account for 41 of CSUB's 80 total starts this season and have played 1,684 of a possible 3,225 minutes this season (52 percent).

'RUNNERS VS. DI COMPETITION: Although 2007?08 is the first time the Roadrunners take on a full NCAA Division I schedule, it does not mark the first Bakersfield foray into NCAA Division I play. The 'Runners own an all?time mark of 21?56 in 77 games against 37 different Division I opponents. Note that this mark does not include games against current DI teams that were not DI when they met.

36 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2007?2008 season marks the 37th anniversary of Roadrunner men's basketball at CSUB. Since the program's inception in 1971?72, the Roadrunners have posted an impressive all?time record of 734?318 (.698).

WHERE OTHERS HAVE GONE BEFORE: Making the leap from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I play is a big step. It's also a step taken by several Roadrunner rivals over the past few seasons. Bakersfield is the sixth West Region school to make the jump since 1990. The others are: Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State, UC Davis and UC Riverside.

In fact, DII and the California Collegiate Athletic Association have been jumping off points for many of the current DI programs in the West. All nine Big West Conference members are former DII schools and all but UC Irvine were formerly in the CCAA. Other former DII and CCAA schools from the West include Fresno State, Pepperdine, San Diego State and San Jose State.