ROADRUNNERS (4-9 overall) vs.
UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND (6-5 overall, 2 games pending)
DECEMBER 30, 2008 ? 7:00 p.m.
RABOBANK ARENA ? BAKERSFIELD, CALIF.
KERN NEWSTALK 1410 AM ? BRIGHTHOUSE NETWORKS CH. 21
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PILOT NOTES
Portland will play at the Golden Bear Classic (hosted by Cal) Dec. 27?28 before continuing on to Bakers-field...will open against Air Force then face either Cal or Dartmouth...Jr. G Nic Raivio leads four Pilots in double figures at 16.9 ppg...he adds a team?leading 6.5 rpg...Jr. C Robin Smeulders, who scored 10 points with 8 boards against CSUB last season, chips in 13.5 ppg.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be just the second meeting between Portland and CSUB. . .The Pilots won at home last season, 73?63.
PREVIOUS MEETING
2008 @Portland 73, 'RUNNERS 63
THIS DATE IN ROADRUNNER HISTORY
CSUB is a gaudy 11-3 in games played on Dec. 30. The 'Runners have won 9 of their last 10 on the date, including seven straight in Bakersfield since 1988.
WHEN LAST WE MET: The Roadrunners led by as many as five points (29?24) in the first half, but the Pilots pulled away late in the second half to earn a 73?63 victory last season in Portland. Demarcus Hall led all players with 20 points and nine rebounds for CSUB. Taishi Ito and Kramer Knutson paced Portland with 11 points apiece.
HOT POTATO: Just one game after posting a season?low nine turnovers against Boise State, the 'Runners matched their season?high with 21 turnovers in Tuesday's win over Cal Poly.
HAND IT OVER: Of course, the 'Runners have also excelled in causing turnovers this season. CSUB is forcing an average of 16.2 turnovers per game. They've forced 211 turnovers while giving up just 194 of their own. They forced 14 turnovers against a Cal Poly team ranked No. 11 nationally at just 11.5 turnovers per game.
FOULING THINGS UP: Entering last week's game vs. Cal Poly, CSUB had been 0?6 when committing more fouls than its opponents and 0?6 when shooting fewer freethrows. The 'Runners picked up their first win of the season under both of those conditions against Cal Poly.
A BETTER THAN 50?50 CHANCE: The 'Runners shot better than 50 percent (26?for?49, 53.1 percent) for the fourth time this season in the win over Cal Poly. Since Feb., 2000, the 'Runners are now 36?1 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
The 'Runners shot a season?high 54.1 percent (33?for?61) in their loss at UC Davis. It marked the first time in 35 games that the 'Runners lost when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Prior to that, CSUB hadn't wasted such an effort since shooting 56.4 percent (31?for?55) but dropping an 84?79 decision at Chico State on Feb. 18, 2000.
LATUNDE IN TOP 5 AMONG INDEPENDENT REBOUNDERS: Junior forward Santwon Latunde (Landover, Md./Cowley County CC) maintains a spot in the top five in the nation among NCAA Division I Independent rebounders. He enters the Christmas break averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. Emmanuel Jones of UT?Pan American tops the list at 8.8 rpg.
OTHER 'RUNNER NOTABLES IN THE INDY RANKINGS: Junior forward Trent Blakley (Alta Loma HS) checks in at No. 11 on the Independent scoring list at 13.2 points per game. Senior guard Terrence Johns (Chicago/Bakersfield College) is No. 4 in free throw percentage at 81.8 percent (min. 2.0 FTM per game). Sophomore guard Alex Johnson (Toronto/Vaughan Road Academy) is 10th in assists at 3.1 apg. Senior forward Donald Lee (Los Angeles/Pierce College) is fifth in field goal percentage at 55.6 percent (min. 1.5 FGM per game).
HOME SWEET HOME: The 'Runners will be gunning for their fourth home win of the season when Portland visits on Dec. 30. That would equal their home win total from last season?their first playing a full NCAA Division I schedule. After the Portland game, the 'Runners will still have six home dates, including a huge Jan. 2 showdown with Patty Mills and NCAA contender Saint Mary's College.
'RUNNERS vs. DI COMPETITION: Although 2008?09 is just the second time the Roadrunners have taken on a full NCAA Division I schedule, Bakersfield already has a bit of history in NCAA Division I play. The 'Runners own an all?time mark of 29?75 in 104 games against 42 different Division I opponents. Note that this mark does not include games against current DI teams that were not DI when they met CSUB.
WE MEET AGAIN: The 'Runners may be relative new kids on the block at the NCAA Division I level, but they possess a wealth of experience against the Division I opponents they will meet this season. CSUB owns an aggregate 153?121 all?time record against this season's opposition. Note that many of those results came when both CSUB and its opposition were competing at the Division II level.
37 YEARS OF CSUB BASKETBALL: The 2008?2009 season will mark the 38th 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 741?336 (.688).
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.
