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Mark Duffel

Men's Basketball

`Runners Headed to WAC Tournament to Go Dancing Again



BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The regular season has ended and the most exciting time of the year has finally arrived for basketball fans: March Madness. CSU Bakersfield's men's basketball team is preparing to take all of the lessons learned over the past five months and apply it to the next three games. With the possibility of their second trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line, the Roadrunners will do battle with the rest of the league at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament, Mar. 14-16, in Las Vegas, Nev.

When asked about the state of his team heading into the WAC Tournament, CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes was very optimistic: "I feel really good. I like some things that we're doing. I like the way our team is trying to follow what we're asking them to do. I think they're in a good place. Sometimes, when you've had as many losses as we have at the end of the year, some guys' focus is to just try to get through. That's not this team."

The `Runners (16-14, 7-9 WAC) ended the season on a five-game skid, but had multiple strong performances in the streak. A tough road loss at Kansas City and an overtime defeat at the hands of Seattle U were tough blows with important lessons. CSUB's most impressive performance in that stretch was a near miss in Phoenix against Grand Canyon, the No. 2 seed at this week's tournament. After their loss to the Lopes in which they had a chance for a game-winning shot, the `Runners were reminded that they have the firepower and talent to match up with any team in the WAC.

Barnes also said he looks forward to returning to the WAC Tournament with a more experienced group of `Runners: "Some of the problems that we had [last year], because of our inexperience and because of our youth, is playing to our advantage right now. We have a lot of guys that are going into this tournament feeling like they have something to prove…I see a difference…After a couple of weeks of tough losses, I think they're really looking forward to this weekend."

CSUB finished the regular season as the fifth seed and will open the WAC Tournament on Thursday, Mar. 14, against No. 4 UTRGV. The `Runners and Vaqueros split their regular season series this year with both teams taking a win from the other on the road. Redshirt sophomore Justin Edler-Davis was the most effect `Runner against UTRGV this year, averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest in the two games.

Tipoff on Thursday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in the Orleans Arena while fans at home can watch live on ESPN+. Should the `Runners knock off UTRGV and advance, CSUB will meet the winner of No. 1 NM State vs. No. 8 Chicago State in Friday evening's semifinal, also on ESPN+, at 6 p.m. Saturday night's Championship Game is set for a 7 p.m. start and will be broadcasted on ESPNU.

Fans interested in tickets for the game can call 661-654-BLUE for more information. For links to live streams and live stats for the whole tournament, check out the WAC Tournament Central page. As always, follow @CSUB_MBB on Twitter (link above) for live, up-to-the-minute information from courtside at the Orleans Arena.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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Players Mentioned

Justin Edler-Davis

#10 Justin Edler-Davis

G/F
6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Justin Edler-Davis

#10 Justin Edler-Davis

6' 4"
Redshirt Sophomore
G/F
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