`Runners to Close Regular Season at Home vs CSUN

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team is preparing to play its final two regular season games as the Roadrunners will host CSUN this weekend before enjoying a bye week. On Feb. 26 and 27, the Big West Conference foes will clash in Bakersfield's Icardo Center with seeding for the Mar. 9-13 Big West Basketball Championships in Las Vegas still very much to be determined.

"Anything could happen," said Rod Barnes, Head Coach of the `Runners, after listing the strengths of several of the league's top teams. "I think anybody can beat anybody in this league and at the tournament. After this week, we just have to fine tune to try to figure out what is the best way to approach the tournament. I think we have the pieces to [win] it."

Barnes went on to address this week's challenge, earning a pair of victories against the CSUN Matadors: "Their guards are special. Darius Brown is really good. He can do everything on the court. TJ Starks can really score the basketball. They have size up front and they split a lot of time. They are a team that is dangerous because of their guards. They haven't played a lot this year and they are probably fresh."

The `Runner men have returned to Bakersfield after suffering a pair of losses against Big West leader UC Santa Barbara. While CSUB (14-9, 8-6 BWC) only has two league games left, the rest of the conference still has two weekends remaining due to Bakersfield's bye week landing in the final week of the regular season. The `Runners currently sit in fourth place in the Big West standings based on win percentage, close behind UC Riverside (5-3 BWC) and just ahead of Long Beach State (4-4 BWC) and UC Davis (3-3 BWC).

CSUN (8-9, 7-5 BWC) earned a split at home last week thanks to an overtime victory over Hawai'i on Saturday. The Matadors looked to junior guard Darius Brown II to lead the way. Brown II earned Big West Player of the Week honors after averaging 16.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 4.0 steals per game against Hawai'i. The guard's performances also included a triple-double, which helped CSUN erase a 23-point deficit in the overtime win.

Both games in the Icardo Center this weekend are scheduled for a 7 p.m. (PT) tipoff. Fans can follow along with live broadcasts on WatchESPN, in the ESPN app, and on the radio. Links to all broadcast options as well as live stats are available at GoRunners.com/mbbLinks.

~GoRunners.com~

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