GAME PREVIEW

• Sacramento State (4-9, 0-1) is back in action for its second road game in three days when it travels to Ogden, Utah, for a matchup at Weber State (6-8, 0-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. PT.
• The Hornets opened Big Sky Conference play on Thursday with a 97-84 loss at Idaho State in which sophomore guard Mikey Williams had a career-high 34 points. That is tied for most by a Big Sky player this season, and tied for sixth most in the Hornets' Div. I era (1991-pres.).
• Saturday will mark the sixth leg of a season-long seven game road trip. Sacramento State is 0-5 on the trip, but three of those losses came to teams ranked among the top 130 in the NET ratings (#41 Baylor, #116 California Baptist, #129 Pacific).
• The current road trip is part of a remarkable stretch of 49 straight days without a home game. The streak, which is the third longest in the nation among Div. I teams, began on Nov. 26, and concludes with the Big Sky home opener on Jan. 15 vs. Northern Arizona.
• The Hornets are seeking their first road win (0-8), and have lost 10 straight on the road dating back to last season. In fact, that last road victory came at Weber State last year (Feb. 20) by an 80-77 score.
• Six Hornets have missed games to injury/illness this season, combining for 23 missed games. None bigger than 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward Jeremiah Cherry (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) who has missed each of the last seven games with injury. The Hornets are 1-6 without Cherry in the lineup.
• Weber State opened Big Sky play on Thursday with a 95-90 overtime home loss to Portland State. The Vikings tied the game with two seconds left to force overtime.
• The Wildcats are 5-3 at home, but have lost their last two at home against Div. I competition, including an 82-80 loss to Utah Tech on Dec. 20. All three of Weber State's losses at home have come by two points or fewer, or went into overtime (74-73 to UT Arlington).
• Weber State will be playing the final leg of a four-game homestand.
• The Hornets are 12-52 all-time against Weber State, including a 3-27 mark in Ogden.
• The only wins in Ogden came in 2025, 2015 and 2006. 
• The Hornets and Wildcats have played in the Big Sky Tournament three times in the last six years with Weber State winning on two of those occasions.
• Weber State, which has five players averaging double figures, ranks 15th in the nation in fast break points (17.9 ppg) and is the ninth best team at defending the 3-point line (opponents shoot just 28%). The Wildcats also own a +6.7 rebounding margin, the second best mark in the Big Sky. 

MULTIMEDIA OPTIONS

• For the fifth straight season, all Hornet home games, and games played at a Big Sky Conference venue, will stream on ESPN+. The subscription-based service will stream on watchespn.com and the ESPN App.
• In fact, every game the remainder of the season will be streamed on ESPN+.
• Links for all multimedia options, including live stats for every game, can be found next to each game on the men's basketball schedule at hornetsports.com..

IDAHO STATE LOSS RECAP

• Idaho State had 56 second-half points, and converted on 14-of-30 (47%) shots from distance in a 97-84 victory over Sacramento State on Thursday evening at Reed Gym.
• The loss overshadowed a huge night from Mikey Williams, who was brilliant from start to finish. The sophomore finished with a career-high 34 points, the most by a Big Sky player this season, and tied for sixth most in the Hornets' Div. I era (1991-pres.). He shot 13-of-23 from the field, 3-for-7 from distance, and 5-of-7 from the free throw line.
• However, it was not enough against an Idaho State squad that put up a season-high 97 points. After the Hornets scored the game's first two points on a pair of Williams free throws, the Bengals went on a 9-0 run and led for 37 minutes of game clock. 
• After trailing, 41-32, at halftime, Sacramento State closed to within two points (45-43) of the deficit with 16 minutes to play. However, that was as close as the Hornets would get. The Bengals immediately responded with a 13-4 run and led by at least eight points the rest of the contest.
• Sacramento State went 27-for-37 from the free throw line as six different players made multiple freebies. The Hornets also had a 52-point second half after scoring 32 before the break.

THE BIBBY ERA

• Head coach Mike Bibby, who spent half of his 14-year NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, returned to the city where he became a fan favorite while helping the Kings to multiple playoff appearances in the early 2000s.
• A first team All-American, Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and the No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Bibby helped Arizona to a 1997 NCAA national championship.
• Recently, Bibby had assistant coaching stops with the Puerto Rican National Team, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies summer league teams, and G-League Ignite.
• During his six seasons at Shadow Mountain High School (five as head coach), he coached the team to five state championships, a 157-21 overall record, a 72-game winning streak, and a six-year home winning streak.

SHAQ ON BOARD AS GENERAL MANAGER

• Shaquille O'Neal is in his first season as general manager of the Hornets. He joined the program shortly after the appointment of Mike Bibby to head coach.
• O'Neal played 19 years in the NBA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
• He accepted the position in a volunteer capacity and will focus on recruitment, marketing, and holistic player development - both on and off the court.

FORMER KING BRAD MILLER ALSO ON STAFF

• Fourteen-year NBA veteran Brad Miller is also on staff as the team's Lead Advisor.
• Miller spent six years with the Kings where he and Bibby were teammates from 2003-07.
• A two-time All-Star, Miller finished his career with 11.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 80% from the free throw line.

ENTIRE COACHING STAFF IS NEW

• Not only is Mike Bibby brand new to the program, so is his entire coaching staff. That includes his son, Michael Bibby, who is one of two associate head coaches.
• Joining the Bibbys on the staff are associate head coach Raymond Walcott, and assistant coaches Jason Fraser, Greg Moody II and Dr. August Mendes.
• The Hornets list two general managers, including Zach Chappell and Shaq. Chappell was an assistant coach on last year's coaching staff, and also played three highly successful seasons as player at Sacramento State (2020-23). An all-Big Sky Conference performer as a senior in 2022-23, he played one season of pro ball in Germany in 2024.
• Dr. Al Biancani, the new strength and conditioning coach, developed a relationship with Bibby when he served in the same role with the Sacramento Kings while Bibby was a player. Biancani was the second-ever strength coach hired by an NBA team.

THE MOVE TO HORNET PAVILION

• Sacramento State's 66-year run in the Nest has come to an end.
• The team moved its home games to The WELL on campus. The name of the facility is Hornet Pavilion. The project converted a portion of the The WELL, an on-campus fitness facility, into a venue for both the men's and women's basketball teams.
• Overall capacity is 3,000, and the project was completed in late October. The fixed seating portion of the facility has sold out four of the Hornets' first five home games. The only non-packed house came on a Sunday afternoon game vs. Presbyterian.
• The Hornets had played in the Nest every year since 1955, except four seasons (1996-00) when they spent their first four Big Sky years at downtown Memorial Auditorium.

BRAND NEW ROSTER

• All 15 players on the Hornets' roster are brand new to the program. Sacramento State is one of seven programs in the country with zero returning players from a year ago. 
• Of the 15 players on the roster, there are 11 Div. I transfers, two high school players, one junior college transfer, and one transfer from a Div. II school. 
• The 13 total transfers on the Hornets' roster are third most in the country, trailing only 14 by both Memphis and Southern Miss. There are seven teams that sit just below the Hornets with 12 transfers.
• Davis Ambuehl, who played for Hornet Football in the fall as a tight end, joined the Hornets on Nov. 25. He has yet to play for the basketball team while dealing with injury.

FINAL SEASON IN THE BIG SKY

• This season marks the Hornets' 30th in the Big Sky Conference (1996-pres.), but will also serve as the team's last.
• During the summer, Sacramento State announced that it will join the Big West Conference as a full member beginning in the 2026-27 academic year.
• In 2026, the Hornets will join a Big West lineup that includes California Baptist, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, CSUN, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, and Utah Valley.

MIKEY MAKING HIS MARK

• Sophomore guard Mikey Williams, who is a nationally known player with over 3 million followers on Instagram, has been very good in his first season with the Hornets
• Including his 34-point outburst at Idaho State, he has scored in double figures in five straight games, and is averaging a team-high 21.2 ppg during that stretch. That includes 34 at Idaho State, 19 at CSUN, 18 at California Baptist, 21 at Baylor, and 14 at Pacific.
• The 34 points are tied for the sixth best mark in the Hornets' Div. I era (1991-pres.), and tied for most in the Big Sky this year.
• Overall, he has 10 games in double figures (two 30-point games), including at least sevenn points in every game. He ranks 28th in the country with 34.8 minutes per contest.
• Among conference leaders, he is second in free throw attempts (5.9 per game) and minutes, fourth in assists (5.2 apg), and sixth in scoring (16.3 ppg).
 
THE 3-POINT SNIPER

• Junior shooting guard Jahni Summers is on a heater. The sharp shooter has buried 13 of his last 18 from distance. That includes seven straight makes until he missed one at Idaho State.
• Over the last six games, he is averaging 13.0 ppg while shooting 64% (21-33) from the 3-point stripe. He had scored in double figures in five straight games until Idaho State.
• The recent surge has propelled Summers to an impressive 50% (30-60) from the arc.
• That includes 3-for-3 at CSUN, 6-for-8 at California Baptist, and 4-of-6 at Baylor.

LAVRENOV FILLING IN WELL FOR INJURED BEAR

• Freshman forward Mark Lavrenov was thrust into action after Jeremiah Cherry went down with injury at UCLA. Cherry, off to a big start (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg), was injured at the 8:18 mark of the first half against the Bruins and has not played since.
• In stepped in Lavrenov, who immediately posted a double-double (10 pts, 10 reb) in 29 minutes against the Bruins. He then followed that up at Cal where he had 14 points and eight rebounds while playing all 40 minutes. 
• Over the last eight games, he is averaging 8.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 27.8 minutes. That includes 79% (33-42) from the free throw line while also securing 27 offensive boards.
• There is no time table for Cherry's return. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward is third on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) while ranking second in rebounding (8.2 rpg).
 
STAT SHEET STUFFING PROPHET

• A valuable all-around guard, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Prophet Johnson is averaging 16.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.6 steals and 32.7 minutes.
• He already has six double-doubles, leads the Big Sky in rebounding and steals, and is the third best rebounding guard in the country.
• He has scored in double figures 10 times, and has a team-best five games with at least 20 points. That includes a season-high 26 points at CSUN, and 21 points at Baylor.
• He leads the Hornets in scoring, rebounding and steals while ranking second in assists.
• Johnson is the Big Sky's sixth leading scorer, averages 5.3 FTA per game, shoots 39% from deep, and has scored 12+ points in 10 games. His six double-doubles are just four shy of the Hornet Div. I era season record of 10, set by center Callum McRae in 2022-23.
 
NOTABLES

Arman Madi posted career highs in points (10) and rebounds (9) at Idaho State…over the last four games, opponents are averaging 95.3 ppg on 51% shooting (127-250) from the field…the Hornets rank first in the Big Sky in both free throws made (18.4) and attempted (24.1) per game…Sacramento State is 0-7 when being outrebounded.