Let a Busy Weekend Begin
10 of 11 Big West teams will play 11 games through Sunday, starting with 4 today.
Friday’s schedule (all times PST)
4:30 PM: CSU Bakersfield at Ole Miss — This game looked to be a reunion for former head coach Rod Barnes, whose greatest success was taking the Rebels to the Sweet Sixteen in 2001. But Barnes abruptly resigned as CSUB head coach in late September following the arrest of assistant coach Kevin Mays on charges of sex trafficking and possession of child pornography. It’s left to interim head coach Mike Scott to lead the ‘Runners (2-1) into this evening’s “Throwback Game in the Tad Pad.” This will be the last time Ole Miss (3-0) plays at old C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum, where the school played its games from 1966-2017. The University of Mississippi has announced the venue will be demolished in 2026. The Rebels are coming off a huge 83-77 win over Memphis.
6:00 PM: Cal Poly at Montana — The Mustangs (2-2) continue to test themselves, this time with a game against the pre-season Big Sky Conference favorites. The Griz (3-1) are coming off a 102-93 upset win at UNLV. Money Williams posted 30 points on the Rebels, one game after scoring 19 in the 2nd half of a loss at Stanford. Prior to opening tip, Montana will honor its 2024-25 team by unveiling a Big Sky championship banner in the rafters of Dahlberg Arena. Hamad Mousa leads Cal Poly in scoring at 17.8 points per game, including 11 three-pointers in 27 attempts (40.7%).
6:00 PM: Sacramento State at UC Davis — The 123rd edition of the Causeway Cup is being played on campus for the 2nd straight season. The Hornets (2-1) have some buzz with a popular Sacramento icon as head coach (former Kings’ star Mike Bibby), a world-famous general manager (Shaquille O’Neal) and a new arena (Hornet Pavilion) which drew large crowds for each of their first 3 games. Sac State has firepower on the court with Mikey Williams, who dropped 30 on UC Santa Barbara, and Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, who is averaging 17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4 blocks per game. They will test the defense of the Aggies (2-1), who lead the Big West in causing turnovers (17.7 per game) and are holding their opponents to 25% shooting from 3-point range and 39.7% overall.
9:00 PM: Manhattan at Hawai’i — This looks to be the Bows’ toughest contest in the Outrigger Rainbow Classic. The Jaspers (2-1), picked to finish 4th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, defeated Utah Tech 79-75 in Wednesday’s other Classic game. Manhattan has two reigning Rookies of the Year in sophomore Will Sydnor, a unanimous all-MAAC First Team selection who hasn’t played this season, and Erik Oliver Bush, who played at Saint Anselm (N.H.) of the Division II Northeast-10 Conference last season. Junior guard Jaden Winston scored 29 points in a loss at USC. The Rainbow Warriors (2-1) have 6 players averaging 9 points or more per game, led by Harry Rouhliadeff at 14.0 ppg.