A coach's life is a strange one. While the players in the Chico State men's basketball programs are licking their chops at the chance to play two Pac-12 programs in the span of four days, Wildcats Head Coach Greg Clink can't wait to watch the games on film.
"We'll be able to break down the film and know exactly what our strengths and weaknesses are," said Clink. "It's going to show us exactly where we are at and what we need to get better at. It's like taking two practice tests and being able to see exactly what we need to work on."
After playing the University of Arizona in each of the past two seasons, the Wildcats added a second Pac-12 squad to its exhibition schedule in 2017-18, Thursday night at Stanford. They'll play the Cardinal at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on Pac-12.com.
Chico State will play at Arizona for the third season in a row on Sunday at 3 p.m., Pacific, in a Pac-12 Network matchup.
Both games will also be broadcast locally on AM-1290 KPAY and streamed online. Online video streams, radio broadcasts, and live stats are available via links at the top of this page, on the men's basketball schedule page, and in the calendar section of our homepage.
Chico State, coming off its second West Region Championship and trip to the Elite Eight in the past four seasons, enters the 2017-18 campaign ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation.
The Wildcats return four starters, including seniors Isaiah Ellis, Jalen McFerren, and Corey Silverstrom, and seven letterwinners from last season's record-breaking 26-win team.
Chico State in the Preseason National Rankings
NABC (coaches) Poll: No. 7
Division II Bulletin: No. 5
Basketball Times: No. 13
Street & Smith's: No. 10
About Stanford
Anchored by four returning starters, including the Pac-12's top returning scorer in Reid Travis, Stanford was picked to finish fifth in a vote of media members who cover the league. The Cardinal finished 14-17 last season.
About Arizona
Ranked No. 1 in the nation by Athlon, Blue Ribbon Sports, and Street & Smith's, Arizona enters the season ranked No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Wildcats were a near-unanimous favorite to win the Pac-12, receiving 22 of 23 first-place votes to land atop the preseason poll.
The Wildcats return three starters, including 2017 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Allonzo Trier from last year's Pac-12 regular-season co-champion and Pac-12 Tournament title team.
Last Meeting vs. Arizona
Chico State took Arizona to the brink in last season's battle of the Wildcats. The Division II Wildcats led by 12 mid-way through the first half, 40-37 at halftime, and it was a one possession game with a minute to play.
Ellis nearly drew a charge with 40 seconds to play and Chico State trailing by three. But the whistle never sounded and Arizona took advantage with a layup on the decisive possession.
Arizona hit three of four free throws down the stretch for the final margin of victory.
Ellis and Robert Duncan led Chico State with 16 points apiece. Silverstrom scored 10 of his 15 in the second half and hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final nine minutes, both of which cut the score to one.
Led by McFerren's nine rebounds, Chico State outrebounded Arizona 30-28. McFerren also had four assists and no turnovers in 29 minutes.
Redshirt freshman Justin Briggs also had an impressive night, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes of action.
Arizona built the lead up to nine on a pair of occasions, but a 10-2 run, capped by consecutive threes by Duncan and Silverstrom, had Chico State within one with 8:59 remaining.
Again, Arizona responded, building its lead back to seven. But again, Chico State answered back.
Ellis followed Duncan's reverse layup with back to back jumpers in the paint to cut the deficit to 69-68 with three minutes left. Ellis hit two free throws with 1:03 remaining to get the Wildcats back to within three before nearly drawing the charge on the defensive end.
Chico State finished with 14 assists and 13 turnovers. The visiting Wildcats shot 48 percent from the floor and made nine threes (six more than the hosts). Arizona did the majority of its damage from the free throw line, where it made good on 31 of 36 attempts.
In the 2016 exhibition season, Chico State challenged Arizona for the first three quarters of the game before Arizona dominated down the stretch for a 90-54 victory.
Last Meeting vs. Stanford
In their only meeting on record, Chico State beat Stanford 82–78 on Dec. 11, 1982, at Maples Pavilion. Tim Taylor buried a tiebreaking 20-footer with four seconds left and Homer Rivers sealed the deal with two free throws to seal the deal.
Taylor finished with 24 points and Rivers had 18 to lead the way.
