WE ARE THE NORMAL: For Seattle University, playing 13 of the first 18 games of the season on the road has been tiresome, and it showed in the last two games, losses at Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge. Now, the team is getting back to a normal routine, not stepping on a plane for five weeks and not needing to spend a night in a hotel room for 26 straight days. That stretch includes tonight's game against Utah Valley, a program that just completed the reclassification process and is in the first year of full Division I membership.
THE CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE GAME: Seattle University could not overcome an early deficit, as Cal State Northridge was able to hold on for a 98-90 victory Monday night at the Matadome. Charles Garcia, playing close to his hometown, notched his eighth double-double of the season with 34 points and 14 rebounds. Aaron Broussard tied his career high with 18 points, and Chris Gweth scored 13 points, 10 of them in the second half. Cal State Northridge (5-10) extended its advantage early in the second half, outscoring SeattleU 10-2 in the first three minutes after halftime to take its biggest lead at the time, 50-36. A three-pointer by Broussard capped a 9-1 Redhawk run that cut the Matador lead to six at 51-45, but back-to-back three-pointers from Vinnie McGhee reestablished a double-digit lead for Cal State Northridge. Seattle University made one final push, as a three-pointer by Alex Jones started an 11-0 run that cut the Cal State Northridge lead to six at 77-71. Back-to-back three-pointers by Broussard and Taylor Olson brought the Redhawks within four at 83-79, but the Matadors scored their final 21 points on free throws as they held off SeattleU to snap a seven-game losing streak. Olson earned a season-high eight points as he played 24 minutes off the bench, while Cervante Burrell finished with seven points, four rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. As a team, Seattle University shot 40.5 percent (30-of-74) from the field, including 28 percent (7-of-25) from behind the three-point line, and 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the free throw line.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY: The Wolverines come into Saturday's game with a 7-9 overall record. Utah Valley is 0-5 in road games and has lost four of their last five contests, including a 67-62 loss to North Dakota Thursday night. The Wolverines are scoring 66.4 points per game and giving up 66.8 points per contest. As a team, Utah Valley is shooting 42.8 percent from the field, including 35.2 percent from behind the three-point line, and 72.8 percent from the free throw line. Corey Clatt leads the team with 14.0 points and 3.7 assists per game. Jordan Swarbrick has earned 13.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and Justin Baker is contributing 11.6 points per contest. Jourdain Scoubes, one of only two players to appear in every game so far this season for Utah Valley, leads the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game to go along with 8.2 points per game.
ON THE BRINK OF A MILESTONE: In the vast history of Seattle University basketball, only 33 players have scored over 1,000 points during their collegiate careers. That number is about to grow, as senior Chris Gweth is just nine points away from the magical 1,000-point mark. At the pace he is scoring at right now, that milestone is expected to be reached sometime during Saturday's game against Utah Valley, as Gweth has reached double figures in points in ten straight games, averaging 16 points per game during that span.
JEFF SAGARIN SAYS: The Sagarin ratings is one of the most popular tools for comparing two teams and attempting to predict the result. As of Jan. 15, Seattle University is 192nd with a rating of 70.42 and Utah Valley is 311th with a rating of 59.81. Taking into account a 4.13 home advantage, the Sagarin ratings would say that Seattle University is favored to win Saturday's game by about 15 points.
RPI: Another tool in comparing teams is the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), a term that is used frequently as the selection date for the NCAA Tournament approaches. As of Jan. 11, Seattle University is 174th in the RPI rankings, ahead of schools such as LSU, Michigan, Colorado, Auburn, and UCLA.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: As part of the reclassification process, Seattle University is not eligible to officially win any statistical awards. However, if SeattleU was eligible, Charles Garcia would be eighth in scoring at 22.2 points per game and 41st in rebounding with 9.3 boards per contest. As a team, Seattle University would be 22nd in scoring offense, averaging 80.9 points per game.
RECEIVING CHARITY: Charles Garcia has been prolific in getting to the free throw line so far this season, averaging 12 free throw attempts per game. Garcia has attempted a Division I-high 216 free throws in the first 18 games of the season, 62 more than Kyle Gibson of Louisiana Tech.
ROSTER CHANGES: At the conclusion of the fall quarter, redshirt junior Ricky Berry left the men's basketball team for personal reasons. He appeared in seven games off the bench, averaging 12.4 minutes, 3.7 points, and 1.3 rebounds per game. Also, Evan Sanzo-Davis, who did not see action in any game this season, decided to leave the program.