BOUNCING BACK: For Seattle University, it's back to business Saturday night when Idaho comes to town. The previous game happened and it was a loss, but the goal of the coaching staff over the past couple of days was to make sure the team's focus was on the next opponent, not the previous one. With six home games among the final ten contests of the season, a winning record is still within reach, but defending the home court will be a major factor in that pursuit.
THE WASHINGTON GAME: Seattle University lost to the University of Washington, 123-76, Tuesday night at Bank of America Arena. Charles Garcia led SeattleU with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Cervante Burrell scored a career-high 18 points, plus he pulled down four rebounds, dished out three assists, and earned five steals.
GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE: The throwback jerseys worn by Seattle University Tuesday night are being auctioned off to the general public at GoSeattleU.com. The items are replica jerseys similar to the ones worn by Seattle University in the 1950s and 1960s. The numbers that were used honored Seattle University basketball legends such as Elgin Baylor, Eddie and Johnny O'Brien, Eddie Miles, Clint Richardson, Frank Oleynick, John Tresvant, Tom Workman, Rod Derline, Carl Ervin, and Jawann Oldham. The auction is scheduled to end Monday afternoon.
SMILE, YOU'RE ON CAMERA: Seattle University and FSN Northwest have agreed to broadcast the home finale on Tuesday, March 2, against Portland State on the cable channel. This will be the sixth Seattle University game shown by FSN Northwest this season, including the third home contest. The victories over Fresno State and Oregon State were telecast by the cable channel, as were the losses to Denver, Harvard, and Washington.
SUITS AND SNEAKERS: The Seattle University men's basketball coaches will be wearing sneakers with their suits this Monday, Feb. 1, as part of an initiative to raise cancer awareness. The Seattle University chapter of Colleges Against Cancer is helping with the event.
SCOUTING IDAHO: The Vandals come into Saturday's game with a 9-10 overall record, including a 2-6 record in the Western Athletic Conference. Idaho snapped a six-game losing streak with a 74-59 victory over Fresno State Thursday night. The Vandals are scoring 71.3 points per game and giving up 69.8 points per contest. As a team, Idaho is shooting 46.6 percent from the field, including 38.4 percent from the three-point line, and 66.6 percent from the free throw line. Mac Hopson is averaging a team-high 15.0 points and 4.4 assists per game along with 5.2 rebounds per game. With 51 made three-pointers, Steffan Johnson is averaging 11.3 points per game, while Kashif Watson is contributing 10.8 points per contest. Marvin Jefferson leads the team with 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per game to go along with 7.9 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY: This will be the 21st meeting all time between Idaho and Seattle University, with SeattleU holding a 13-7 series advantage. The first meeting took place during the 1949-50 season, with Idaho earning a 54-36 home victory. Idaho also won the gane during the 1951-52 season, 74-71. SeattleU's first victory in the series came in the 1959-60 season, a 78-77 overtime victory. During the 1960s, SeattleU won 12 straight games over Idaho. After the 1968-69 season, the two teams did not play again until the 1985-86 campaign. Idaho has won the last three meetings, including the last one on Nov. 26, 1993, a 65-59 decision. This will be the first time these two teams have met in Seattle since SeattleU earned a 90-77 victory during the 1968-69 season.
REACHING THE MILESTONE: Let the record show that it came on a basket with 1:25 remaining in the second half against Utah Valley on Jan. 16, 2010. Chris Gweth became the 34th player in Seattle University history to score at least 1,000 career points. He currently has 1,018 career points, 33rd place on the all-time scoring list, with SeattleU Athletic Hall of Famers John Tresvant and Rod Derline in his sights. Before Tuesday's game, Gweth had reached double figures in points in 12 straight games, averaging 15.3 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. 29, Seattle University is 203rd with a rating of 69.59 and Idaho is 163rd with a rating of 72.04. Taking into account a 4.18 home advantage, the Sagarin ratings would say that SeattleU is favored to win Saturday's game by about two 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. 25, according to the official NCAA rankings, Idaho is 190th, while Seattle University is 209th.
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 20th in scoring at 20.7 points per game and tied for 54thin rebounding with 9.0 boards per contest. As a team, Seattle University would be tied for 24th in scoring offense and 25th in rebounding, averaging 79.6 points and 39.8 rebounds per game.
RECEIVING CHARITY: Charles Garcia has been prolific in getting to the free throw line so far this season, averaging 11.4 free throw attempts per game. Garcia has attempted a Division I-high 246 free throws in the first 21 games of the season, 58 more than Marqus Blakely of Vermont.