The first Golden 1 game I'm going to miss. I'm confident that we'll see a big step forward from this team at some point in this season...don't know if it'll come tonight, but fingers crossed.

By the way, do we know the extent of Squire's injury? I'm assuming it's potentially season long, just hadn't heard for sure.

Sac is coming off a convincing win over Riverside. Riverside has beat Idaho and Nebraska (who also lost to SUU!), so this should be a good test for us. After playing in front of thousands of empty seats in Arkansas, playing at the Golden 1 in front of a modest but lively crowd should give both teams some energy. I was there last year, and we played really poorly in a lose -> a harbinger of the rest of the season. I'm hoping the team defense makes a big leap forward, and we get more scoring from the bench (still waiting on that big shooting game from Gonzalez). I'll be there for the early tip-off. I really like the arena and the surrounding area. Sac did a great job there.

I haven't heard anything and we probably won't given the confidentiality of any personal medical issues.

I've been to all the Causeway games at the Golden 1 Center and, although playing before an empty arena in Jonesboro, Arkansas is certainly uninspiring and difficult, playing in the vast Golden 1 Center can present its own problems. The place is so big that it's difficult for most players to feel comfortable with their mid and long range shots. Hopefully, we'll get dialed in before Sac does. A lot of points in the paint would be a great way to get going too!

It's a fun game to attend in one of the best, if not the best, basketball arenas in the country. The Golden 1 staff keep the atmosphere lively by filling all the timeouts and breaks with great stuff to keep the fans engaged. I hope we can bring home a win!

Damion Squire is in street clothes

No offensive punch at all from the Ags

27-22, 1:56 left in the first half. Ironically 6'11" Neufeld has 10 points.

29-23 Sac at the half. Our offense is nowhere to be found...shooting a frigid 25%...

Surprising we are only down by 6. Need to win at least one of two this week

10 to go, down by 10. Hornets out playing us.

Still down by 10, <5 to go

61-51...Ags go down ugly...

St Mary's beat Fresno State 68-58 in the second game. I was really impressed with the Gaels. They're a talented, disciplined basketball team. Fresno is very athletic but St Mary's executes beautifully and plays rock solid defense. It's so much fun to watch a team like St Mary's that has great athletes and is so well coached.

we got to the hospitality late last night at Sauced, after the delicious ribs and brisket were scrafed down, and the only thing left were some bruissel sprouts. last night, the Aggies seemed like the bruissel sprouts of the doubleheader. not bad, but not the same caliber as the rest. Nuefeld had a good game offensively, Manjon looks like he's going to be a player, and Stefan and Mooney look like solid role players......beyond that? not much. Sac (and the other two teams) just looked so much more physical and agressive than us. I know its tough to shot in the big arenas, but, most of our outside shots looked like they never had a chance. Sac overplayed us defensively and we didn't have anyone that could create points when they did.

i hope i'm wrong, but it looks like a very long season.

Too bad you missed the ribs at Sauced...pretty good, though I usually go for the brisket chili!

I think you hit the nail with your comment about Stefan and Mooney. They are role players that we are asking to be major cogs on this team and that's tough expectations to meet. Add in Majon and Pepper, who are getting big time minutes but are just not quite ready yet. Obviously, the hope is that all this experience in the OOC gets them ready for BW play and we see a dramatically better team with players who know, and can excel at, their roles.

Feels like the time to address the talent level over the past couple of years. After 20 win years and post season success, you'd expect a step up in talent. But our seniors are struggling (with the exception of Neufeld), the only junior is a JC transfer (Jackson, Hewitt, and Henn all left), our remaining sophomores are two players whose futures are still to be determined (Nelson and Strom transferred out, leaving Squire and Fuller, plus red-shirts Shaw and Ba who haven't seen many minutes). This seems like a quality freshman class, but that's still to be seen for sure. I'm a fan of this coaching staff over the years, but it's hard not to see the disparity in talent in comparison to the other 3 mid-major programs at the Golden 1 last night. We have an appalling lack of interior depth, we have shooters who can't get open, we are limited in being able to create off the dribble, and our only sure fire offensive player usually has to sit for long stretches because of foul trouble. And our only real hope is that we play defense so well that our offense scores just enough to win. I hope that is enough.

Having said all that, I just purchased my tickets to the Berkeley game next Tuesday. I want to see, in person, the leadership of the seniors, the growth of Fuller and Koehler, and the potential of Pepper, Manjon and Adebayo. Go Ags!

no review of the Brussel Sprouts? they were good, just not brisket and/or rib good!

I might have been a little harsh on my comments on Mooney. I think he showed last year he had developed more offensive skills than just spot-up shooter. I think Stefan could be a valuable defensive-minded, spot-shooting starter on a more complete team....but.....that's not this team.

The next time I go to a bbq joint to try the brussel sprouts will be the first time :smile:

I'm sure some of my posts go back and forth on the talent level of this team. Sometimes I think we just need more time together and the staff needs to figure out who should be on the court with whom, other times I think we are worlds below comparable teams talent-wise. I probably wouldn't be in such a pessimistic mood if the football team had had a better season, and if the WBB hadn't also started off so slowly.

we shot 37% from the floor, 0-5 from 3. if you take away Nuefeld's 8-13 shooting, we're down to 29%. Sac was 44% from the floor (lot of points in the paint), 1-11 from 3.

Hornet defense does in Aggie men, 61-51

By Bob Dunning

SACRAMENTO – Defense still wins Division-I college basketball games as the UC Davis men found out in painful fashion in a 61-51 loss to Sacramento State on Wednesday night before 4,774 fans at the Golden 1 Center.

The loss drops the Aggies to 2-4 in the young campaign, while the defensive-minded Hornets moved to 3-0.

“Give credit to Sac State,” said Aggie head coach Jim Les. “I thought they played very well and very physical. They took it to us with their defensive pressure and we didn’t handle it well at times. They deserved to win.”

Sacramento State coach Brian Katz agreed with Les’ assessment.

“Right now we’re defending at an elite level,” Katz noted. “That’s why we’re 3-0. I’m very happy with our effort, and if we continue to play defense like that, we’re going to be a very good basketball team.”


“They made some of our young guys feel the pressure and even though I thought we had some good scoring opportunities, we didn’t take advantage,” Les added.

“You never feel it’s over until it’s over, but I was confident in the outcome, because every time they made a run, we responded,” said Katz. “We’re not flashy, but if we just stick to our core values and get up every morning with a chip on our shoulders, we’re goin to be OK.”


“Our contract here is up, but I hope we can sign another four-year deal to continue playing Davis here,” said Katz. “It’s a thrill for our players, just the whole atmosphere here. It’s a great thing for both teams.”

Added Les, “I can’t thank the Kings enough for opening up their home to us. We’re just grateful to have this chance. Playing here will be a lifetime memory for our kids. We had to throw some of our young guys to the wolves tonight, but we’ll learn and grow from this and get better.”

https://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/ucd-mens-hoops-falls-to-sac-state-at-golden-1-center/

I just watched Sac give #21 Colorado one heck of a game. They lost 59-45 but they were only down 5 with 5 minutes or so to go in the game. Their defense was frustrating the Buffalos. That was their first loss of the season and they're 4-1 now.

Sac has one of the top defenses in the nation,statistically. It really effected us, especially the new guys