LBSU comes to the Pavilion tonight for a huge conference game hoping to stop the Aggies winning streak at home. The Ags have won 16 straight games at home and that's the 5th longest home winning streak in the nation. Long Beach has dominated the all-time series record between these two teams with 21 wins and only 5 loses. As usual, the 49ers record is very deceptive since they annually play one of the toughest OOC schedules in the nation against some of the top power schools in all of college basketball.

The Beach likes to turn on the afterburners and run and are averaging 75 ppg and they give up 80.9 but, when you consider the level of competition they have played, those are pretty good numbers. The Aggies, on the other hand, thrive when their defense is locked in and they will need that tonight since the offense has been a choppy affair all season long. The Ags do have the home court advantage and them seem to nearly always play with good energy and resolve at home though.

Long Beach features one of the best all-around players in the Big West, 6'7 Sr F Gabe Levin, and he leads the 49ers with a 16.3 ppg average and is followed in scoring by 6'5 Jr G Bryan Alberts with 14.0. The Beach is not an overly big team in size but they make up for that with their athleticism and quickness which will test the Aggie defense.

Game after game Chima Moneke continues to show fans why he is the best player in the Big West and the 49ers will in all likelihood be doubling and tripling him in the paint. For the Aggies to be productive on offense he will need some help from his teammates offensively and this is the area the Ags have struggled with the most this year. Siler Schneider and TJ Shorts have provided that help at times but it hasn't always been consistent and, when that help isn't there on the offensive end, we dig ourselves a big hole like we did against Fullerton last week.

I think one of the keys for the rest of the season is whether AJ John will be able to stay out of early foul trouble and find his perimeter shooting again and also whether or not Joe Mooney will begin to find his range from beyond the arc on a consistent basis. We have not shown that we are a team that can hurt you from distance and that's making things tougher and tougher inside as teams design their defenses to limit our production in the paint and force us to the outside.

Tonight will also be the Fan Feast Promotion game where Segundo I Dining Commons will close Wednesday night to serve dinner on the Pavilion's upper concourse. Admission is free for students and I think all other fans can purchase dinner there as well.

I hope we have a nice crowd tonight and keep the home streak alive. This game has all the makings of a great battle. Come out and support the Ags!

Live online stream from Big West TV: http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=650