Irvine is consistently at or near the top in the Big West every year. Russ Turner has done a great job there.

This was a tough, physical game and a good win for the Ags especially considering the flu hit the team this week and some of the players were still under the weather but gutted it out. It wasn't pretty but it goes in the W column.

This decision continues to get a lot of emotional, negative press:

https://www.abridged.org/news/young-athletes-face-crushed-dreams-as-uc-davis-downgrades-equestrian-team/

I think the jury is still out about how good this team could be. We have lots of new and young players and it seems like that the rotation that Les is going to use is becoming more established of late.

However, it also seems that we aren't as deep as it looked like we could be early on in the season. Suljanovic began the season as a starter but his PT has dwindled to very little in the last 8 games. CJ Franklin showed his potential with 10 points in 16 minutes at Idaho State but rarely sees the floor. Jonathan Noudjihidi has the length we lack but has only appeared in 3 games for a total of 16 minutes and has been in street clothes lately and Elan Esso-Esiss has been out the entire season.

I'm hoping that we find the consistency that we have been lacking in this 4 home game stretch.

I do the same thing. I hope I don't overhear the score of the 49ers game while we're at the game and spoil the replay for us when we get home.

This looks like a troublesome situation.

As usual, the Wild Wild Big West looks like it will be a topsy-turvy dogfight. Irvine and Hawaii appear to be the early front runners with San Diego being up and down but still near the top. The Aggies are hard to figure at this point due to their inconsistency. On a good night we are capable of beating anybody but, when we struggle, any team is capable of beating us and we could easily end up middle of the pack or lower if our inconsistency continues.

My thoughts as well.

In the radio, post-game interview, Les said he held Rocak out because he felt like Poly would have "made things difficult for him since they don't play any bigs." He said, "we may need to reevaluate that when we play them again since "Niko is so important to us."

Poly wins 84-78. I feel like we could have been up by 15-20 in the first half but Les began subbing deep on the bench like he did against Bakersfield and the big lead dwindled. Still, we were up by 10 at the half and couldn't hold it.

I know Les feels like he needed to essentially play guards only but I think having Rocak in the paint, at least for some of the game, would have presented problems for Poly. Poly out scored us in the paint 28-22 and we committed a lot of fouls when they went to the hoop. Rocak could have made those shots difficult or made a few blocks. Sevilla was way off his shot...3-14 too.

No FG's for the Ags in the last 5 and 1/2 minutes.

Poly takes the lead with 3:46 to go.

1 point game...our defense has not been making it difficult for Poly...we're gonna be lucky to escape with a win...

40-30 Ags at the half. It feels like the Ags should be up 15+ though.

No doubt that football is the main interest on this forum and is the marquee sport for Davis athletics. It is also the sport with the most successful legacy in Aggie athletics history.

I don't think we'll see that kind of following for basketball until the program creates a more consistent winning legacy here at Davis. We seem to be moving in the right direction but, honestly, it's been a frustratingly slow process compared to the generally consistent success of football. Like they say, "win and they will come" and that's really important here where Aggie athletics are not an easy sell with the community and the students.

Lots of Hornets in the portal:

https://statehornet.com/2025/12/sacramento-state-football-college-transfer-portal-brennan-marion-luke-wood/

Cyrus Ellison is listed as 6'4 225, graduated Magna Cum Laude from South Carolina State and has 1 year of eligibility left.

Now they only need 7 more games...they're on a roll...and 4 of the 5 games they have now are JV teams as Dr Wood would say. FBS or Bust in 2026 was what they were selling...looks more like Bust so far to me...

Pinnick has gotten attention from Colorado, Washington State, Oregon State and Nevada. Man, it would be weird if he ends up at Nevada.

Tim Plough is one of the best coaches in college football at any level. He has the Aggies on the fast track of being a consistent top 5 program in the FCS each year. Any player would be hard pressed to find a more personally supportive culture for their development and growth not only as an athlete but also as an excellent student, teammate and human being.