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Sacramento State Hornets (0-0) vs. UCLA Bruins (0-0)
The opening night of the 2022-23 college basketball season is upon us, and the Sacramento State Hornets face off against the No. 8 UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, with the tip-off at 11:30 PM ET.
The Bruins open as huge 23.5-point home favorites with a total of 135.0 points. They meet the Hornets for the first time since 2013 when UCLA trounced Sacramento State 86-50 as a 22-point fave.
The Sacramento State Hornets have a new head coach for the second straight year. Brian Katz retired prior to the 2021-22 season, and Brandon Laird led the Hornets to an 11-18 record. Sacramento State went 6-14 in the Big Sky Conference, finishing at the eighth spot, and the Hornets exited in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky championship tournament after a heavy 83-61 defeat to the top-seeded Montana State Bobcats.
David Patrick, the former UC Riverside head coach, will lead the Hornets in 2022-23. Sacramento State returns just 38.5 percent of scoring from its last season’s roster. Bryce Fowler (19.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.0 APG in 2021-22) is gone, so senior guard Zach Chappell (11.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG) will be a key guy for the Hornets this time around.
Horn ets selected 6th in the Big Sky preseason coaches and media polls. Season begins Nov. 7 at 7th-ranked UCLA. Conference schedule begins Dec. 31. https://t.co/67uwZUbl3s
— Sacramento State Men's Basketball (@SacHornetsMBB) October 26, 2022
The Hornets enter the new season as the No. 6 in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll. KenPom has Sacramento State at No. 285 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 263 in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Hornets wrapped up the 2021-22 season as No. 317 in the KenPom rankings, scoring 95.1 points per 100 possessions (313th in the country) and surrendering 108.8 in a return (284th).