SAN JOSE, Calif. - After having their first two scheduled games canceled, San Jose State men's basketball will look to officially begin their 2020-21 campaign this Sunday with a short road trip to Stockton to take on the University of the Pacific Tigers. The game was originally scheduled to be played in San Jose, but was relocated due to Santa Clara County COVID-19 regulations.
Game No. 1
San Jose State (0-0) at Pacific (2-1)
3:00 p.m. PT | December 6, 2020 | Alex G. Spanos Center
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Fans can watch the game live via the WCC Network. Those that want to catch Justin Allegri's Spartan Radio call can do so on the TuneIn app or at TuneIn.com. Search for San Jose State Athletics.
A WIN WOULD MEAN: A fifth-straight opening game victory for the Spartans and their second-straight over the
SEASON OPENERS UNDER PRIOLEAU: Since Jean Prioleau's arrival in 2017-18, the Spartans are a perfect 3-0 in season openers, including a signature win in last season's opener on the road against 18-point favorite Hofstra in New York.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Pacific has started their 2020-21 campaign with a 2-1 mark, picking up wins over UC Riverside and Montana State. The Tigers will host Westmont College on Friday before the Spartans come to town.
» Pacific is led by fifth-year head coach Damon Stoudamire. He led the Tigers to one of their best seasons in the past decade last year with a 23-10 record and was named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year.
» Senior forward Jeremiah Bailey is the player to watch for the Tigers as one of their top playmakers. In three starts, he is averaging 15.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY - PACIFIC: Despite meeting consistently through the better part of history, it has been 10 years since the Tigers and Spartans last squared off. The last meeting between the programs was Nov. 28, 2010 in San Jose. The Spartans took the contest by a final of 59-55, breaking a streak of six-consecutive loses.
LOOK WHO'S BACK...BACK AGAIN: San Jose State returns both of their leading scorers from a season ago in the form of guards Seneca Knight and Richard
Washington. Knight, a junior, led the team with 17.1 points per game and ranked third in the conference with 20.1 points in league play.Washington ranked second on the team with 10.3 points per game.
KNIGHT LOOKS TO LEAD ONCE AGAIN: Seneca Knight had one of the finest seasons seen by a player in the blue and gold in the past few seasons as a sophomore. The Louisiana native was a third team All-Mountain West selection, becoming the first Spartan to garner all conference honors since 2016-17 (Brandon Clarke).
» Knight was one of the top scorers in the league last season at 17.1 ppg. He tallied 30 points or more in three games, including a career-best 37-point performance on the road against Colorado State. That ranks as the fourth-most points in program history.
» Knight appeared in all 31 games last year and scored in double figures in 27 of them. He closed the season remarkably well by scoring at least 11 points in the final 15 games.
LOOKING FOR MOORE: After a season full of adjusting to the speed of NCAA Div. I basketball, guard Omari Moore is back and readier than ever to take the next step towards being a star on the Spartan roster. The Pasadena native was touted for his strong defense as a freshman, as well as his ability to throw down highlight reel dunks, but his overall numbers didn't pop off the page. That all changed in the Mountain West Tournament as Moore put on his best performance of the season by scoring a career-best 19 points and made an eye-popping eight steals in the Spartans' loss to New Mexico
» Moore's eight steals broke the previous school record of six and also stands as the Mountain West record for a tournament game.
SPARTAN ATHLETICS FUND FAN CUTOUTS:
Spartan Nation, don't miss your chance to be represented in the stands at the Provident Credit Union Event Center this season. If interested in a cardboard cutout, follow this link to register!