Sacramento State Weber State Preview
After an encouraging win Thursday, the Weber State Wildcats will hope to continue their momentum as they host the Sacramento State Hornets. The 9-10 Wildcats looked impressive as ever against Portland State, and need to win the battle of 4-2 Big Sky teams against the 11-8 Hornets.
Game Odds
The Wildcats come into the Dee Events Center Saturday as 4.5-point favorites, with ESPN Analytics giving them a 62% chance to beat the Hornets.
Who to Watch
As with any Weber State game, all eyes must be on Dillon Jones. Every night it seems like he’s putting up another insane state line. He’s averaging a double-double on the season with 14.9 PPG and 10.8 rebounds and continues to impress no matter the opponent. He nearly managed a triple-double on Thursday and set a career-high in rebounds not long ago. The sky is the limit whenever he touches the court.
For the Hornets, there are no crazy offensive producers. This is a well-rounded roster where most players get a shot at points throughout the night, making it a challenge for opposing defenses. Keep an eye on Zach Chappell, though. He is the team’s leading scorer with 15.8 PPG, but mainly watch out for him beyond the arc. Chappell is hitting 40.8% of his threes on the year and can pose a significant problem for Weber State’s defense.
Rebounding
The main area for concern for the Wildcats is rebounding. They are not the strongest rebounding roster, averaging 30.9 to the 36.8 of the Hornets. The ‘Cats will need to find some of that magic Thursday that helped them dominate in snagging boards. This showdown is pretty evenly matched, with this discrepancy in rebounding being the glaring difference between the two teams.
Deadlock
As mentioned earlier, these two teams are nearly mirror images of each other. The Wildcats average 67.0 PPG and allow 67.6 PPG; the Hornets average 68.4 PPG and allow 68.1 PPG. The ‘Cats shot 44.9% from the field to 44.5% of Sacramento State. Their turnover averages are nearly identical as well, with Weber State turning the ball over 13.6 times to the Hornets’ 13.9. Something needs to give and, with their newfound momentum, the Wildcats have a great chance to take down this Sacramento State team that has struggled offensively in their last two games.
Game Time
The Wildcats will host the Hornets at the Dee Events Center at 7 pm MST with the winner making great strides in the Big Sky conference.
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