California Baptist University
Southern Utah University
MBB Preview: CBU Hosts GCU and SUU to Complete Three-Game Homestand
2/4/2025 2:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball prepare for a two-game conference slate this week as they host both Southern Utah and Grand Canyon at the Fowler Events Center.
CBU enters the week 4-3 in Western Athletic Conference play and finds themselves in fourth place in the standings. CBU is on a two-game winning streak following wire-to-wire victories over Southern Utah and Abilene Christian in which they won by a combined 39 points in the two matchups.
The first matchup of the week will be the second game in the season series between CBU and Southern Utah on Thursday, February 6. The Lancers dominated the Thunderbirds in the first matchup, leading by as many as 26 points in Cedar City and pulling away with a 76-60 victory on the road. This will be just the third meeting between the two programs in Riverside, with the Lancers winning the last time they played at the Fowler Events Center 83-76 in 2024. CBU is looking to push its winning streak over SUU to four games, with its last loss coming in March of 2023. In the previous matchup this season, CBU dominated the paint 44-18 and held the Thunderbirds to 32% shooting from the floor.
The final matchup of the week will be a much-anticipated meeting between the Lancers and Grand Canyon on Saturday. It will be the first time the two teams have met this season and the final time the two teams will meet in Riverside as WAC foes with GCU slated to leave for the Mountain West beginning next year. The Lopes are atop the conference at 7-1 following its home victory over Utah Valley last Saturday and are on a six-game winning streak that dates back to January 9. This will be the 19th edition of CBU vs GCU, with the Lopes holding the edge in the all-time series 14-4. CBU's last win over GCU came recently when they defeated the Lopes 79-74 in Riverside in 2023, but dropped both of the meetings a season ago en route to the Lopes winning the conference title.
Two categories to keep an eye on in the matchup against Grand Canyon will be free throws and turnovers. GCU is seventh in the country at getting to the foul line and third in conversions, making 19.7 free throws on 26.7 attempts. Conversely, CBU is the best in the conference in free-throw percentage shooting at 75.5% and is second-best in the WAC in staying out of foul trouble. GCU is also one of the best teams in the NCAA at forcing steals and turnovers, forcing nearly ten steals per game and 15 turnovers per contest. The Lancers are inversely the best in the WAC at taking care of the ball, only turning it over 11.3 times per game.
This will mark the first time star guard Dominique Daniels Jr. has had a chance to play the Lopes after missing both games last season due to a season-ending injury. Daniels Jr. is still the conference leader in points per game at 20.1 and also leads the WAC in total points with 422. Daniels Jr. is 14th in the NCAA in scoring average and has only had one game this season in which he did not score at least 15 points.
GAME INFORMATION:
CBU vs Southern Utah
DATE/TIME: Feb. 6 @7 PM PT
LOCATION: Fowler Events Center- Riverside, CA
WATCH: ESPN+
CBU vs Grand Canyon
DATE/TIME: Feb. 8 @5 PM PT
LOCATION: Fowler Events Center- Riverside, CA
WATCH: ESPN+
TICKETS: HERE
