Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Sacramento State
Wildcats host Sacramento State Saturday night
1/2/2026 3:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
• Weber State is right back in action for the second game of the Big Sky season as the Wildcats host Sacramento State on Saturday night.
• The Wildcats and Hornets will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Ethan Jordan and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky and former WSU standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten calling the action.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 6-8 overall and opened the Big Sky season on Thursday with a 95-90 overtime loss to Portland State. The Vikings made 12 3-pointers and outrebounded WSU 51-46.
• Sacramento State is 4-9 overall and began conference play with a 97-84 loss at Idaho State on Thursday. This is the final season for Sacramento State in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets will join the Big West Conference after this season.
• In Thursday's game with Portland State, Weber State had five players score in double figuress. The Wildcats are only team in the Big Sky this season with five players averaging in double figures.
• Tijan Saine Jr. now leads the Wildcats in scoring at 13.0 points per game. Saine led WSU with 23 points in Thursday's game. It was his ninth time scoring in double figures and his third time reaching 20 or more points this season. He also added a season-high eight assists and tied his career-high with seven rebounds. He is currently fifth in the Big Sky in assists at 4.4 per game.
• Edwin Suarez Jr. posted a double-double on Thursday, finishing with 19 points and he tied his career-high with 12 rebounds. He also had three steals and three blocked shots. This season, Suarez is averaging 11.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the Big Sky in rebounds at 7.2 per game. He is also seventh in the conference in steals.
• Nigel Burris, the only senior on this year's Wildcat team, added a season-high 16 points on Thursday, along with eight rebounds. Burris is now just below 10 points per game at 9.9 and is shooting 55 percent from the field, second best on the team.
Saturday's game will be the 100th career game for Nigel Burris as a college player. He began his career at Idaho and was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2023. He then played one season at Utah State and is now in his second year at Weber State.
• Thursday's game saw the return of junior Viljami Vartiainen who had missed the previous six games with a knee injury. Vartiainen scored 10 points with two 3-pointers in Thursday's win, the seventh time in eight games this season that he has scored in double figures. Vartiainen is averaging 11.3 points per game and he leads the Wildcats with 21 3-pointers made through eight games.
• Weber State is first in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense and rebounding. The 'Cats are also second in scoring offense and rebounding margin, and rank third in field goal percentage and steals.
• The Wildcats gave up 12 3-pointers to Portland State on Thursday but still rank ninth in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 27.5 percent from 3-point range. The 'Cats are also 15th in the country and first in the Big Sky in fastbreak points at 17.9 per game.
• Sacramento State is 4-9 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play and has lost its last five games heading into Saturday's game. They have only one Division I win this season, a 64-62 win over Presbyterian. The Hornets are 0-8 on the road this season and Saturday's game will be their sixth straight road game.
• This season the Hornets are second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage and third in rebounding and blocks. They are also fifth in steals.
Sacramento State has been led by Mikey Williams and Prophet Johnson who are both averaging 16.3 points per game this season, sixth-best in the Big Sky. Johnson also leads the Big Sky in rebounding at 8.9 per game and is also first in steals at 2.6 per game. He is first in the Big Sky and 17th in the country this season in double-doubles with six.
• The Hornets were 7-25 overall and 3-15 in Big Sky play last season and were picked 10th in this year's preseason polls.
• The Hornets are coached by former NBA standout Mike Bibby, who is in his first year as head coach at Sacramento State. Bibby won a national championship as a player at Arizona in 1997 and then played 14 years with six different teams in the NBA. Bibby spent the last 10 years coaching in high school before becoming Sacramento State's head coach in March.
• This will be the 65th all-time meeting between the two teams with Weber State holding a 52-12 series lead. The Wildcats have won three of the last four and 10 of the last 12 against the Hornets. WSU won two of three games last season, including a 83-70 win in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 27-3 all-time but the Hornets did win last year.
• Saturday's game will be a matchup of two legendary team General Managers. In August, Wildcat legend and NBA superstar Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
Sacramento State's new General Manager is NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. His son Shaqir O'Neal is a member of the Hornets team this season.
Lillard and O'Neal are both members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
• After Saturday, the 'Cats hit the road for the first time in the Big Sky this season playing at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado next week.
• Weber State is right back in action for the second game of the Big Sky season as the Wildcats host Sacramento State on Saturday night.
• The Wildcats and Hornets will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Dee Events Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with Ethan Jordan and former Weber State head coach Joe Cravens on the call.
The Weber State radio broadcast with Carl Arky and former WSU standout and Big Sky MVP David Patten calling the action.
Live stats and video links are at WeberStateSports.com and the Weber State Wildcats app.
• Weber State is 6-8 overall and opened the Big Sky season on Thursday with a 95-90 overtime loss to Portland State. The Vikings made 12 3-pointers and outrebounded WSU 51-46.
• Sacramento State is 4-9 overall and began conference play with a 97-84 loss at Idaho State on Thursday. This is the final season for Sacramento State in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets will join the Big West Conference after this season.
• In Thursday's game with Portland State, Weber State had five players score in double figuress. The Wildcats are only team in the Big Sky this season with five players averaging in double figures.
• Tijan Saine Jr. now leads the Wildcats in scoring at 13.0 points per game. Saine led WSU with 23 points in Thursday's game. It was his ninth time scoring in double figures and his third time reaching 20 or more points this season. He also added a season-high eight assists and tied his career-high with seven rebounds. He is currently fifth in the Big Sky in assists at 4.4 per game.
• Edwin Suarez Jr. posted a double-double on Thursday, finishing with 19 points and he tied his career-high with 12 rebounds. He also had three steals and three blocked shots. This season, Suarez is averaging 11.2 points per game and ranks fourth in the Big Sky in rebounds at 7.2 per game. He is also seventh in the conference in steals.
• Nigel Burris, the only senior on this year's Wildcat team, added a season-high 16 points on Thursday, along with eight rebounds. Burris is now just below 10 points per game at 9.9 and is shooting 55 percent from the field, second best on the team.
Saturday's game will be the 100th career game for Nigel Burris as a college player. He began his career at Idaho and was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2023. He then played one season at Utah State and is now in his second year at Weber State.
• Thursday's game saw the return of junior Viljami Vartiainen who had missed the previous six games with a knee injury. Vartiainen scored 10 points with two 3-pointers in Thursday's win, the seventh time in eight games this season that he has scored in double figures. Vartiainen is averaging 11.3 points per game and he leads the Wildcats with 21 3-pointers made through eight games.
• Weber State is first in the Big Sky in 3-point field goal defense and rebounding. The 'Cats are also second in scoring offense and rebounding margin, and rank third in field goal percentage and steals.
• The Wildcats gave up 12 3-pointers to Portland State on Thursday but still rank ninth in the nation in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 27.5 percent from 3-point range. The 'Cats are also 15th in the country and first in the Big Sky in fastbreak points at 17.9 per game.
• Sacramento State is 4-9 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play and has lost its last five games heading into Saturday's game. They have only one Division I win this season, a 64-62 win over Presbyterian. The Hornets are 0-8 on the road this season and Saturday's game will be their sixth straight road game.
• This season the Hornets are second in the Big Sky in free throw percentage and third in rebounding and blocks. They are also fifth in steals.
Sacramento State has been led by Mikey Williams and Prophet Johnson who are both averaging 16.3 points per game this season, sixth-best in the Big Sky. Johnson also leads the Big Sky in rebounding at 8.9 per game and is also first in steals at 2.6 per game. He is first in the Big Sky and 17th in the country this season in double-doubles with six.
• The Hornets were 7-25 overall and 3-15 in Big Sky play last season and were picked 10th in this year's preseason polls.
• The Hornets are coached by former NBA standout Mike Bibby, who is in his first year as head coach at Sacramento State. Bibby won a national championship as a player at Arizona in 1997 and then played 14 years with six different teams in the NBA. Bibby spent the last 10 years coaching in high school before becoming Sacramento State's head coach in March.
• This will be the 65th all-time meeting between the two teams with Weber State holding a 52-12 series lead. The Wildcats have won three of the last four and 10 of the last 12 against the Hornets. WSU won two of three games last season, including a 83-70 win in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament.
In games in Ogden, Weber State is 27-3 all-time but the Hornets did win last year.
• Saturday's game will be a matchup of two legendary team General Managers. In August, Wildcat legend and NBA superstar Damian Lillard was named the General Manager of Weber State Basketball.
Sacramento State's new General Manager is NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. His son Shaqir O'Neal is a member of the Hornets team this season.
Lillard and O'Neal are both members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
• The Wildcats are coached by Eric Duft who is in his fourth season as head coach and his 20th season overall at Weber State. He spent 16 seasons as an assistant coach under Randy Rahe before becoming the 10th head coach in WSU history in May 2022. He has been on the coaching staff for over 600 games at Weber State, more than anyone in WSU's history.
• After Saturday, the 'Cats hit the road for the first time in the Big Sky this season playing at Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado next week.
