Obviously, this game will be well-attended regardless of who’s sitting on the visiting chairs in the Pyramid this Saturday afternoon, at 4:05pm.  That’s because this is homecoming, as well as the 49ers’ men’s basketball home opener for the season—between that and the fact that Long Beach State has played two quality programs, BYU and Wisconsin, very tightly on the road, the anticipation and desire to see this team in action are at a frenzy. 

But we’re going to bring you a little insight into their opponent anyway, just because that’s what we do in our Game ‘O Da Week features—fact is, they’re playing one of the most winnable games of a tough nonconference schedule.  Members of the Athletic Department told us prior to the season that the homecoming game had been moved up to this game from a contest originally scheduled later in the year because they were confident this would be a better showing.  So: who’s that showing going to be against?

The Weber State Wildcats will be traveling to The Beach from Ogden, Utah, just east of the Great Salt Lake.  They’ll be bringing a 1-1 record into the Pyramid, but the record as well as their preseason coaches’ poll position of fifth in the Big Sky Conference could be misleading.  Weber has shown flashes in their first two games, especially during a monster 43-18 run over the last fourteen minutes of their second game, a win over Prairie View A&M.  The scoring was led by Daviin Davis, who scored thirteen second-half points in the come-from-behind win (they were down fifteen when it began).

Other scorers besides Davis (who has twenty points on the season), include forward Kyle Bullinger, who has 27 points on the season as well as a three-point shot in his back pocket, and Kellen McCoy, an undersized guard with 28 points this year.  They’ve outrebounded both their opponents this season, but the 49ers are a more physical team than their previous opponents, with more paint height.

The key for Long Beach State will be capitalizing on the consistent defense they’ve shown against anyone not named Marcus Landry.  In two games, Weber State has committed 44 turnovers, giving their opponents 49 points off the opportunities.  If Long Beach locks down and shows off some transition play, this should be not just a home opener, but a coming out party.

See you at the ‘Myd!