Game 2

UC Davis Aggies (1-0)
at
Eastern Illinois Panthers (1-1)

Thursday, Nov. 20 - 7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
Lantz Arena (5,400) - Charleston, Ill.

Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM) - NOTE: No pregame show

Internet Broadcast
Free Video Stream
Live Stats
In-game Twitter Updates

Game 3

UC Davis Aggies
at
Furman Paladins (0-1)

Saturday, Nov. 22 - 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
Timmons Arena (3,500) - Greenville, S.C.

Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM)

Internet Broadcast
Free Video Stream
Live Stats
In-Game Twitter Updates

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis opened its season last Sunday with a victory, something the Aggies would like to replicate in its first road game of the year when men's basketball travels to Eastern Illinois.

Thursday night's matchup is the first of two scheduled meeting this season between the Panthers and the Aggies, EIU will travel to Davis for its return game against UC Davis on Dec. 9.

If victorious, UC Davis will start its season with a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2000-01 season when the Aggies, a Division II program at that time, downed UC Santa Cruz and Cal State Monterey Bay.

Since Thursday's game will tip less than a handful of minutes after KSAC 105.5 FM's regularly scheduled programming concludes, there will be no pre-game show. That broadcast will begin just before tip-off.

Series Record: First meeting

After facing the Panthers, UC Davis will head to Greenville, South Carolina for its return game against Furman. Last season, the Paladins downed an injury-depleted Aggie roster in the first-ever head-to-head meeting between the two. This season, a UC Davis team at full strength will look to secure an all-time split.

In addition to an internet broadcast, KSAC (105.5 FM) will carry Saturday afternoon's game between the Aggies and the Paladins. Links for that internet broadcast, live stats and a free video stream are available at ucdavisaggies.com

Series Record: Furman leads, 1-0
Last UC Davis Win: N/A
Last Furman Win: 12/30/14; 75-65 in Davis
Current Streak: Furman +1

LISTEN LIVE TO UC DAVIS MEN'S BASKETBALL
For the fourth season, UC Davis men's basketball games will air on KSAC (105.5 FM). Scott Marsh (@ScottMarsh1140) will provide the play-by-play and begin his broadcast 30 minutes before tip-off with his pregame show. Fans can also listen to Marsh's broadcast online at ucdavisaggies.com.

CRUNCH NUMBERS HERE
Find out what is happening during every UC Davis men's basketball game via live stats. Links for every men's basketball home game are available by visiting UCDavisLiveStats.com. When the Aggies are on the road, check the men's basketball homepage at ucdavisaggies.com to find appropriate live stats links

IT'S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER
Hoops fans can follow their favorite team, and all other Aggie intercollegiate athletics programs on Twitter at the handle @UCDavisAggies. In-game updates are also available on the department's secondary Twitter handle, @UCDavisInGame.

IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT THERE, CLICK HERE
By accessing the link entitled "Live Stream Provided by BigWest.TV" on the sidebar of the men's basketball homepage on ucdavisaggies.com, fans can access a free video stream of every Big West Conference game involving UC Davis men's basketball this season. Nationally televised appearances, or games broadcasted by ESPN3, are the only exceptions.

AGGIE MEN'S BASKETBALL THANKS YOU
UC Davis men's basketball would like to thank all fans that participated in last weekend's holiday food drive. All canned and non-perishable items received will benefit the Yolo Food Bank; that organization is still calculating the total weight of items received.

'TIS THE SEASON
Men's basketball will also partner with Toys for Tots and organize its annual toy drive on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when San José State visits the Pavilion.

THERE IS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING...
As a Division I program, men's basketball has not opened its season with consecutive victories. If the Aggies win their matchup at EIU on Thursday, the team will sport a 2-0 record for the first time since the 2000-01 season. That year, UC Davis, a team that competed at the Division II level, downed UC Santa Cruz and Cal State Monterey Bay before falling to Northwest Nazarene.

Victories in both of this week's road games will give UC Davis a 3-0 start for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign. That season, the Aggies opened the year with wins over Humboldt State, Western Oregon, UC Santa Cruz and San Francisco State.

BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Thursday's game at Eastern Illinois will serve as a homecoming for three members of UC Davis men's basketball. Only 141 miles will separate senior guard Tyler Les from his hometown of Peoria, Illinois, when the Aggies arrive to Eastern Illinois University; also located in Peoria is Bradley University-head coach Jim Les' alma mater and first-ever collegiate head coaching opportunity.

A three-plus hour drive from Peoria is where you will find the birthplace of Justin Dueck as the junior forward was born in Chicago.

CALL HIM MR. WINDEX
In the Aggies' Nov. 16 season opener versus Holy Names, senior forward Josh Ritchart collected his 400th career rebound. He will enter Thursday's matchup at EIU with 401 boards - 164 shy of Chris Ferenz (1983-87) who is ranked No. 10 all-time with 565 rebounds.

WELCOME TO THE CENTURY CLUB
Also taking place in UC Davis inaugural game of the year was Tyler Les reaching another milestone. That evening, the senior guard finished with four assists to cross the 100 career assist mark.

In 2012-13, his last full season of action - he redshirted the 2013-14 campaign - Les earned a career high 50 assists.

ANOTHER MILESTONE? IN THE SAME NIGHT?
Even though he only scored five points in his inaugural game as a sophomore, that was all guard Brynton Lemar needed to record his 200th point as an Aggie. The San Diego native entered the Pavilion with 198 points, and left two hours later with 203 to his credit.

A TURKEY IN BASKETBALL?
With another two rebounds, that is what Corey Hawkins will boast as the senior guard is just shy of the 300 career rebound threshold.

SENDING AGGIE FANS HOME HAPPY
For the second consecutive year, UC Davis faced Holy Names in its inaugural home game of the season. Including both double-digit victories against the Hawks, the Aggies have won 6 of 8 home openers since joining the Big West Conference (2007-08 season).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Five of UC Davis' first eight games will take place inside the Pavilion. After its season opener against Holy Names, the Aggies will embark on a two-game road trip at Eastern Illinois (11/20) and Furman (11/22) before hosting their next three matchups against Utah State (11/26), Utah Valley (11/29) and San José State (12/3).

After a quick trip to Idaho (12/6), Eastern Illinois (12/9) will visit Davis before the student-athletes enter their first finals week of the academic year.

UC DAVIS WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS
Rogers Printup, a 6-foot-5 guard currently competing for Orange Lutheran High School, and Lawrence White, a 6-foot-3 guard in his second season at Antelope Valley College, each signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the UC Davis men's basketball team prior to the 2015-16 season.

Printup enters his final year at Orange Lutheran after posting career-best numbers as a junior. In addition to averaging 14.0 points, he also posted 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game to earn all-Trinity League accolades.

The Orange, California, native also added second team Junior all-State and all-CIF Division 1AA Southern Section honors to last year's awards haul.

In his inaugural season at AVC, White averaged 7.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. By shooting 48.3 percent overall, and 36.1 from three and helped his team end the 2013-14 season as the Western State Conference South champions - the first title of any kind captured by the program in six years.

White joined Antelope Valley men's basketball after a stellar career at John Burroughs High School. In his final season, Lawrence White posted team-high averages of 18.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.6 steals, 2.0 blocks per game and collected first team all-Pacific League accolades.

With White leading the way, the Indians reached the CIF playoffs for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

COMING TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU
Two UC Davis men's basketball games, with the potential for another four, will be broadcasted for fans across the country to watch. The Pac-12 Network will carry the Aggies' Dec. 28 contest at Washington State, ESPN3 will air UC Davis' game at UC Irvine on Feb. 5.

The Aggies are being considered in four "Wild Card" games throughout league play and will learn three weeks in advance if ESPN2 or ESPNU will pick up their road games at CSUN (Feb. 7) and/or Cal Poly (Feb. 28). Home games against Long Beach State (Jan. 10) and Cal Poly (Jan. 31) are on ESPNU's potential schedule for each respective evening. If not selected by ESPN2/U, Fox Sports Prime Ticket has the option of televising the UC Davis-Cal Poly contest.

ESPN's family of networks will also broadcast both semifinal and championship games at the Big West Tournament. Fox Sports Prime Ticket will carry all four Big West quarterfinal contests.

A TRUE (ALL-)AMERICAN
For the second time in as many seasons, senior guard Corey Hawkins was honored by CollegeInsider.com when the publication selected him for its annual preseason All-America candidate list for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the player of the year at the Division I mid-major level.

The 2015 Lou Henson Award recipient will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet on April 3 in Indianapolis, site of the 2015 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship.

YOU KNOW WHAT IS COMING AND YOU STILL CANNOT STOP HIM
Among all active Big West players, Tyler Les is ranked No. 2 with 145 three-point field goals. Even more remarkable is that the senior guard has taken 168 total field goal attempts throughout his three years at UC Davis; 86 percent of his shots were taken from distance.

Les trails only one person for the No. 1 spot; his teammate, Josh Ritchart enters his senior campaign with a league-leading 171 three-point field goals made.

HE'S THE BEST IN THE WEST
The Big West that is, as the league's media outlets selected senior guard Corey Hawkins to the conference's Preseason All-Conference Team for the second straight season.

Joining Hawkins on the BWC's Preseason All-Conference Team are Mike Caffey (Long Beach State), Isaac Fotu (Hawai'i), Stephen Maxwell (CSUN), Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine) and Alan Williams (UC Santa Barbara).

NBC SPORTS NAMES HAWKINS TO ITS ALL-BIG WEST TEAM
Senior guard Corey Hawkins was one of five Big West Conference men's basketball players recognized by NBC Sports when the network released its preseason all-Big West team. This is the second honor that Hawkins has received from NBC Sports as the outlet selected the Goodyear, Arizona, native as one of its mid-major All-Americans last season.

The two-time all-Big West selection was the only Aggie to start every game played; throughout his 30 appearances last season, Hawkins averaged a team-high 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Even though opposing teams specifically focused their defensive efforts on Hawkins due to the slew of Aggies who were unable to play throughout an injury-plagued 2013-14 season, he was still able to post top 10 league averages.

In addition to posting the third-highest scoring figure among all Big West players (missing the second spot by only one-tenth of a point), he led the league in steals, averaging 1.47 per game, and finished his junior season ranked No. 6 in free throw percentage (.757) and No. 9 in assists (2.97).

SYPKENS SELECTED BY STAMPEDE IN NBA D-LEAGUE DRAFT
Ryan Sypkens will return to the U.S. and continue his career in the NBA Development League after the Idaho Stampede selected the UC Davis alum in the third round of this year's draft.

The most successful three-point shooter in the history of the Big West Conference will head to Boise just two weeks after ending his season with Aguilas de Tunja, a professional team that competes in Colombia's DirectTV Basketball League.

During his stint abroad, Sypkens helped lead Aguilas to a second-place finish with a 12-8 record. The native of Elk Grove shot 40 percent from the field, 42.4 pct. from three, averaged 11 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. A regular in Tunja's starting lineup, Sypkens earned plenty of playing time throughout the season and logged 28.1 minutes per game - one of the team's top marks.

READING PROGRAM DRAWS RECORD NUMBERS
After successful campaigns in each of its first two seasons, over 20,000 students from 29 schools scattered throughout Sacramento and Yolo counties will participate in the UC Davis Men's Basketball Reading Program this season. Both figures are all-time highs.

Each participating student will receive a complimentary ticket to a UC Davis men's basketball home game this season, weekly player bios and videos, motivational posters and a monthly newsletter.

Teachers and administrators interested in signing up their school, or receiving additional information about the UC Davis Men's Basketball Reading Program, are encouraged to contact Director of Basketball Operations Mark Darnall by e-mail at medarnall@ucdavis.edu, or by phone at (530) 752-3501.

THE AGGIES' #MARCHTOMARCH
Honda Center and the Big West Conference have announced that all-session tickets for the 2015 Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament are now on sale. All-session school reserved tickets will be available for $69.00. These seats will be located within a school's section and can be purchased through each institution's box office.

Premium all-session tickets located in the first four rows of seating will be available for $149.00. General admission all-session tickets are also available for $69.00. These seats can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster retail outlets, or by calling 800-745-3000.

The 2015 Big West Tournament will be hosted for the fifth straight year at Honda Center in Anaheim. The women's tournament first round and quarterfinal games will be played at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11. The men's tournament begins on Thursday, March 12 at Honda Center with four quarterfinal games. The semifinals and championship games for both the men and women will take place Friday and Saturday at Honda Center.

FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT
The 2014-15 season is the eighth for UC Davis athletics as a member of the Big West Conference. Previous conference affiliations include:

Far West Conference
1925-1982

Northern California Athletic Conference
1982-1998

California Collegiate Athletic Conference
1998-2004

Division I Independent
2004-2007

Big West Conference
2007-present

NOTE: The Far West changed its name to the Northern California Athletic Conference in 1982.