LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The #20 California State University San Bernardino men's basketball team opens the NCAA Tournament on Friday at Cal State LA, where the second-seeded Coyotes will take on the seventh-seeded Alaska Anchorage.
 

Last Meeting
The Coyotes defeated the Seawolves 70-64 when they squared off in Honolulu, Hawaii back on December 18. The contest featured 10 ties and nine lead changes, and senior LeAndrew Knight (Lompoc, Calif.) finished as the game's leading scorer with a season-high 20 points off the bench.
 

How They Got Here
Cal State San Bernardino enters with an overall record of 23-7 on the season, and finished CCAA play with a mark of 17-5. The Coyotes won the CCAA Regular Season Championship, but fell to Cal State Los Angeles in the Tournament Championship. 

Alaska Anchorage (22-10) entered the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament as the number six seed, but upset number three Saint Martin's and number two Northwest Nazarene before falling to fourth seeded Central Washington in the conference title game. The tournament run helped propel the Seawolves into the final at-large bid in the West Region.
 

Players to Watch
Leading the way for Cal State San Bernardino will be CCAA All-Conference First Team selections Chris Mitchell (Oceanside, Calif.) and Robby Robinson (San Diego, Calif.). 

Mitchell averaged a team-high 16.0 points per game this season to go along with 7.2 rebounds per game. He was named to last weekend's All-Tournament Team after averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds over the two games.

Robinson is CSUSB's second-leading scorer this season, averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He leads CSUSB in rebounds on a team that ranks third in the nation with a rebounding margin of 9.0.

CCAA All-Conference Second Team selection Sedrick Altman (Rialto, Calif.) is expected to contribute in a big way on Friday. He averaged 13.4 points per game this season for the Coyotes, ranking third on the team. The only other Yote to average double figures this season was Knight, who averaged 10.5 and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the CCAA.

Alaska Anchorage will be led by unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection Tyson Gilbert, who averaged a team-high 15.7 points. Dillon Barrientos averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists per game  for the Seawolves, while Sawyer Storms earned a GNAC All-Conference Honorable Mention nod with 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
 

From the Coach's Desk
"The NCAA Tournament is what teams strive to be a part of every season," said Cal State San Bernardino Gus Argenal. "We are honored to represent CSUSB on the biggest stage and are looking forward to competing with the best teams in America. Our team has worked tirelessly and consistently since the fall and we are ready to continue our journey into March."
 

All the Details
Friday's West Region Quarterfinal between the Coyotes and Seawolves will take place at Cal State LA's University Gym, located at 5151 State University Drive in Los Angeles, Calif. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at LAGoldenEagles.com

Live statistics and video will be available at CSUSBAthletics.com. 

You can also listen live on KMET Radio 1490 AM and the KMET mobile app.

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