ARCATA — Never mind the Nutcracker. The real dancing will be going on in Lumberjack Arena this weekend when Humboldt State Men's Basketball hosts the sixth annual DeBeni Holiday Classic. Games begin Friday with Sonoma State taking on Western Oregon at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Jacks' battle against Lewis-Clark State at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the opponents trade off, SSU facing LCSC at 5:30 p.m. and Humboldt State playing Western Oregon at 7:30 p.m.

On-the-Air: All Lumberjack basketball games are broadcast live locally on KATA, 1340 AM, the North Coast's ESPN radio affiliate.  Webcasts are also available for out-of-area listeners, accessed through the Humboldt State Athletics site at hsujacks.com. …Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers is back for another year of bring home the action from courtside for all home contests. He'll be joined by Humboldt State Athletics Hall-of-Famer Burt Nordstrom. On the road, Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco provides play-by-play. All broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to game time with the pregame show.

Coaches Show: For insight on the Jacks' basketball program and information on all of Humboldt State's athletics activities, catch "Humboldt State Tonight" on Fox Channel 2 local cable television at 6 p.m. Thursdays. J.B. Mathers hosts the show, which features interviews with Coach Tom Wood, student-athletes, and other HSU Athletics staff members.

Live Stats: Follow the action from your home computer by accessing the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Home games are linked at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/humboldt/mbball/. All four tournament games will be available.

Head-to-Head: Humboldt State holds a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series against Lewis-Clark State, including a 60-53 win in the team's last meeting during the 2005-06 season. …The Lumberjacks are 13-7 all-time vs. the Wolves, earning a 89-82 victory in their most recent battle during the 2005-06 campaign.

Lumberjack Notes: Time off can be beneficial, but also have a negative impact on a program. Rolling along on a seven-game winning streak, the Jacks probably would have liked to keep going, but a loss to UC San Diego just before the curent break in action sent them back to the practice gym with renewed vigor. "The season thus far has been a whirlwind, having already played 10 games with so many new players," HSU head coach Tom Wood said. "This time off has allowed us to work on basics, along with some refinement. It also gave our players a chance to take a breath and decompress." …Another benefit of the 14-day gap between games was the Jacks' ability to focus on academic pursuits, including this week's final exams. …Humboldt State is 10-0 in the history of the DeBeni Classic, which began in 2003. Last year the Lumberjacks defeated Willamette University and Seattle University to continue their streak. …As a team, the Lumberjacks continue to boast the CCAA's highest scoring average at 83 points per game. On the flip side, they rank 11th in scoring defense, allowing opponents 82.2 points per game. The Lumberjacks also rank first in turnover margin and assist/turnover ratio. …Individually, Zac Tiedeman ranks second in the CCAA in free throw percentage at .902, and Ernie Spada is second in league in three-pointers per game at 2.4. …HSU heads into tournament time relatively free from injuries and illness. The only player currently hampered is Owen Newman, who continues to play with a torn ligament effecting his right thumb.

Opponents Notes: Lewis-Clark State begins the week with a 4-4 overall record in official games. Most recently, the Warriors defeated Walla Walla University, 119-48. They dropped a 75-68 exhibition contest to Seattle University two weeks ago. …Senior guard Curtis Allen has been LCSC's most consistent scoring threat, averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game. Also averaging in double figures are 6-10 senior center Drew Arnold, with 12.4 points per game, and senior guard Brian Duckworth, who has put up 10.0 points per contest. Tanner McIntosh, a 6-8 junior forward, leads the Warriors with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game.  …Only two Warriors' players are underclassmen. Seven of the 10 players on LCSC's active roster are transfer students. …Western Oregon stands 3-2 in the early going, claiming wins over Chico State (81-77), Dixie State (79-71) and Evergreen State (89-88). All five of the Wolves' games have been played at home in Monmouth, Ore. …Senior guard Travis Kuhns is the Wolves' leading scorer with an average of 19.0 points per game, and the 6-8 senior is also pulling down 6.2 rebounds per contest. Mike McLauglin, a 6-7 junior who played power forward along with Ernie Spada on the Lake Oswego HS state championship team, is averaging 14. 2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. …Seven of WOU's players return from last year, providing veteran leadership. …Sonoma State dropped to 3-4 overall after suffering its third straight loss, a 95-39 beating at the hands of Nevada-Reno on Dec. 9. Prior to that game, the Seawolves opened California Collegiate Athletic Association with a narrow 80-78 loss to the Lumberjacks, then dropped to 0-2 in league following a 57-52 loss to UC San Diego on the road. …Junior foward James Sandoval continues to pace his team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. Sonoma State also features guards Ben Washington and Keith Garner, who average 9.7 and 9.1 points per game, respectively. …In late November, Sonoma State defeated then No. 13 ranked Central Washington, 89-74.

Wood's Words: "We're coming off a loss, and we've identified what we need to work on. Our motion offense needs to provide better shots from the right players, and our press needs adjustments. Our halfcourt defense will be an ongoing project."  … "Lewis-Clark State is a more than formidable opponent. They're huge, along with being very athletic. And you can always count on them being extremely well-coached." … "I'm not real familiar with Western Oregon, but I do know that every Coach (Craig) Stenger team plays hard. You can always count on that." …"I'm excited about this being a special weekend of great basketball. All of the teams here would be teams to reckon with if they were playing in our league."

Roster: Humboldt State's roster is available online at the following link - http://hsujacks.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

Statistics: Season statistics and individual game boxscores can be found at the following web link - http://hsujacks.com/custompages/mbball/2008/teamstat.htm?path=mbball