ARCATA — Humboldt State's most distant California Collegiate Athletic Association opponent, UC San Diego, plays host to a Sunday matinee matchup between the two teams, starting at 2:30 p.m. in La Jolla.

Due to the NCAA's Live in Balance Initiative, the student-athletes must be free from athletics obligations before Monday. The afternoon tip-off allows for travel time to their respective homes. Also, the teams are playing Sunday instead of Saturday to avoid traveling on Friday, when many players had final exams scheduled.

On-the-Air
Every Lumberjack basketball game is broadcast live over the local airways on KATA, 1340 AM, beginning with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. Bicoastal Media Sports Director J.B. Mathers describes the action from Lumberjack Arena and HSU Assistant Athletic Director Dan Pambianco goes on the road with the Jacks. …Audio and video are also streamed live over the Internet through the hsujacks.com web site. The new UStream format allows an interactive chat between listeners during the webcast. The specific URL for access is located at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/humboldt-state-athletics .

Live Stats
All Lumberjack basketball home games can be tracked online by using the Live Stats feature on hsujacks.com. Real time statistics, momentum tracker and other information are featured on the game viewer. The feature can be found at http://www.sidearmstats.com/humboldt/mbball/ . This week's LiveStats at UC San Diego can be accessed at http://www.ucsdtritons.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5800KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=5800&DB_LANG=&IN_S.

Head-to-Head
The Jacks hold an 8-1 advantage over UC San Diego, defeating the Tritons twice last season. They claimed a 74-60 victory in Lumberjack Arena, then earned a 64-50 win on the road later in the season.

Head Coach Steve Kinder
The "Kinder Era" at HSU is off to a 6-1 start, including a 2-1 record in the CCAA. After serving as the Jacks' No. 1 assistant for the past 20 seasons, Kinder took over for his mentor, Tom Wood, in 2010-11. As an assistant, he played critical roles in recruiting and coaching while helping the Jacks' 217-77 record achieved during the past decade. Kinder is a former HSU basketball player who was a member of the 1984-85 NCAC championship team. He previously served as a graduate assistant coach for the Lumberjacks (1986-88).

Projected Starters
G - #12 Ernie Spada, 5-11, Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
G - #4 Brandon Sperling, 6-3, Jr., Fresno
F - #21 Randy Hunter, 6-6, Jr., Santa Maria
F - #21 Kyle Baxter, 6-9, Jr., Sacramento
C - #32 Brian Morris, 6-9, Sr., Portland, Ore.

Lumberjack Notes
Humboldt State's Randy Hunter was named CCAA Player of the Week following his performance against Sonoma State. The junior from Santa Maria led the Jacks with 26 points and also grabbed seven rebounds in the victory. Hunter continues to lead the team in scoring with an average of 16.1 points per game and ranks third among all CCAA players. …Elliot Babcock-Krenk's 5-for-5 3-point performance in the Sonoma State game raised the respect level of his colleagues. The junior from Lake Oswego, Ore. is shooting .619 from 3-point range, by far the best mark among league players. …Facing final exams and the excitement of heading into the holiday break, Kinder and his staff have had to balance the team's focus on basketball. "It's typical to see players looking ahead toward going home, but it's our job to keep them focused on the task." …Sophomore Marcus Hall continues to rehabilitate his foot injury, and is free of wearing any stabilization device. No precise timetable has been set for his return to the court, however. …Also waiting in the wings in 6-9 center Matt Lipski. His eligibility status should be known shortly after the holiday break.

Opponents' Notes
UC San Diego has posted a 6-3 record overall and is 1-2 in CCAA games. The Tritons are coming off a victory over Cal State East Bay at home last week. The prior week they lost to Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State. …Senior guard Casey Ryan leads a balanced scoring effort, putting up 12.4 points per game. Junior post Christian Hatch puts up 12 points per game, and freshman guard James McCann is averaging 11.3 points per game. …Ryan is also the team's leading rebounder, grabbing an impressive 8.9 boards per game.

Kinder's Quotes
"We want to continue to play up-tempo basketball and keep our opponents on their heels. We're practicing our transition game and find-tuning it so we can play even faster." …"It's nice to be able to prepare for only one game again, instead of back-to-back games with no days in between, as we face most of the season."