ARCATA — Riding high atop the California Collegiate Athletic Association standings, the Humboldt State Lumberjacks hope to avoid a plummet from that perch when they head out on one of the league's most difficult roadtrips this week. The Jacks face the defending national champions from Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, then take on the team that ended their season a year ago, the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes, on Saturday.

The pair of tough contests marks the first of consecutive weekends on the road, following back-to-back home weekends. The Lumberjacks return home once more, finishing the season with games on February 23 and 25 against currently No. 8 nationally ranked CSU Dominguez Hills and Cal State LA, respectively.

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/ .

Head-to-Head
Cal Poly Pomona holds the edge against HSU in the all-time series, with 11 wins to the Lumberjacks' 8. Earlier this year, the Jacks claimed a 64-62 victory over the Broncos in Lumberjack Arena. …Humboldt State trails the all-time series with CSU San Bernardino, 13-5. On Jan. 6, the Jacks made progress in the series, winning 91-72 at home.

Head Coach Steve Kinder
The “Kinder Era” at HSU is off to an 18-2 start, including a 14-2 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 - #4  Brandon Sperling, 6-3, Jr., Fresno
F - #15 Elliot Babcock-Krenk, 6-3, Sr., Lake Oswego, Ore.
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
Team cohesiveness helped the Lumberjacks overcome a thin roster last week that was limited by illness. Already only 10 strong, the Lumberjacks went into Saturday's game with three players suffering. Senior guard Ernie Spada, who became severely ill the previous day, powered through 26 minutes of court time, hitting both of his 3-point attempts. Also seeing time were Tylcr Brown and JD Esters, both of whom had similar flu-like symptoms. …Spada, one of two seniors on the squad, has contributed the all-important role of floor general this season. “Ernie Spada has been a go-to guy on the floor, but more importantly, he's served as extension of the coaching staff on the floor,” head coach Steve Kinder said. “He knows what we need to call, offensively and defensively, and keeps the communication lines open between the players and the bench.”…Also rising to the occasion has been Elliot Babcock-Krenk, who like Spada hails from Lake Oswego, Ore. “EBK” has been a consistent threat from the perimeter on offense this season, but also is commonly assigned to guard the opponent's most potent scorer. “EBK has become known for his defensive toughness on every possession,” Kinder said. “He stays calm during stressful moments in the game. His willingness to give up the spotlight and do the little things that are so important makes him a very valuable player.”…Senior post Brian Morris remains near the top of the CCAA statistical rankings in the two primary categories. He's second in scoring with an average of 18.4 points per game, and third in rebounding at 7.9 boards a game. …Humboldt State entered last week's games ranked No. 3 in the NCAA West Region poll and No. 14 in the NABC/Division II national poll. This week's national rankings are due out Tuesday and the regional poll will be released Wednesday.

Opponents' Notes
Cal Poly Pomona has gained momentum following a sluggish start.  The Broncos have won eight of their last nine games, including a miraculous victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills last Saturday. Trailing by 20 points in the second half, Cal Poly Pomona held the Toros scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the game to earn a 49-43 victory. …CPP senior Kevin Menner was named CCAA Player of the Week for his contributions in the Broncos' two wins last week. Over that span, he averaged 22.5 points per game and shot 68 percent from the field. …Cal Poly Pomona is 8-1 in its own Kellogg Gymnasium this year. Humboldt State has only won one game (1998-99)  on the Broncos' home court while losing five times. …Cal State San Bernardino currently stands at 11-8 overall and is 9-6 in league, good for fifth place in the CCAA standings. Last week the Coyotes split at home, losing to CSU Dominguez Hills and defeating Cal State LA. …CSUSB is 5-2 at home this season. They Coyotes are odds-on favorites when they host the Jacks in Coussoulis Arena. Humboldt State has never won on CSUSB's home court, standing 0-5 in San Bernardino. …Guard Corey Caston leads the Coyotes in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game.

Kinder's Quotes
“Cal Poly Pomona has been on a tear since we played them in Arcata. The return of their big man, Tobias Jahn, has had a major impact on the team.” … “Cal Poly is a team with the uncanny ability to become stronger as the season progresses. Most teams are trying to hold it together at this point, while they seem to improve.” …”We haven't had success on the road this season when playing back-to-back games, and it certainly won't be any easier against Cal State San Bernardino. We'll have to make a coaching staff decision on how much to rest Saturday morning or if we will practice.” …”CSUSB has become a great CCAA rival of ours. They'll be motivated for this game, knowing we beat them last month in Arcata.” …”Now that we're at the top of the standings alone, we have a huge target on our backs. We want to embrace that challenge rather than shying away from it. We should be the ones who are feared instead of going into a game fearing our opponents.”