Weber State basketball: Conference play begins as Wildcats meet Hornets

They're calling it "Sneak Peak Conference Week" in the Big Sky, and eight of the league's teams are starting league play much earlier than usual.

Weber State is included in the mix and the Wildcats will open conference action at much-improved Sacramento State tonight. It is the Big Sky opener for both teams, and it's the earliest the Wildcats have ever played a conference game.

"It's different," said Weber State coach Randy Rahe. "You've got to change your thought process. In conference season, everything has to go up. The energy has to go up, the toughness, the intensity — everything has to because these games become very important."

The Wildcats understand the importance of trying to steal road wins in the conference and have been successful in doing so under Rahe. Weber State became the first team in Big Sky history to go 8-0 in road conference games last season, and it hopes to enjoy similar success this season.

"We've just tried to come out and play hard as we could," said Weber State forward Darin Mahoney. "There's going to be a lot of adversity on the road. If you play as hard as you can, you can make up for all the mistakes, little mishaps (that happen on the road)."

The Wildcats will be facing a team that hardly resembles last year's pushover Hornet squad. Sacramento State is 4-4 with a quality win over Oregon State. The Hornets have already won two more games than they did last season.

Sacramento State has undergone quite a facelift under second-year coach Brian Katz. He has just one player on his roster, center Justin Eller, who's been with the program more than one year. Junior Sultan Toles-Bay leads the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, and ranks third in the league in steals and fifth in assists.

The Hornets are currently first in the league in scoring defense at 67.5 points per game.

"They're maybe the most improved team in our league with what they've added to their team," Rahe said. "It's going to be a tough challenge."

The Wildcats have some momentum on their side after beating Utah for the first time in nine tries on Wednesday. They needed a boost after losing four of their first five games against a difficult schedule, and it was well-timed heading into conference play. After tonight, Weber State won't play another conference game until Dec. 31.

Wildcats on the air

Weber State (2-4) at Sacramento State (4-4)

Tonight, 8:05 p.m.

Hornets' Nest,

Sacramento, Calif.

TV: none

Radio: 1430 AM

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com