CSUN Faces Stanford in First-Ever NIT Appearance

GAME NOTES

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball will make its first-ever appearance in the National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night when it visits Stanford in a first-round game at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN (22-10) is set to compete in a national postseason tournament for just the fourth time in its Division I history and the first time since 2019 when it competed in the College Basketball Invitational. The Matadors finished the regular season tied for third in the Big West standings after they were picked to finish sixth prior to the season. CSUN would fall in the quarterfinal round of the Big West Championship to UC Santa Barbara in a hard-fought 78-72 decision.

A SEASON FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
It has been a historic season for the CSUN Men's Basketball program in 2024-25. The Matadors tied a school record with 22 victories this season, matching the program-best win totals by the 1977-78 (Division II) and 2000-01 teams. CSUN would hit 20 wins this season the fastest in its Division I history, reaching the mark in 27 games. The Big West season included CSUN finishing with a 14-6 conference record, the most league wins in school history, while the team's .700 win percentage was its best since the 2007-08 season. The Matadors also tied a school record with 10 road wins and matched their D-1 record for consecutive overall wins and consecutive conference wins with seven in a row.

THE NEWMAN ERA
In just two seasons at the helm, head coach Andy Newman has already led CSUN to back-to-back winning seasons. Prior to his arrival, the Matadors' last winning season was in 2008-09 when the team won the Big West and played in the NCAA Tournament. Over the past two seasons, CSUN has gone 41-25 overall and registered its most wins over a two-year span since 1999-01. The Matadors would reach 20 wins this season for just the fourth time in their Division I history and for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. CSUN also finished tied for third place in the Big West, posting the program's best conference finish since 2020.

CSUN IN THE BIG WEST AND NATIONALLY
The Matadors have led the Big West in rebounding over the past two seasons as they enter the NIT first in the league in overall rebounds per game (40.3), rebound margin (+8.7) and offensive rebounds per game (12.9). CSUN ranks 10th in the nation in two rebound categories as it ranks seventh in rebound margin and 10th in rebounds per game. CSUN also sits in first place in the Big West in field goal percentage (46.8) and assists per game (16.6) while the Matadors are second in points per game (80.6) and third in defensive field goal percentage (40.2).

TOP MATADOR PERFORMERS
Sophomore Marcus Adams Jr., a transfer from BYU, has emerged as one of the top scorers in the Big West this season. Adams ranks first on the team and eighth in the Big West at 16.1 points per game to go with a team-high 62 made threes, an overall 52.6 field goal percentage and 4.9 rebounds per game. Another newcomer, Scotty Washington (California Baptist transfer) has ranked 10th in the Big West in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Washington has converted 51 made threes and been an expert shooter at the free throw line (86.1 percent). An All-Big West First Team selection, Keonte Jones has led the Big West in rebounds per game (9.2) throughout the season to go with team-bests in assists (133), steals (60) and blocks (41). Jones is also averaging 13.0 points, good for third-best on the team.

SCOUTING STANFORD
The Cardinal have gone 20-13 overall this season to go with an 11-9 record in their first season in the ACC. Stanford would fall at the buzzer to Louisville in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals last Thursday. On the year, Stanford has led the ACC in free throw percentage (78.8), good enough to rank 12th in the nation while the team was third in the ACC in 3-point attempts per game (24.3) and fifth in 3-point makes per game (8.3). Maxime Raynaud, an All-ACC First Team selection and a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year top-five finalist, leads the nation with 23 double-doubles, ranks ninth in rebounds per game (10.6) and 15th in points per game (20.1), Oziyah Sellers is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points followed by Jaylen Blakes at 12.9 points per game.

Series History: The Cardinal leads CSUN 7-0 in the all-time series with six of those games taking place in Stanford. The teams last played on Nov. 6, 2023 with CSUN nearly pulling off the upset but falling 88-79.

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CSUN Faces Stanford in First-Ever NIT Appearance

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Adams Jr.

Keonte Jones

Scotty Washington