Double the Dancing! Watch the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament This Week

Chico State basketball fans are being treated to double the madness this March. The women’s and men’s teams earned berths in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament, which begins Friday. Both teams are heading to regional sites in the Los Angeles basin and have drawn the same first-round opponent, Montana State University Billings. The Wildcat women earned the No. 5 seed in the West Region and will face the fourth-seeded Yellowjackets in an opening-round matchup Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Felix Events Center on the campus of Azusa Pacific University. The men are the No. 6 seed and will take on the No. 3-seeded Yellowjackets in the first game of the day Friday at noon on the campus of Cal State LA.

Every Chico State NCAA Tournament game will be broadcast locally on AM-1290 and FM 102.9 KPAY Sports Radio and streamed live at NCAA.com. Links to the NCAA tournament bracket, broadcasts, stats, schedules, and more, can be found at ChicoWildcats.com.

The Chico State women are 21-9 and led by California Collegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year Zhane Duckett and fellow All-CCAA performers Jordan Allred, Brandy Huffhines, and Makenzi Laporte. The winner of Friday’s game will take on the winner of the Azusa Pacific-Cal State LA matchup on Saturday with a spot in Monday’s regional championship game on the line. The winner of the eight-team West Regional will advance to the NCAA Elite Eight, which takes place March 25–29 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

The Chico State men are 20-8 and led by their two senior All-CCAA selections, Joshua Hamilton and Kelvin Wright Jr. That pair and junior guard Evan Oliver are no strangers to this stage, having played a role in the 2022 team’s run to the Elite Eight. The winner of Friday’s game will take on the winner of the Cal State San Bernadino-Alaska Anchorage matchup on Saturday with a spot in the regional championship game on the line. The winner of the West Regional advances to the NCAA Elite Eight, which takes place March 26–30 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.