Men's Basketball To Face No. 3 Gonzaga In Spokane

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will have an opportunity to stun the college basketball world on Wednesday, hitting the road to face No. 3 Gonzaga on the road in Spokane. Tipoff off is scheduled for 6 p.m., with live coverage on ESPN+.

Game:............................... Long Beach State at #3 Gonzaga
Date:........................................... Wednesday, November 20
Time:....................................................................... 6:00 p.m.
Location:..................................................... Spokane, Wash.
Arena:............................... McCarthy Athletic Center (6,000)
TV:.............................................................................. ESPN+
TV Talent:....................................................................... TBA
Webcast:.................................................................... ESPN+
Radio:.............................................................................. N/A
Live Stats:.............................................. beachlivestats.com

RIGHT AWAY
• Against ranked opposition, Long Beach State is 19-102 all-time, with their last meeting against a ranked opponent coming in March Madness last season against No. 9 Arizona. The Beach last faced a team ranked in the Top 5 in 2022 on the road in Pauley Pavilion against No. 5 UCLA. The last ranked victory against a ranked opponent for LBSU came in 2011. The Beach defeated two ranked teams that season on the way to the NCAA Tournament, including a win over No. 14 Xavier in the Diamondhead Classic in Honolulu.

• Long Beach State's last win against a Top 5 opponent is one of the signature wins in the program's history, as the 1992-93 program under Seth Greenberg defeated No. 1 Kansas on the road in Allen Fieldhouse, 64-49 with another team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

• Through four games, Long Beach State's guard play has impressed. Devin Askew has immediately taken on a leadership role and is shining for LBSU, averaging 17.3 points and 5.5 assists per game. TJ Wainwright is also averaging 15.5 points per game, and true freshman Kam Martin is third on the team in minutes played and fourth in scoring.

• Cam Denson and Ramel Lloyd Jr. shared the scoring lead for Long Beach State last time out, both scoring 15 points as Long Beach State pushed Portland to the limit but came up just short in the Walter Pyramid, falling 63-61. The Beach has already played two West Coast Conference programs, and has three more schedule this season including Wednesday at Gonzaga.

• On the glass, Long Beach State has three forwards all averaging over five rebounds per game, led by Derrick Michael Xzavierro, who recorded a double-double in the season opener and is grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game. Cam Denson is grabbing 5.8 per game and Austin Johnson is contributing 5.5 per game.

NEWS AND NOTES
• Long Beach State made the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24, reaching March Madness for the 10th time in program history, and the first since the 2011-12 season. Coming off of a five-game losing streak entering the Big West Championship, Long Beach State responded by winning three straight, including victories over the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to reach the NCAA Tournament, where the program fell to No. 9 Arizona in the first round.

• The Beach returns three players from that postseason run, and turned to the transfer portal heavily while recruiting 12 newcomers to fill out the roster. Chris Acker and his staff brought in six Division I transfers, three junior college transfers and three high school recruits to complete the 2024-25 Long Beach State squad.

• The team faces a true rebuild, with 12 newcomers and just three returning players. Long Beach State returns less than 5% of its scoring, rebounding and minutes played from the 2023-24 team, some of the lowest returning numbers in the nation.

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Players Mentioned

Devin Askew

Cam Denson

Austin Johnson

Ramel Lloyd Jr.

Kam Martin

TJ Wainwright

Derrick Michael Xzavierro

Long Beach State University Athletics