The NFL and college football dominate the Thanksgiving sports calendar, but a couple of Long Beach State teams will be in action within driving distance this weekend.
The 49er men’s basketball team could provide an alternate viewing option to yet another Detroit Lions game on Turkey Day when it challenges a deep field at the 76 Classic.
On Friday, the women’s volleyball team will tune up for the NCAA Tournament when it hosts the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament at the Walter Pyramid.
Men’s Basketball
The 49ers’ nonconference schedule doesn’t get any easier this week. The ‘Niners (3-1) kick off the three-day 76 Classic against No. 8 West Virginia on Thursday at the Anaheim Convention Center. The game tips off at 11 a.m. and airs on ESPNU.
The eight-team tournament, which will have all of its games televised on the ESPN networks, features six NCAA Tournament teams from last season. Along with WVU, the field features three other squads currently in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll: No. 10 Butler, No. 16 Minnesota and No. 19 Clemson.
Other participating teams include UCLA, Texas A&M and Portland.
LBSU head coach Dan Monson views the tournament as a chance to learn more about his young squad.
“For us to go to the NCAA Tournament, we’re going to have to win a couple of games in a row in that same building three months later [in the Big West Tournament],” Monson said before the season. “It’s a good opportunity to find out how they’ll respond.”
Sophomore guard Larry Anderson has maintained his steady play on both sides of the ball, registering team-highs at 18.8 points per game and 17 total steals.
LBSU split its two-game road swing at Notre Dame and Green Bay last week, but the nationally-ranked Mountaineers will be an even tougher test.
WVU could be without projected NBA draft pick Devin Ebanks, who is on a leave of absence for personal reasons. A win for The Beach would set up a second-round matchup with the winner of the Clemson-Texas A&M contest, while a loss to WVU would lead to a game with the loser.
Depending on how the games play out, the 49ers and UCLA could meet on the third day of action. The Bruins already lost to one Big West Conference team, Cal State Fullerton, so an upset isn’t out of the question.
The 49ers will play at least two games against opponents from major conferences (Big East, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast), and the experience could help come Big West play.
“If we do play well, it gives them confidence that we’ve done this before,” Monson said. “We did this in November, now we have to do it in March.”
Women’s Volleyball
The 49ers secured their 23rd consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with a five-set win over UC Irvine last Saturday, but the two-time defending Big West Conference champions have one final opportunity to make an impression on the NCAA selection committee.
LBSU (19-7, 12-4 Big West) opens up play at the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament against Texas Christian University (24-6, 13-3 Mountain West Conference) at noon on Friday before dueling UNLV (8-17, 5-11 MWC) later that night at 7 p.m.
The Beach completes the regular season on Saturday against Loyola Marymount (12-16, 3-11 West Coast Conference) at noon and Utah (17-11, 10-6 MWC) at 7:30 p.m.
Head coach Brian Gimmillaro wants his team to use the matches to stay sharp heading into postseason play.
“We’re playing four good teams, two for sure will be in the NCAA Tournament,” Gimmillaro said. “Even though we’re already in the tournament, we need to use this weekend to get better.”
The 49ers take an 11-match home winning streak into Friday’s action, with their most recent loss at the Pyramid coming in a five-setter against No. 2 Texas in August.