Cal State Bakersfield is entering its 14th season with head coach Rod Barnes at the helm of the program.
The team hasn’t finished in the top half of the conference or had a winning record in the last three seasons. Can the team change that with the upcoming season?
Mid-Major Basketball is previewing all Big West teams for the 2024-25 season. Up next is the Roadrunners.
Last season
Cal State Bakersfield finished the season as the ninth seed with a 13-19 record, going 8-12 in Big West play.
The Roadrunners made the post-season tournament thanks to UC San Diego’s transition to a Division I institution.
The program faced UC Riverside in the first round of the Big West tournament but lost in a close match, 83-78.
Players
The Roadrunners will have two of its leading scorers return for the 2024-25 season.
Returning to the team is 6-foot-4 guard Marvin McGhee III, who averaged 8.3 points per game last season with Cal State Bakersfield.
Guard Corey Stephenson returns for his second season with the Roadrunners after averaging 6.7 points per game last season. Stephenson also averaged 3.0 rebounds per game.
Joining the team is Egyptian transfer center Shakiru Odunewu from West Valley College. The center averaged a double-double last season as a JUCO player, averaging 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. Odunewu played for New Mexico State in his first collegiate year.
The squad will get some brotherly love as freshman guard Bentley Waller will join his brother Kadar in the program. Waller averaged 24.3 points per game in his last high school season.
Schedule
Kicking the season off on the road, Cal State Bakersfield will play California on Nov. 4.
Cal State Bakersfield and North Dakota State will play twice in the non-conference schedule. The Roadrunners will host the first matchup on Nov. 11 and travel for the second match on Dec. 23.
CSUB will start the regular season against UC Irvine on Dec. 5 during Bold Week. To close the season, Bakersfield will host Hawaii on March 6.
The Big West Tournament will take place March 12-15 for an opportunity to play in March Madness.
Prediction
The Big West coaches poll was released, with Cal State Bakersfield selected as the ninth seed in the conference.
Retaining two of their key players from last year, the Roadrunners have team chemistry to begin the season.
Bakersfield can make the bottom seeds of the Big West and make a consecutive postseason appearance.
