Hoops Preview - Cal State Fullerton

SEATTLE - Starting the last month of non-conference play, the Washington Huskies will return to the hardwood today at 4 p.m. PST to face the Titans of Cal State Fullerton. The game will be at Alaska Airlines Arena and aired on the Pac-12 Network.

Coming off a loss to Eastern Washington on Friday, Cal State Fullerton has still looked like a potential Big West contender 3-3 overall record. The losses came narrowly to Stanford, Nevada and Eastern.

Following up a 21-10 season that concluded in the CIT tournament, the Titans have once again been led by the strong play of San Francisco transfer Kwame Vaughn. A redshirt 6-foot-3 senior, the Oakland native is averaging 19 points a game on 52 percent from the field, while pulling in 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals a game. One noticeable flaw in his game is the 3.3 turnovers per contest.

His sidekick, another northern California native from Stockton, is a familiar face to some Husky fans; D.J. Seeley. Originally playing for the Cal Golden Bears, Seeley transferred three years ago and is now a redshirt senior for the Titans. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging a solid 18.7 points on 51 percent shooting. He is also tallying 4.3 assists, four rebounds and 2.8 steals a game.

A three-time transfer from JUCO to TCU and finally to Cal State Fullerton, redshirt senior guard Sammy Yeager has had success at every landing spot. Hailing from Modesto, Calif., the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 15 points on 51 percent shooting and 54 percent from beyond the arc. He is also grabbing 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a contest.

Although a highly potent, fast acting team that leads the nation in scoring and is in the top 10 of most offensive stats, the Titans mainly do it with unique starting five, featuring a tallest player for 6-foot-6. In their rotation their tallest player is 6-foot-7, with everyone else 6-foot-4 or under.

What does that mean for the bigger Huskies? Pound it down low. In their three losses, opposing big men have had big games, but yet have they faced a legit 7-footer. With all odds in his favor, the Titans will have to either double team Aziz N’Diaye or play a zone to keep the redshirt senior from having a career day.

Replacing long time head coach Bob Burton, Andy Newman is in as the interm coach with no previous head coaching experience. Under Burton, the Titans made it to one NCAA tournament experience in 2007-08.