Big West Sleeper: Sacramento State Has the Backcourt to Surprise
2026-10-07
Sacramento State enters the Big West after a 10-21 season.
That is exactly why the Hornets qualify as a sleeper.
Utah Valley may be underrated by some preseason forecasts, but a program coming off consecutive 25-win seasons is already an established winner. Sacramento State is the team whose current roster looks dramatically better than its recent results.
See the full Big West preview for the complete conference projection.
Why the sleeper case works
The backcourt is the starting point.
Mikey Williams averaged 17.1 points and 4.5 assists and can create offense late in the clock. Larry Hughes II averaged 17.7 points at CSUN and shot 39 percent from three. Marcus Wilson adds another experienced ballhandler after averaging 12.5 points and 3.9 assists at UC Davis.
That gives Sacramento State three proven perimeter players who can score or initiate offense.
The frontcourt is more interesting too. Mason Hunt averaged 18.2 points at Pima Community College. Osiris Grady brings Big West experience after averaging 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds at UC Riverside. Ridvan Tutic adds size and rebounding.
What could hold the Hornets back
The questions are defense, rebounding and shot selection.
Sacramento State does not need to become an elite defensive team to outperform expectations, but it does need to become reliable enough to avoid wasting good offensive possessions.
The early tell
Watch the defensive rebounding and assist-to-turnover balance.
If Sacramento State can finish possessions defensively and let Wilson, Williams and Hughes attack a set floor, the offense should travel.
MMH projects Sacramento State sixth in the Big West, but the ceiling is higher.