Dante Ross puts in two points. Photo by Wayne Tilcock / Aggie

Who could forget the Aggies' dramatic 65-59 win over the Roadrunners last season, en route to their National Championship?

But this season, while the Aggies have sped out to a 9-2 overall mark with a 5-1 record in California Collegiate Athletic Association matchups, CSUB, a team that was picked by coaches to win the CCAA, has limped to a 5-5 start, winning only two of its six league contests.

Despite the shaky start by Bakersfield, Fogel is convinced that fourth-ranked UCD will have its collective hands full.

"They've had a tough start, but they're still the most talented team in the league," he said. "If any team could put together a run of 14 or 16 wins, they could."

Leading the cause for the Roadrunners is 7-foot center Len Wilson, who leads the team with 14.3 points per game and also chips in 5.5 rebounds. The lanky Wilson leads the CCAA in blocked shots, averaging 2.4 per game.

Wilson will be aided by forwards Lovell Brown and Jamal Livingston, both of whom average just under 12 PPG.

But while Bakersfield can hurt a team with several different weapons, the Aggies come into the game leading the free world in nearly every defensive category - allowing a miserly 56.3 points per game - and looking to put the smack down.

"I'm most happy with our defensive effort," Fogel said. "We still have a ways to go offensively, but we had some good practices over break. We're getting more settled. We have eight or nine guys who can start on any given night."

Wing J.C. Timmons agreed.

"We're getting a little more settled," he said. "We've got different guys stepping up, which is similar to last season. Some of the fresh faces are still looking to find roles, but Jordan (Moss) has been playing outstanding."

UCD will need good showings from all of its contributors if it is to emerge from the weekend unscathed and keep alive a 26-game winning streak at Hamilton Court.

Before the Aggies can even think about locking horns with the Roadrunners, they will have to find a way to outduel Cal State Stanislaus - a team that visits Recreation Hall tonight.

The Warriors come into the weekend meeting with UCD sporting a 4-9 overall, 1-5 in the CCAA record. But hampering Stanislaus' chances of pulling off an upset is the fact that its leading scorer, forward Brian Hall, may not play because of injury.

Overall, it should be an exciting weekend of basketball for the Aggies, playing their first league game in the friendly confines of the Rec Hall since the 69-52 win over San Francisco State University on Dec. 5.

"It's great timing to play these teams on the first weekend of the quarter," Timmons said. "Right now, we're looking at each weekend as the biggest weekend of the year."

UCD takes on Stanislaus tonight at 8. On Saturday night, the Aggies take on the Roadrunners at 7 in the Rec Hall.