I am here to call all of you out to the Matadome this Saturday at 3 p.m. to witness the Matadors play their long-time rivals, the Pacific Tigers. But I am also here to inform you that this game will be televised on Fox Sports West Net 2. That’s right, the same channel that broadcasts the Clippers and the Dodgers.

But let’s review, the past two seasons, in which CSUN has had their heart broken by the Tigers in the Big West tournament. Last season was especially controversial because it ended on a questionable call.

This year, the Tigers have not had as good a season as in past years, which is hard to say considering the team is 20-7. Last season, the Tigers advanced deep into the NCAA Tournament and gained national recognition. Also last season, the Matadors and the Tigers played on ESPN 2 in Stockton. In case you did not watch that game, I will tell you what happened.

First of all, the Alex G. Spanos Center was full, and it was loud. I know people that say that arena is one of the loudest arenas that they have ever been too. These are people that have been to games at Arco Arena when the Kings and Lakers played in the Western Conference Finals.

In order for CSUN to win this game, the Matadome must be a real home-court advantage. It must be full and it must be loud. I know that Cal State Northridge is a commuter school, but this is not a normal game. The Matadome holds about 2,000 people, and I do not think that should be hard to fill.

This is our USC-UCLA rivalry. I know it is not as glamorous as Bruins vs. Trojans, but it is what it is. Imagine the Rose Bowl not being filled completely for a rivalry game. We do not want that to be the Matadome.

Plus, this game will be on Fox Sports West Net 2. This is one of the main sports channel in Southern California. We as a student body need to represent as well as possible. People have said that CSUN cannot get the marquee athletes to come and play here. Well, what if there is a prospect who is considering CSUN and watches this game against its biggest rival?

If the Matadome is full and loud, do you think that would come into consideration when that person is making up his or her mind? What if the Matadome is not packed? I guarantee that the prospect will note that. I will mention this again, this game is on Fox Sports West Net 2, which means this is a special event. No other game has been broadcast on this type of channel. Some games have been broadcast locally, but not regionally. We need to show the rest of Southern California that this school cares, at least about basketball.

But on a sports note, this game also opens a three-game home stand before the Matadors go to the Big West tournament, Basically, these last three games could determine whether or not CSUN gets a good position in the tournament. In order to win all three games, CSUN needs to get off to a good start, namely by beating Pacific.

This game will showcase two great coaches and how well they game plan. These two teams play one another in Pacific on Feb. 22, which is three days before they play in Northridge. Both teams want and need to win both games; however, they cannot showcase everything they have for the first game,. If they do, then the coaching staff will be working overtime.

Once again, the game is this Saturday at 3 p.m. It is a perfect way to begin your Saturday night. Come and watch a great basketball game and hopefully stay for the girls’ game at 7 p.m. Then you can go out to dinner or a club or whatever your plans may be. The game is free if you have your CSUN ID, so that old college excuse being a poor student does not apply.

Justin Satzman can be reached at sports_sundial@csun.edu