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SEASIDE, Calif. -- The Cal State Monterey Bay men's basketball team kicks off its 2012-13 campign Sunday by hosting Pacifica University in The Kelp Bed for a 5 p.m. tipoff. Listen live on KRXA 540 AM or CLICK HERE to watch the live stream. Rob Ponce and former Otter forward Ian Hosford will call the action from courtside.

NO CHARGE: Admission to Sunday's game versus the Gladiators is free. Parking also is free in the lots adjacent to the Otter Sports Center.

SCOUTING THE GLADIATORS: Pacifica University plays at Loyola Marymount Friday before heading up the coast to meet the Otters Pacifica University is nearly brand spanking new, with the entire school in just its third year of existence. As would be expected under those circumstances, the Gladitors are a young club featuring a first–year head coach (Kirk Turner), two returners, no seniors and six freshmen on its 13-player roster. Pacifica went 3–19 last season.

WHEN LAST WE MET: This will be the first–ever meeting between CSUMB and Pacifica University in any sport.

FOR OPENERS: The Otters are 6–8 in season openers dating back to the 1998–99 season, where the CSUMB record book begins. In season openers in The Kelp Bed, the Otters are 2–2. Since moving to NCAA play, the Otters are 4–4 in openers. This will be the first time the Otters have opened at home since a 66–52 win over Academy of Art on Nov. 15, 2009.

START ME UP: Senior guard Brandon Ward begins the 2012–13 season needing just six starts to catch CSUMB record holder Joe Mitchell with 76 career starts. Ward begins the season No. 3 on the list behind D'Shon Cannon (73) and Mitchell (76). Senior forward Derrick Anderson is also well within reach of the record, beginning the season No. 5 on the list with 63 starts.

DOUBLE DOUBLE–DOUBLES: Both Kevin Loustale (14 pts, 11 reb) and Derrick Anderson (12 pts, 10 reb) posted double–doubles Feb. 17 versus UC San Diego. It marked the first time that happened since Joe Mitchell (12 pts, 13 reb) and Dante Green (11 pts, 10 reb) did it against Alaska–Anchorage on Nov. 18, 2008. That's a span of 108 games.

WARD ON A ROLL: Brandon Ward has carried his share of the offensive load for the Otters last season, leading the team in scoring 13 times, including eight of the last nine games. He's scored in double figures in 10 of the last 11 games (including five 20+ point games), averaging 18.4 points per game over that span of 11 games.

THE CHILIAD CLUB: Brandon Ward begins the season knocking on the door of CSUMB's exclusive Chiliad Club. With 840 career points, he needs 160 to become the fourth player in Otter history to score 1,000 career points. Matt Dalhamer owns the CSUMB career record with 1,075 points from 1999–2001.

THE WARD GIVETH… Brandon Ward begins his senior season with 188 career assists, good for No. 2 in the CSUMB record book. D'Shon Cannon owns the top spot with 371 assists from 2006–08.

…AND THE WARD TAKETH AWAY: Brandon Ward will begin his quest for the CSUMB career sterals record in the No. 5 spot with 70 steals. Next up in fourth place is Steve Monreal with 79 steals. Joe Mitchell holds the record with 91 steals.

WORKING OVERTIME: One area where the Otters have excelled in the Rob Bishop Era is in overtime. CSUMB was 2–0 during the 2011–12 season and 6–1 overall when playing bonus basketball under Bishop.

NOW THAT'S SMARTS: After leading the conference with three members of the CCAA All–Academic team in 2011, the Otter men's basketball team built on that success by placing four players on that team in 2012: James Albert, Geoff McIntosh, Brandon Ward and Troy Watkins. CSUMB's seven CCAA All–Academic team members of the last last two seasons are tops among the 12 conference schools. Ward, in fact, is a three–year member of the CCAA All–Academic team.

TAKE THEM, THEY'RE FREE: The Otters finished the 2011–12 campaign with an aggregate 71.3 percentage effort from the free–throw line. That number ranked No. 5 in CSUMB record book and marked the the sixth consecutive season the Otters shot at least 71 percent from the charity stripe.

WELCOME BACK: The Otters return all five starters from the 2011–12 roster. Altogether, CSUMB welcomes back 80.1 percent of its scoring and 71.6 percent of its rebounding from last season.

SIT THIS ONE OUT: Freshman Tim Darkwa and junior Rafael Morelos will practice with the team but are expected to redshirt the 2012–13 season.