The men’s team is 3-2 on the season and on pace to destroy last year’s win total of seven games.

Head coach Brian Katz said he likes what his team is doing so far this year.

“We’re only averaging 11 turnovers per game, which is pretty good for this point in the year,” Katz said. “We’re shooting the ball much better and scoring better and we’re still defending pretty well.”

The Hornets are shooting 46.3 percent from the field this season compared with 40.1 percent last year.

Through five games, junior forward Joe Eberhard, freshman point guard Dylan Garrity and junior guard Jordan Estrada have been problematic for opposing defenses to stop.

Eberhard transferred from Irvine Valley College to Sacramento State this season and has come in and led the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game and rebounding at 8.2 per game

He also averages a team-high 38.6 minutes per game and he said conditioning was key to getting him ready for this season.

“I expected to play a lot, but playing almost every minute is pretty surprising,” Eberhard said. “Preseason workouts really got me in shape though. I feel good on the court and capable of playing as much as (Katz) asks me to.”

The Hornets’ new floor general, Garrity, received the start in his first career collegiate game and has not disappointed. Garrity is averaging a team-leading 7.4 assists per game, he is second on the team with 35.4 minutes per game and he only has eight turnovers.

Estrada missed one game due to injury but is averaging 33.5 minutes per game, which is third best on the team. He is also the team’s three-point specialist and is leading the team with eight three-pointers.

Injuries have been a problem for the Hornets early in the year and have caused not only Estrada to miss a game, but junior center Konner Veteto as well. Sophomore guard Jackson Carbajal went down in the season opener and has not played since.

Katz said the injuries have made setting a definitive roster difficult, but none of them are long-term injuries.

“We’ve had some injuries, so it’s been kind of hard,” Katz said. “We’re not losing anybody for the year, that’s the main thing.”

The Hornets have six of their non-conference games remaining before Big Sky Conference play, but Eberhard said playing non-conference games is a good way to get the team ready for them.

“We get to play against a lot of different types of teams,” Eberhard said.

“We play against teams that are bigger and better and once we get to Big Sky, nothing will surprise us really.”

The Hornets have another big test on Friday against a Big-12 team, the University of Oklahoma.

Garrity said playing at a Pac-12 school is going to be helpful for their upcoming game against the Sooners.

“Playing Washington State was a good test,” Garrity said. “We were able to see where we are at – playing in front of big crowds like that, we got to work on our communication.”

The Hornets have had trouble filling the stands so far this season and they are only averaging 602 fans per game, which is second worst in the Big Sky.

Garrity said more fan support would be helpful – especially student support.

“I think we should designate a certain area in the stands just for students,” Garrity said. “Try and get more rowdy students there somehow.”

Eberhard knows the impact that filling the stands will have on the team, but he understands the Hornets need to give the fans a reason to come to the games.

“More students would make it a better atmosphere and it would give us more of a home court feel,” Eberhard said. “Wins will bring people in the doors, so we know what we have to do.”

The Hornets will travel to take on Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo today at 7:05 p.m. and look to rebound from their disappointing loss to McNeese State University.

Josh Stanley can be reached at [email protected].