Northridge Road Schedule Looking as Bumpy as Ever : College basketball: Matadors will be taking on Utah, which will lose only one player from its ninth-ranked and 25-2 team.

The Cal State Northridge basketball team could not be faulted for avoiding a Top 20 team, not after 11th-ranked New Mexico State blitzed the Matadors 120-62 earlier this season.

But that is what the Matadors are going to get--once again, early next season.

On Dec. 14, CSUN is scheduled to play at Utah, the nation’s ninth-ranked team. The Utes, coached by the colorful Rick Majerus, will lose only one starter from this season’s 25-2 squad that is headed for the NCAA Tournament--Walter Watts, their powerful forward.

Traditional power Evansville and Stanford are also on the schedule as well as Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton, University of San Diego and St. Mary’s. Like the 1990-91 schedule, there are heavy doses of Big Sky Conference teams and road games.

“We are trying to increase the home games but they are tougher to get without big guarantees,” Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said.

The 1990-91 season begins Nov. 22 with a three-game trip to Butler, Indiana State and Evansville. It is similar to the difficult swing this past November when Northridge played at Colorado, Colorado State and New Mexico State.

“I’m sure it will be as tough as this season’s schedule,” Hiegert said. “The only slack is that we are allowed four Division II games as opposed to two this season, but I’m not sure we’ll be using those games to play Division II teams.”

While contracts have been signed for most, the Pepperdine and Santa Barbara games have not been finalized and a Loyola Marymount game remains a possibility.

Because of Northridge’s desire to join a conference as soon as possible, Hiegert and Coach Pete Cassidy are not signing game contracts for more than two-year deals.

“Getting into a conference is more important than a solid basketball schedule,” Hiegert said. “We have to be able to move fast.”

The 1990-91 schedule was put on hold Feb. 8 when Cassidy went down with an intestinal condition. The schedule is expected to be completed next week by Cassidy and his staff while he recuperates at home.

Cassidy, 56, is anticipating being released from Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Woodland Hills this weekend, possibly today.

“I’m getting there,” Cassidy said Thursday from his hospital room. “I’m coming back. It has been a long fight, but I’m coming back. I never believed this could happen.”

After a week or two at home, Cassidy plans to begin preparations for next season and resume his teaching duties in the CSUN physical education department.

“My surgeon wants me to stay home a couple weeks, but I don’t know if I can psychologically handle that,” said Cassidy, an avid runner who is unaccustomed to being inactive.

“I am anxious to get back and join in the fun.”