Northridge Basketball Finds Home : Alignment: Matadors granted charter membership in an as-yet unnamed conference along with three other schools and will begin play in 1994-95 season.

After four seasons as an NCAA Division I independent, the Cal State Northridge basketball team will play in a conference beginning during the 1994-95 season.

Northridge, Cal State Sacramento, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Southern Utah are the charter members of the yet-unnamed conference. Preliminary plans call for each university to field teams in men’s and women’s basketball, football and a minimum of three other sports of each university’s preference.

The name of the conference and details of its structure will be announced on a telephone conference call July 15.

Because the conference is small, the Matador basketball team, which was 10-17 last season, is still expected to play a travel-intensive schedule, primarily of nonconference games. But conference membership will alleviate scheduling headaches toward the end of the season when most opponents are playing games in their own conferences.

As a result, Northridge’s schedule has been top-heavy and overly demanding in the early season and interrupted by long breaks toward the end.

“This is a step forward,” Coach Pete Cassidy said. “It’s all part of the growth process. It’s exciting and frustrating. You have to have patience. I want to be competitive with teams in the Big West as fast as we possibly can.”

Another advantage of the conference is that it could enhance each school’s chance of gaining an at-large bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament or a berth in the National Invitation Tournament.

The conference would not be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament until it has a minimum of six members for at least eight years.

Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said that Northridge is likely to put track and field, cross country, women’s tennis and swimming under the conference umbrella. Baseball, softball, men’s soccer, men’s volleyball, and women’s volleyball are expected to remain in their current scheduling formats until the new conference expands in terms of numbers and competitiveness in those sports.

Northridge baseball and softball are affiliate members of the Western Athletic Conference, soccer and men’s volleyball play in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation and women’s volleyball is independent.