Yuba men's team earns No. 2 seed

For some reason, every time the Yuba College men's basketball team makes a deep postseason run, an unforeseen circumstance impedes the team's progress.

In coach Doug Cornelius' 11-year tenure, the 49ers have made the playoffs 10 straight seasons and the state's Elite 8 three times.

Getting into California's Final Four takes "a lot of luck," according to Cornelius.

Consider the following examples:

After the 49ers lost to Ventura College in the Elite 8 in 2007, Cornelius later was told Ventura used ineligible players.

College of the Sequoias eliminated Yuba from the postseason with a half-court buzzer beater in 2004.

On two separate occasions, Cornelius lost his best player to an injury right before a playoff game.

If the 49ers hope to break that spell and make it to the Final Four, at least they will attempt to do it without leaving the comfort of home.

Yuba (29-3) earned the No. 2 seed in the CCCAA Northern California Regional bracket released on Monday, and could potentially host three games leading up to the state championships.

The 49ers open postseason play on Saturday at 7 p.m., yet their opponent is still to be decided.

Yuba, which is riding an 18-game winning streak, will host the winner of a play-in game between No. 18 West Hills College (Coalinga) and No. 15 Sacramento City College.

Yuba's No. 2 seed is the highest playoff seed earned by any 49er basketball team in school history.

"The kids deserved it," Cornelius said. "It's a new season now and everybody starts 0-0."

Yuba coasted through the Bay Valley Conference this season, but was battle-tested in the nonconference portion of its schedule. The 49ers had the lowest nonconference RPI in the state, meaning the Niners played the toughest preseason schedule in California.

Sitting on the other side of the bracket is No. 3 Santa Rosa, a team Yuba battled three times this season and defeated twice. City College of San Francisco earned the No. 1 seed.

If the 49ers win three games they will earn a spot in California's Final Four, which will be hosted a mere 54 miles away from their Linda campus at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.

"You just hope that the kids understand that they need to look at this thing one game at a time," Cornelius said. "Our season could end on any given night."

After their season ended in Fresno, Fremont and San Francisco over the past three seasons, Yuba finally has the home-court advantage.

No road trips or overnight stays at hotels, the 49ers get to make a run at the best season in school history on their home court.

"I have a feeling that this is what the community's been waiting for," Cornelius said. "There's quite a nice buzz around."