UC Santa Barbara, the Big West Tournament and regular season champion, will meet Ohio State in the Midwest Regional first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship on Friday in Milwaukee, Wis. The 15th-seeded Gauchos and second-seeded Buckeyes will tip at 6:45 p.m. (PDT) from the Bradley Center.
This is the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for UC Santa Barbara, which made its last trip in 2002. The other two appearances occurred in 1988 and 1990. UCSB is 1-3 all-time in NCAA Tourney games. The Gauchos defeated Houston in the 1990 Southeast Regional First Round.
Ohio State, the champion of the Big Ten Conference, has met UCSB on two previous occasions. The Buckeyes visited the Thunderdome in Santa Barbara on Dec. 18, 1991, earning an 82-75 victory. The two teams squared off again on Dec. 14, 1993 in Columbus, Ohio, with the Gauchos falling by a score of 79-56.
UCSB is the Big West automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning its second Big West Tournament championship. The top-seeded Gauchos toppled No. 4 seed UC Davis (76-62) and No. 3 seed Long Beach State (69-64) to capture the tournament crown for the first time since 2002.
The Gauchos enter the NCAA Tournament 20-9 overall and winners of nine of their last 10 games. They are led by Big West Player of the Year Orlando Johnson, who averages 17.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore James Nunnally, a second team all-conference selection, is averaging 15.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Bob Williams, the Big West Coach of the Year for the third time in his 12-year career at UCSB, has led the Gauchos to their third 20-win season during his tenure. He will be looking for his 200th career victory in Santa Barbara as he enters the Ohio State game with a mark of 199-155.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara
Johnson, the 2009-10 Big West Player of the Year, backed up that billing with a Most Valuable Player performance in the conference tournament. In two games, Johnson averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while scoring 20 points in a win over Long Beach State in the championship game. The sophomore leads the Big West in scoring (17.9 ppg) and is the league’s only player to score in double figures in every game. After shooting just 57.4% (58 of 101) from the free throw line through the first 14 games, Johnson has shown remarkable improvement. In the last 15 games, he has shot 82.8% (82 of 99) at the charity stripe.
MORE NOTABLES
Gauchos Win Second Big West Tourney Title
The third time was a charm for Bob Williams and Co. at the Big West Tournament as a No. 1 seed. Coming in as the top-seeded team for the third time since 2003, the Gauchos replaced the bitterness of losing in the 2003 and 2008 semifinals with the joy of winning this year’s tournament. UCSB collected its second Big West Tournament championship in its second finals appearance, joining the 2002 team atop the podium. UCSB earned the Big West’s automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament, making its fourth NCAA appearance overall on Friday in a first round game against No. 5 Ohio State.
UCSB In The NCAA Tournament
UC Santa Barbara is the sixth different school to earn the Big West’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament in the last six years. Former league member Utah State started the string in 2005, followed by Pacific (2006), Long Beach State (2007), Cal State Fullerton (2008) and Cal State Northridge (2009). The Gauchos are 1-4 all-time in the Big Dance, making previous appearances in 1988, 1990 and 2002. The Gauchos defeated Houston in the 1990 Southeast Regional first round before losing to Michigan State in the second round.
Pacific Returns To CollegeInsider.Com Tournament
Pacific is competing in the second annual CollegeInsider.com Tournament, one of two holdovers from the inaugural event. The Tigers advanced to the semifinals of last year’s 16-team tournament, defeating Portland and Idaho at home before losing to Bradley. It is the fifth time in the last seven seasons that Pacific is making a postseason appearance.
Williams On The Doorstep For 200 Wins
Reaching a milestone is always memorable, but this one would be extra special for UC Santa Barbara head coach Bob Williams if he’s able to accomplish it on Friday. Williams enters the NCAA Tournament first round game against Ohio State, the nation’s fifth ranked team, with a career record of 199-155 at UCSB. Williams is aiming to become only the fifth coach in history to accumulate 200 wins at a Big West school. Pacific’s Bob Thomason is second all-time with 384 wins.
ALL-TIME VICTORY LEADERS - BIG WEST TENURE
Rk. Coach, School No.
1. Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU & UNLV 405
2. Bob Thomason, Pacific 384
3. Neil McCarthy, New Mexico State 248
4. Jerry Pimm, UC Santa Barbara 222
5. Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara 199
Bold denotes active Big West head coach
UC Santa Barbara Undefeated At Home In League
UC Santa Barbara won five Big West games at home by five points or less to finish 8-0 at the Thunderdome, the program’s first undefeated home mark in league play.
UC Santa Barbara, Pacific Tie For Championship
UC Santa Barbara and Pacific earned Big West regular season co-championships with 12-4 records. The Gauchos claimed the No. 1 seed in the Big West Tournament by virtue of sweeping the Tigers in head-to-head action. It was the second time in three seasons that UCSB tied for the regular season crown. In 2007-08, UCSB finished 12-4 with Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge atop the league standings. Pacific earned the top perch for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Twenty-Twenty Vision
Head coach Bob Thomason has established a model of consistent success for the Pacific program. Thomason’s Tigers enter the Big West Tournament with a 20-11 overall record. His teams have won 20 or more games in three straight and six of the last seven seasons. In addition, Thomason has guided the program to 20 wins in nine of the last 14 seasons.
Thomason’s 20-Win Campaigns (since 2003-04)
Season Record Season Record
2009-10 20-11 2005-06 24-8
2008-09 21-13 2004-05 27-4
2007-08 21-10 2003-04 25-8
Farewell ACC
The Big West finished a 10-year stint at the Anaheim Convention Center to host its postseason basketball tournament as UC Santa Barbara became the fourth No. 1 seed in the last five years to capture the title. No team won consecutive tournament titles in the last decade, and no seed lower than a No. 3 hoisted the trophy.
Hello Honda Center
The Big West Basketball Tournament will be moving about three miles down the road when it relocates to Honda Center in 2011. Honda Center announced a five-year partnership with the Big West Conference to host the tournament. The two have teamed up to host NCAA men’s basketball regionals in 1998, 2001 and 2003, and the men’s first and second rounds in 2008. The Big West and Honda Center will also host the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional. As a result of the move, the conference will utilize a traditionally seeded format (#1 vs. #8, #2 vs. #7, #3 vs. #6, #4 vs. #5). The 2011 event will run March 10-12 at Honda Center.
Good Things Happen When Nunnally Hits 20 Points
As crucial as Orlando Johnson is to the fortunes of the UC Santa Barbara program, the importance of fellow sophomore James Nunnally cannot be underestimated. The 6-5 forward has tallied nine 20-point games on the season, and the Gauchos are 8-1 in those contests. Nunnally enjoyed one stretch during conference play in which he scored 20 or more points five times in six games.
Ford Running On All Cylinders
Senior Joe Ford handles a little bit of everything for Pacific, a men’s basketball handyman of sorts. Rebounding, defense, ball distribution...even toss in some scoring every now and then. The do-it-all forward was recognized by the Big West coaches with his naming to the all-conference first team and as the Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Ford leads the Tigers in steals (34) and blocked shots (30), and ranks second in assists (84) and rebounds (173). He’s also shot a tremendous 65.8% (79 of 120) from the field on the year. Ford had a team-high 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting in the Big West Tournament semifinals versus Long Beach State.
Johnson, Robinson On NABC All-District 9 Team
Sophomores Orlando Johnson of UC Santa Barbara and T.J. Robinson of Long Beach State were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Distict 9 Team on Tuesday. Johnson joined Gonzaga’s Matt Bouldin and Elias Harris, Saint Mary’s Omar Samhan and San Francisco’s Dior Lowhorn on the first team. Robinson was selected to the second team.