Reprinted with permission from ESPNLosAngeles.com
By D.J. Foster
With the release of men's basketball schedules all around the Southland, let's take a look at three of the most intriguing nonconference matchups from some of the Los Angeles area colleges.
San Diego State @ Long Beach State, Nov. 13
Long Beach State hops right into their tough schedule by hosting San Diego State,
the No. 23 team in Andy Katz's preseason top 25 poll, in the first game of the season. There are intriguing individual matchups all over the floor in this one. SDSU's Kawhi Leonard (9.9 rebounds a game last year) will go heads up with LBSU big man T.J. Robinson (10.1 rebounds per game last year) in a meeting of glass eaters. SDSU guard D.J. Gay will be hounded every step of the way by 49ers defensive spark plug Casper Ware, while gritty G/F Larry Anderson will have his hands full with SDSU forwards Billy White and Malcolm Thomas. While the 49ers may have a strong starting lineup, the big question is whether they'll have the depth to hang with a tough Aztecs team.
UC Santa Barbara @ UNLV, Dec. 15
The Big West champion Gauchos are locked and loaded for another run at a title and are bolstered by the return of Big West Player of the Year Orlando Johnson and talented forward James Nunnally. Defensive continuity is the name of the game for the Gauchos, and they'll need to be on the same page as a team to slow down big time scorer Tre'Von Willis, who scored 17.2 points per game last season and helped carry the Rebels to a 25-win campaign. The Gauchos are the prohibitive favorite in the Big West going into this season, and a win against a solid UNLV team would go a long way in making the conference look good.
Florida State @ Loyola Marymount, Dec. 18
Loyola Marymount is flying under the radar going into this season. The Lions started to click late last year and will look to keep it rolling by bringing back every player from last year's roster except for one. The most notable of the returnees is scoring machine Drew Viney and do-it-all guard Vernon Teel. That tandem coupled with post player Ashley Hamilton give the Lions a nice offensive unit, but they'll be seriously tested by a Florida State team that led the entire nation last year in both defensive field goal percentage allowed and
defensive efficiency. The Seminoles will likely assign ACC Defensive Player of the Year Chris Singleton to Drew Viney, which should be a classic matchup of defense versus offense. If Loyola Marymount can pull off the upset at home against a tough ACC team, it would be a huge confidence boost going into WCC play.
Follow preseason Big West men's basketball favorites UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State all season long. Show your colors as well at the Big West Basketball Tournament, which moves to Honda Center for the first time.
The Madness Begins In Anaheim
The 2011 Big West Basketball Tournament is moving to Honda Center. Action on Honda Center begins on March 10 with the men's quarterfinal games, and continues with the men's and women's semifinal and championship games on Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12.
To purchase tickets, visit and the basketball tournament championship page to download a ticket application. All-session tickets are available now at $64, which includes first round women's games on campus sites. There are also limited premium seating tickets available (first four rows along the court) for $144.