2020-21 BIG WEST PRESEASON MEDIA POLL RELEASE
For the fourth straight season – and seventh time in the last eight seasons – UC Irvine is the media choice to win the Big West men's basketball regular season championship.
UCI received 18 first-place votes from the 28-member media panel to top the annual preseason poll with 270 points. UC Santa Barbara finished second with 254 points, claiming nine first-place votes. The remaining first-place nod went to UC Davis, which came in third with 182 points. Hawai‘i placed fourth with 165 points, followed by UC Riverside in fifth (160) and Long Beach State sixth (141). First-year Big West member CSU Bakersfield was seventh. Rounding out the poll was CSUN (102 points), Cal State Fullerton (95) and Cal Poly (54), respectively. UC San Diego, in its inaugural season as a Big West member, has begun a four-year reclassfication period from Division II to Division 1. The Tritons will not be recognized in the standings and therefore were not included in the poll.
Below are capsules of the teams:
UC IRVINE (21-11, 13-3 IN 2019-20)
• Won its fifth Big West regular season title in the last seven years
• Have posted an 88-24 (.786) record in league play since the 2013-14 season.
• UCI has posted eight consecutive winning seasons under
RUSSELL TURNER, one of just seven coaches in league history with 200 wins.
• Junior 6-9 forward
COLLIN WELP claimed the Big West Best Sixth Player award and first-team all-conference honors in 2019-20. Averaged 13.0 PPG and 5.9 RPG while ranking second in Big West three-point field goal percentage (.442).
• Senior 6-11 center
BRAD GREENE (9.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG) led Big West in rebounding and second in blocked shots (1.4 BPG).
UC SANTA BARBARA (21-10, 10-6 IN 2019-20)
• Three consecutive 20-win seasons for just the second time in UC Santa Barbara history.
• Sixty-six wins represent most over any three-year period in program annals.
• Led by junior 6-9 forward
AMADOU SOW, a second-team all-conference selection. Topped the Big West in field goal percentage (.547) while ranking fourth in scoring (14.1 PPG) and second in rebounding (7.0 RPG).
• Senior backcourt of
JaQUORI McLAUGHLIN (13.4 PPG, 4.1 APG) and
DEVEARL RAMSEY (8.3 PPG, 2.5 APG) have started 61 games together over last two seasons.
• Roster bolstered by three transfers with Division 1 experience – 6-3 guard
AJARE SANNI (Pacific), 6-7 forward
DESTIN BARNES (Jacksonville University) and 6-10 forward
MILES NORRIS (Oregon). Barnes was the Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Year.
UC DAVIS (14-18, 8-8 IN 2019-20)
• Led Big West with 13 games decided by five points or less in 2019-20.
• Return Big West Freshman of the Year
EZRA MANJON. The 5-11 guard averaged 12.1 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 4.1 APG, and was the first true freshman since 1974 to win Big West Player of the Week twice in a single season.
• Key contributors also include sophomore guard
ELIJAH PEPPER (8.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG), junior guard
DAMION SQUIRE (5.9 PPG), senior forward
KENNEDY KOEHLER (5.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG) and junior guard
CALEB FULLER (7.2 PPG).
HAWAI‘I (17-13, 8-8 IN 2019-20)
• Finished 8-8 in Big West play for third time in last four seasons. Never had losing conference slate since joining in 2012-13.
• Welcome back senior guard/forward
SAMUTA AVEA (10.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG), the team's lone three-year letterwinner. Second on the team in scoring and three-point makes (39), third in rebounding.
• Up-and-coming sophomore guard
JUSTIN WEBSTER (8.8 PPG) should take on enhanced role.
• Division 1 transfers
CASDON JARDINE (Utah Valley) and
JAMES JEAN-MARIE (San Diego) help address loss of four starters.
UC RIVERSIDE (17-15, 7-9 IN 2019-20)
• Tied school's Division I single-season record with 17 wins in 2019-20. Played in eight games decided by five points or less.
• Led by
MIKE MAGPAYO, the first Division I head men's basketball coach of Asian descent. Architect of program's defense which finished eighth nationally in scoring defense (60.6 PPG) last season.
• Two frontcourt players received All-Big West Honorable Mention – senior
ARINZE CHIDOM (12.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG) and junior
CALLUM McRAE (9.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.0 BPG). Duo ranked 1-2 on the team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
LONG BEACH STATE (11-21, 6-10 IN 2019-20)
• Return All-Big West Honorable Mention recipient
CHANCE HUNTER (13.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG). Made a team-leading 58 threes last season.
• Junior guard
MICHAEL CARTER III ranked No. 12 in Big West scoring (12.4 PPG) last season.
• Head coach
DAN MONSON needs 12 wins to move into fifth on the conference's all-time wins list. Has won 211 games at LBSU.
CSU BAKERSFIELD (12-19, 6-10 IN 2019-20)
• Begin first season as Big West member after spending last seven seasons in the Western Athletic Conference.
• Return four senior starters led by guard/forward
TAZE MOORE (11.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG).
• Bring back 76% of total offense and 81% of total rebounding from last season.
CSUN (15-17, 10-6 IN 2019-20)
• Won 13 of last 20 games in 2019-20 and tied for second in Big West, highest finish since 2008-09.
• Return one starter in junior point guard
DARIUS BROWN II (10.0 PPG, 4.0 APG). He is the Big West's active career assist leader with 303.
• Added Texas A&M transfer
TJ STARKS to the lineup. The guard finished third in scoring with 12.3 PPG as a sophomore and was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2017-18.
CAL STATE FULLERTON (11-20, 6-10 IN 2019-20)
• Welcome in eight newcomers to a squad which lost four starters.
• Graduate transfer
JOSH HALL joins the team after averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.1 RPG at Missouri State last season.
• Junior
WAYNE ARNOLD (8.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG) and senior
JOHNNY WANG (3.9 PPG, 2.6) have held starting roles.
CAL POLY (7-23, 4-12 IN 2019-20)
• Return three starters and seven letterwinners.
• Top returning scorer is sophomore guard
COLBY ROGERS (8.6 PPG, 2.6 RPG).
• Center
HANK HOLLINGSWORTH was awarded a sixth year of eligibility after playing in just three games last season. Big West's active career leader with 115 blocked shots and needs 22 more to become school's all-time leader.
The media panel also voted for a six-player preseason all-conference team.