IRVINE, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2021) - The reigning Big West champions have new goal in mind this year and it is to become the first team to repeat since the 2010-11 Gauchos did a decade ago. The coaches and media have predicted just that, as UC Santa Barbara is the unanimous pick to take home the 2021-22 Big West men’s basketball crown. 

The Gauchos will look to unanimous All-Big West Preseason Team selection Amadou Sow and coaches’ pick Miles Norris to do the bulk of the scoring and rebounding for the squad this season. UC Santa Barbara received five first-place votes from the coaches and six from the media to narrowly edge out UC Irvine in the polling. 

The Anteaters received the remaining four votes from the coaches to take the title and two first-place votes from the media. UC Irvine’s total tally was just four points behind UC Santa Barbara, combined. UC Irvine returns four starters and 81 percent of its scoring offense from a year ago, led by unanimous Preseason All-Big West forward Collin Welp.  

The top four picks were the same by both the coaches and media, with UC Riverside and UC Davis following the Anteaters, respectively. Coach Mike Magpayo notes the confidence of his team heading into the season, highlighting their experience, size, shooting and defensive identity as keys that will power the Highlanders. The media predictions have UC Riverside on top on two ballots, and sophomore Zyon Pullin was selected to the coaches’ preseason team. 

For UC Davis, unanimous preseason team pick Ezra Manjon and media selection Elijah Pepper are hoping to lead a team that returns four of their top five scorers from a year ago. Winning six of its final seven regular season contests and advancing to The Big West semifinals, the Aggies are looking to keep their momentum from the spring going strong.  

Past the fourth position, the coaches and media have the pairing of CSU Bakersfield and Hawai’i in the fifth and sixth spots with the media handing the Roadrunners their final first-place vote. The duo of Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State are listed on the seven and eight lines with Cal Poly and CSUN rounding out the preseason predictions. 

The final unanimous Preseason All-Big West performer is Cal State Fullerton’s Tray Maddox, Jr. A second-team all-conference selection from a year ago, the senior sharpshooting guard averaged 15.9 points on 40.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc in 2020-21. Also earning distinction from the media is Darius Brown II of CSUN. The senior guard is on pace to become just the second Matador in program history to reach 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career.  

Each team was discussed in depth and preseason selections were unveiled as part of the Big West’s preseason men’s basketball show on ESPN+, which debuted on Nov. 3, and will be available on-demand for the next 30 days.  

The regular season tips off on Nov. 9, as teams take to the court for non-conference action. League play is slated to begin on Dec. 28, with Big West teams taking on a 10-week double round-robin schedule. Postseason play will be at the brand-new Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev., March 8-12 in the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, presented by the Hawaiian Islands. 

CSUN and UC San Diego opted out of participating in the poll. UC San Diego is ineligible to be listed in the poll during their reclassification period to Division I. 

 

Also appearing on two or more ballots: Samuta Avea (Hawai’i); Darius Brown II (CSUN); Joe Hampton (Long Beach State); Alimamy Koroma (Cal Poly); Elijah Pepper (UC Davis) 

Also appearing on two or more ballots:  Dawson Baker (UC Irvine); Justin Edler-Davis (CSU Bakersfield); Joe Hampton (Long Beach State); Alimamy Koroma (Cal Poly); Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside)