#TogetherWeZot
UC Irvine is a perfect 8-0 to start the season, one of 17 undefeated teams remaining in Division I. The Anteaters are receiving votes in the latest AP national poll and are the top-ranked team in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. The Anteaters lead the league in assists per game (16.3), free throw percentage (82.4), rebound margin (10.3), defensive rebounds per game (31.8), scoring defense (58.8), field goal percentage defense (36.6) and 3-point percentage defense (28.5).

Bent Leuchten leads the Anteaters in scoring and rebounding at 15.4 points and league second-best 9.0 rebounds per game. Devin Tillis is putting up 15.0 points, on a 74.6 percent shooting from the floor, which tops the conference, second nationally. Tillis also pitches in 8.3 boards per game. Justin Hohn logs 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest.

#GoGauchos
UC Santa Barbara has only one loss this season, now sitting with a 6-1 record. The Gauchos lead the conference (17th nationally) in field goal efficiency at 50.5 percent. They also top the league in scoring margin (+20.9), 3-point percentage (39.1%) and 3-pointers made per game (10.7).

Jason Fontenet II is UCSB’s leading scorer at 13.6 points per game, shooting 55.6 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from behind the arc. Kenny Pohto records 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on a conference second-best 70.5 percent field goal clip. Cole Anderson makes 2.6 3-pointers per game on a league-leading (6th nationally) 54.5 percent mark.

#UniteTheValley
CSUN is 6-2 to strat the year. The Matadors control the key, topping the league in blocks (3.9) and rebounds per game (41.3). Most of that paint presence comes from Keonte Jones who leads the conference in those two stats at 2.3 blocks and 9.1 rebounds per contest, to go along with 15.6 points per game. Marcus Adams Jr. leads CSUN in scoring off the bench at 16.0 points per contest.

#GoTritons
UC San Diego is currently on a four-game win streak with a 6-2 record. The Tritons’ strength is winning the turnover battle, committing the least amount of turnovers in the conference, second in the nation, at 8.3 per game, while forcing the most in the league at 16.6 per contest. Those numbers give UCSD a turnover margin of 8.3 and assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9, both leading the conference and ranking in the top 10 nationally.

Hayden Gray leads the conference and nation in steals at 3.9 per game. Tyler McGhie and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones put away 18.5 and 17.0 points per contest, respectively. McGhie tops the league and is 10th in the nation with 3.8 made 3-pointers per game on a 42.3 percent clip.

#GoBows
Hawai‘i is off to a strong 5-2 record to begin its campaign. Gytis Nemeiksa averages 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game off the bench and Tanner Christensen logs 13.1 points per contest on a conference third-best 65.3 field goal percentage, to go along with 7.4 boards per game.

#RideHigh
Cal Poly and first-year head coach Mike DeGeorge have surpassed last year’s win total with a 5-4 record thanks to a fast-paced offense. The Mustangs have the best scoring offense in the league averaging 82.3 points per game, aided by a conference-topping 14.8 fastbreak points and third-best 10.3 made 3-pointers per contest. Owen Koonce, Isaac Jessup and Jarred Hyder record 15.8, 14.3 and 13.8 points per game, respectively.

#RunnersOnTheRise
Cal State Bakersfield is 4-4 to start the year. The Roadrunners top the conference in bench points per game (34.3) and offensive rebounds per game (14.0). The duo of Corey Stephenson and Jemel Jones average 16.2 and 16.1 points per contest, respectively.

#GoHighlanders
UC Riverside enters the week with a .500 record (4-4). Barrington Hargress leads the league in assists (4.3 per game) and is second in scoring (18.8 points per game).

#GoAgs
UC Davis has a 3-4 record to start the season. TY Johnson leads the league and ranks eighth nationally in scoring at 22.4 points per contest.

#TusksUp
Through eight games, Cal State Fullerton is 2-6. Donovan Oday is logging 10.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game to pace the Titans.

#GoBeach
Long Beach State is 1-8 to begin 2024-25. Devin Askew is averaging 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per contest to lead the Beach.

 Preseason Prognostications 
UC Irvine is predicted to win The Big West, according to a preseason poll for the league’s 11 men’s basketball head coaches. The Anteaters garnered eight of 11 first-place votes.

With the eight first-place votes UC Irvine totaled 92 points. Last season, the Anteaters went 24-10 overall, won the regular season title with a 17-3 conference record and qualified for the NIT. UC Irvine is expected to be led by preseason All-Big West selection Justin Hohn. The graduate guard averaged a team-high 12.4 points to go along with 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists en route to an All-Big West Second Team placement. The Anteaters return three other starters in graduate guard Andre Henry (10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), redshirt senior forward Devin Tillis (9.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and senior center Bent Leuchten (9.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg).

UC Santa Barbara came in second in the poll, receiving two first-place votes for 85 points. The Gauchos went 16-15 overall and 9-11 in conference play last year. UCSB hit the portal and newcomer Stephan Swenson was selected to the preseason team. The graduate transfer was a four-year starter at Stetson and logged 13.9 points and 5.8 assists per game as a senior, leading the Hatters to the program’s first ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Swenson picked up All-ASUN Second Team and ASUN All-Tournament honors along the way. UC Santa Barbara also returns starting guard Cole Anderson who averaged 10.3 points, shooting 41.1 percent (76-of-185) on 3-pointers, last season.

UC San Diego was third with 77 points. In 2023-24, the Tritons had their most successful season in their Division I era, going 21-12 overall and runner-up in the league with a 15-5 mark. UC San Diego has now completed its transition to Division I and will be Big West and NCAA postseason eligible this season. The Tritons were represented on the preseason team with guard-forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones. The senior is the reigning Big West Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention All-Big West after recording 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season. Also coming back for UCSD are reigning Big West Best Sixth Player Tyler McGhie (13.9 ppg, .414 3p%) and senior guard Hayden Gray (9.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg).

The lone remaining first-place vote went to UC Riverside for a tally of 75 points. The Highlanders went 16-18 overall and 10-10 in league play last year. UC Riverside had one selection on the preseason team in sophomore Barrington Hargress, last season’s Big West Freshman of the Year. The Highlander guard averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists to earn a spot on the All-Big West Honorable Mention list. UC Riverside also brings back All-Big West Honorable Mention redshirt junior guard Isaiah Moses (12.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.8 apg) and starter Nate Pickens (9.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.0 apg).

UC Davis was fifth with 67 points. Last year, the Aggies went 20-13 overall, finished third in league play with a 14-6 mark and came up one win away from claiming The Big West Championship. UC Davis is expected to be led by TY Johnson, a two-time All-Big West honoree and a member of last year’s Big West All-Tournament Team. The senior guard logged 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a conference-leading 1.8 steals per game in 2023-24. The Aggies return one other starter besides Johnson in senior forward Niko Rocak (5.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.2 bpg).

CSUN with 57 points rounds out the top six. Head coach Andy Newman led the Matadors’ rebuild last season, taking a 7-25 team the previous year to a 19-15 (+12 wins) overall record, 9-11 in Big West play. Senior forward Keonte Jones is back for CSUN after averaging 11.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per contest.

Hawai‘i (46), reigning Big West Championship winner Long Beach State (39), Cal State Bakersfield (28), Cal State Fullerton (22) and Cal Poly (11) conclude the rest of the poll.

The 2024-25 season begins with seven teams in action on Monday, Nov. 4. In a new scheduling strategy this season, The Big West is moving to an 11-week league slate with the addition of Bold Week from December 5-7, 2024, and then resuming conference play on Thursday, Jan. 2. The 2025 Hercules Tires Big West Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Credit Union 1, returns for the fourth-straight year inside Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., March 12-15.

 Do It For KO