The Big West released its 2024-25 men's basketball conference schedule, featuring a 20-game double-round robin format culminating in the 2025 Hercules Tires Big West Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Credit Union 1.
Non-conference activity begins across the league on Nov. 4. Conference play in The Big West starts on Thursday, Dec. 5 with with five games on the docket to ignite
Bold Week, after deciding to move to an 11-week slate. Each side will see 10 home and away games in a Thursday-Saturday format that ends on March 8. Some of the premier matchups and storylines include:
- The first week of the season will see UC Santa Barbara at UC Davis on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Aggies are led by senior guard Ty Johnson, the only member of the All-Big West First or Second Teams to return this upcoming season. While the loss of Ajay Mitchell might seem insurmountable, expect the Gauchos to stay atop the standings. Head coach Joe Pasternack has a 148-68 (.685) record in seven years at the helm of the UCSB program, including two 20-win seasons in the last four years.
- UC Irvine was last year's regular season champion with a 17-3 record. The Anteaters fell to Long Beach State in the semifinals of The Big West Championship but qualified for the NIT. UCI had an impressive non-conference win against then-No. 16 USC, 70-60, in the third game of the season.
- This upcoming season will mark the first year of UC San Diego being a full-fledged DIvision I and Big West member. The Tritons finished the 2023-24 regular season in second place with a 15-5 conference mark. UCSD returns reigning Big West Newcomer of the Year Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones and Best Sixth Player Tyler McGhie, and are guided by last year's Coach of the Year Eric Olen.
- There will be two head coaches in the league at the helm of the Long Beach State and Cal Poly programs. The Beach have hired Chris Acker as its new men's basketball head coach. Acker spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego State and was an assistant at Boise State and Hawai'i before that. Mike DeGeorge, who was most recently the head coach at Division II Colorado Mesa for the last six years, takes over the Mustang program.
The 2025 Hercules Tires Big West Men's Basketball Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 is scheduled for March 12-15 at
Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., and will be the second year in a row with an eight-team double-bye bracket. In 2024, No. 4 seed Long Beach State defeated No. 2 seed UC Davis 74-70 in the title game to win its sixth title in program history. Along the way, the Beach defeated No. 5 seed UC Riverside 86-67 in the second round and top-seeded UC Irvine 83-79 in the semifinals.
All Big West regular-season home contests are slated for telecast on the ESPN family of networks. Please
check ESPN listings for upcoming game schedule and additional information.
| 2024-25 Big West Men's Basketball Conference Schedule |
| Week 1 |
Thursday, Dec. 5 |
Saturday, Dec. 7 |
Cal State Bakersfield at UC Irvine
UC San Diego at UC Santa Barbara
UC Riverside at CSUN
Cal Poly at UC Davis
Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton |
UC Santa Barbara at UC Davis
Cal State Fullerton at UC Riverside
Hawai'i at Long Beach State
Cal State Bakersfield at UC San Diego
CSUN at Cal Poly |
| Week 2 |
Thursday, Jan. 2 |
Saturday, Jan. 4 |
UC Irvine at Cal Poly
UC Santa Barbara at Hawai'i
UC Riverside at Long Beach State
CSUN at Cal State Fullerton
UC Davis at Cal State Bakersfield |
UC San Diego at Cal State Fullerton
UC Davis at CSUN
Cal Poly at Hawai'i
Long Beach State at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Riverside at UC Irvine |
| Week 3 |
Thursday, Jan. 9 |
Saturday, Jan. 11 |
UC Irvine at CSUN
Cal State Bakersfield at UC Santa Barbara
Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
Hawai'i at UC Riveride
Cal Poly at UC San Diego |
Long Beach State at UC Davis
UC Irvine at UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly
Hawai'i at Cal State Fullerton
CSUN at Cal State Bakersfield |
| Week 4 |
Thursday, Jan. 16 |
Saturday, Jan. 18 |
UC Riverside at UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego at Long Beach State
Cal State Fullerton at UC Irvine
CSUN at Hawai'i
UC Davis at Cal Poly |
UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara
Cal State Bakersfield at Hawai'i
Cal State Fullerton at Long Beach State
Cal Poly at UC Irvine
UC San Diego at UC Riverside |
| Week 5 |
Thursday, Jan. 23 |
Saturday, Jan. 25 |
UC Irvine at UC Riverside
Cal State Bakersfield at Cal State Fullerton
Hawai'i at UC Davis
Long Beach State at CSUN
UC Santa Barbara at UC San Diego |
CSUN at UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Fullerton
Hawai'i at UC Irvine
Long Beach State at Cal Poly
UC Riverside at Cal State Bakersfield |
| Week 6 |
Thursday, Jan. 30 |
Saturday, Feb. 1 |
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
Cal Poly at Cal State Bakersfield
CSUN at UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego at Hawai'i
UC Davis at UC Riverside |
Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara
Cal Poly at UC Riverside
Cal State Fullerton at Hawai'i
Cal State Bakersfield at CSUN
UC Davis at UC Irvine |
| Week 7 |
Thursday, Feb. 6 |
Saturday, Feb. 8 |
Hawai'i at Cal Poly
UC Santa Barbara at Cal State Bakersfield
Cal State Fullerton at CSUN
UC Riverside at UC San Diego
UC Davis at Long Beach State |
UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton
Hawai'i at UC Santa Barbara
Cal State Bakersfield at UC Riverside
CSUN at Long Beach State
UC San Diego at UC Irvine
|
| Week 8 |
Thursday, Feb. 13 |
Saturday, Feb. 15 |
UC Riverside at UC Davis
Long Beach State at Hawai'i
UC San Diego at Cal State Bakersfield
Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton
UC Santa Barbara at UC Irvine |
UC Irvine at Hawai'i
Cal Poly at CSUN
UC Davis at UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara at UC Riverside
Cal State Fullerton at Cal State Bakersfield |
| Week 9 |
Thursday, Feb. 20 |
Saturday, Feb. 22 |
Cal State Fullerton at UC Santa Barbara
Cal State Bakersfield at UC Davis
CSUN at UC Irvine
Long Beach State at UC Riverside
UC San Diego at Cal Poly |
CSUN at UC Davis
Hawai'i at UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State
UC Irvine at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Riverside at Cal Poly |
| Week 10 |
Thursday, Feb. 27 |
Saturday, March 1 |
UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara
UC Riverside at Hawai'i
Cal State Bakersfield at Long Beach State
UC San Diego at CSUN |
Cal State Bakersfield at Cal Poly
UC Santa Barbara at CSUN
Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego
Long Beach State at UC Irvine
UC Davis at Hawai'i |
| Week 11 |
Thursday, March 6 |
Saturday, March 8 |
Cal State Fullerton at Cal Poly
Hawai'i at Cal State Bakersfield
Long Beach State at UC San Diego
UC Irvine at UC Davis
CSUN at UC Riverside |
UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego at UC Davis
Hawai'i at CSUN
UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton
Cal Poly at Long Beach State |