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What 2 Watch 4
League play continues across The Big West in the second week of the new calendar year.
This week’s slate is highlighted by a nationally televised matchup of UC Irvine (13-2, 3-0 BW) at UC San Diego (13-2, 3-0 BW), Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. PT on ESPN U. The Anteaters and Tritons are currently tied for first in the league standings. Steve Quis and Richie Schueler will be on the call.
There will also be a locally televised game earlier that day in Hawai‘i (9-5, 1-2 BW) at Cal State Fullerton (5-11, 0-4 BW) on Spectrum SportsNet. The other three matchups on Saturday are Long Beach State (6-10, 2-2 BW) at UC Davis (8-7, 2-2 BW), UC Santa Barbara (9-5, 1-2 BW) at Cal Poly (6-10, 0-4 BW) and CSUN (11-4, 3-1 BW) at Cal State Bakersfield (8-8, 2-2 BW).
Thursday’s slate will feature UC Irvine at CSUN. The Anteaters look to stay unbeaten before Saturday’s big matchup, while the Matadors come into the game tied for third in the league. The other contest on that day are Cal State Fullerton (5-11, 0-4 BW) at UC Davis, Hawai‘i at UC Riverside, Cal Poly at UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield at UC Santa Barbara.
#GoTritons
UC San Diego is currently on an 11-game win streak, the longest in the nation, for a 13-2 overall record with a 3-0 conference mark. The Tritons are the seventh-ranked team in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. UCSD’s strength comes from winning the turnover battle, committing the least amount of turnovers in the conference at 9.1 per game (fourth nationally), while forcing the most at 17.5 per contest (sixth nationally). Those numbers give UCSD a national-leading turnover margin of 8.5, with a conference-best assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7.
Hayden Gray leads the league and nation in steals at 3.7 per game. Tyler McGhie and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones put away 18.7 and 17.6 points per contest, respectively. Tait-Jones has attempted the sixth most free throws in the nation (123) with the seventh most makes (96). McGhie leads the nation in most 3-point makes at 62, which comes out to a 4.1 per game average.
#TogetherWeZot
UC Irvine is 13-2 overall and 3-0 in conference play on the season. The Anteaters are the fourth-ranked team in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. The Anteaters lead the league and fourth nationally in free throw percentage at 81.6 percent. UCI is also sixth in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (29.7).
Bent Leuchten leads the Anteaters in scoring and rebounding at 15.1 points and league second-best 8.4 rebounds per game. Devin Tillis is putting up 13.7 points, on 59.1 percent shooting from the floor, which ranks fourth the conference. Tillis also pitches in a league third-best 7.9 boards per game. Justin Hohn logs 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest.
#UniteTheValley
CSUN is 11-4 overall, 3-1 in league play, and receiving votes in the latest mid-major poll by CollegeInsider. The Matadors top the league in assists per game (17.0), field goal percentage defense (37.4), rebound margin (+8.5), and rebounds per game (41.4).
Keonte Jones tops the league in rebounds (9.1) and shares the lead in blocks (1.7), while also contributing 14.2 points, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Marcus Adams Jr. is the team’s leading scorer at 15.5 points per game and Scotty Washington adds 13.3 points per game.
#GoHighlanders
UC Riverside enters the week with 10-6 overall record, going 3-1 in The Big West, and receiving votes in the latest mid-major poll by CollegeInsider. Barrington Hargress is second in the league in points (19.4) and fourth in assists (4.1), with the second best assist/turnover ratio (1.8).
#GoAgs
UC Davis currently has a 8-7 overall record this season, going 2-2 in league action. The Aggies lead the league in blocked shots at 3.9 per game, with Niko Rocak averaging a league co-high 1.7 per contest in that category. TY Johnson leads the league in scoring (20.0 PPG) and second in steals (2.7 SPG). Nationally, those numbers rank 14th and seventh, respectively.
#RunnersOnTheRise
Cal State Bakersfield is 8-8 overall on the year, with an 2-2 conference mark. The Roadrunners top the conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.6) and 3-point percentage (38.9). The Roadrunner trio of Jemel Jones averages 16.4 points per game.
#GoBeach
Long Beach State is 6-10 overall, going 2-2 in The Big West. Devin Askew is averaging a league fifth-best 17.8 points and a conference-leading 4.4 assists per game.
#GoGauchos
UC Santa Barbara is 9-5 on the season with a 1-2 conference mark. The Gauchos lead the league in effective field goal percentage at 56.3 percent. They also top the league in overall field goal percentage at 48.0 percent.
Kenny Pohto records 12.4 points and a league fourth-best 7.6 rebounds on a conference-best 66.7 percent field goal clip. Stephan Swenson averages 11.2 points, shooting league third-best 42.5 percent from behind the arc, and conference second-most 4.2 assists per contest. Jason Fontenet II is putting up 11.6 points per game and Deuce Turner pitches in 12.1 points off the bench.
#GoBows
Hawai‘i currently has an 9-5 overall record with a 1-2 league mark. Gytis Nemeiksa averages 14.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and Tanner Christensen logs 10.7 points per contest on a 65.4 percent field goal percentage, to go along with 7.6 boards per game.
#RideHigh
First-year head coach Mike DeGeorge has helmed Cal Poly past last year’s win total with a 6-10 overall record, going 0-4 in league play. The Mustangs lead the conference in fastbreak points (15.4), scoring offense (82.4) and three-point attempts per game (31.6). Owen Koonce puts away a league fourth-best 17.9 points per game. Jarred Hyder and Isaac Jessup record 15.1 and 12.8 points per contest, respectively, for a potent scoring threesome.
#TusksUp
Cal State Fullerton currently has a 5-11 overall record and a 0-4 conference mark. Donovan Oday is logging 12.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game to pace the Titans.
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
The Big West + Spectrum SportsNet
The Big West announced a slate of 16 men’s and women’s basketball contests to air on Spectrum SportsNet during the 2024-25 season. All Spectrum SportsNet contests can also be seen live on ESPN+, and on-demand for 30 days. Check local listings for channel availability in your area. Click here for more info.
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