What 2 Watch 4
Big West play resumes on New Year’s Day with five exciting matchups on tap. The schedule will start with UC Irvine (9-5, 2-0 BW) visiting Cal State Bakersfield (6-8, 0-2 BW). Both teams come into the game with a two-game win streak. Speaking of consecutive wins, Hawai‘i (10-2, 2-0 BW) will put its six-game win streak on the line at UC Riverside (6-8, 1-1 BW). The game will be locally televised on Spectrum SportsNet.
The other three games on the first day of 2026 are CSUN (8-6, 1-1 BW) at UC Davis (7-5, 0-1 BW), UC Santa Barbara (9-4, 2-0 BW) at Cal State Fullerton (5-9, 0-2 BW) and UC San Diego (10-2, 2-0 BW) at Cal Poly (5-9, 1-1 BW).
Saturday’s slate is highlighted by Hawai‘i at UC San Diego. Both teams come into the weekend unbeaten in league play and have the two best overall records in the conference. Another game to watch is UC Santa Barbara at CSUN, locally televised on Spectrum SportsNet.
The rest of the day’s schedule is filled out by the matchups of Cal State Bakersfield at UC Davis, UC Irvine at Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly at Long Beach State.
All games on the schedule this week will air on the ESPN+. Check listings for specific game information.
Around the League
Hawai‘i enters 2026 with a 10-2 overall record and a 2-0 league mark. The Rainbow Warriors top the league in scoring defense (63.1), 3-point shooting defense (.273) and defensive rebounds per game (29.8). Center Isaac Johnson, guard Dre Bullock and forward Harry Rouhliadeff average 12.6, 12.3 and 11.7 points per contest, respectively.
UC Santa Barbara is 9-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play. As a team, UCSB leads the league in 3-point percentage (.382) and free throw percentage (.756). Four Gauchos average double figures with guard Aidan Mahaney (14.9 PPG), forward Colin Smith (12.5 PPG) and guard Miro Little (11.7 PPG) leading the way.
UC Irvine has a 9-5 overall record, going 2-0 against the conference. The Anteaters lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.376), blocks (6.4) and assists (17.8). Forward Kyle Evans leads the conference in field goal percentage (.684) and blocks per game(3.1), and is second in rebounds per outing (8.0). Guards Derin Saran and Tama Isaac are second and third in the league in assists at 4.4 and 4.2 per contest, respectively.
UC San Diego is 11-2 overall and is 1-0 in conference action. The Triton offense is potent, producing 82.8 points per game, the second-best mark in the league, and have the top field goal percentage (.495). Forward Leo Beath has the best 3-point percentage in the conference at .491 for a league fourth-best 17.9 points per contest, Guard Tom Beattie is second in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5. Guard Emmanuel Prospere II gets 2.2 steals per outing.
CSUN is 8-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Matadors top the league in rebounds (41.4) and offensive rebounds (13.7) per game. Guard Larry Hughes II records 18.9 points per outing, making a conference-leading 3.6 3-pointers per game. Guard Joshua O’Garro leads the league in rebounds averaging 9.4 boards per contest and guard Josiah Davis tops the conference in assists at 6.1 dimes per game.
UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady (33.8 MPG), guard Marqui Worthy Jr. (33.6 MPG), guard Andrew Henderson (33.5 MPG) log the most minutes in the league. The Highlander trio all average in double figures with Henderson at 16.8 per outing, and Grady and Worthy Jr. both at 14.0 per game.
Cal Poly make the most 3-pointers in the league at 10.8 per game. Guard/forward Hamad Mousa logs a league-best 20.6 points, averaging 2.7 3-pointers made per game. Forward Peter Bandelj and guard Cayden Ward pitch in 16.2 and 16.1 points per game, respectively.
UC Davis has a 7-5 overall record. As a team, the Aggies top the conference in steals per contest (8.33) and are second in field goal percentage (.476). Guard Nils Cooper logs 15.1 points per game, shooting a conference second-best 59.2 percent from the field. Guard Brayden Fagbemi is the league leader in steals per game (2.3) and is fourth in assists per outing (4.2).
Cal State Bakersfield is second in the conference in 3-point percentage defense (.311) and third in offensive rebounds per game (11.8). Guards Dailin Smith and CJ Hardy average 16.0 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.
Cal State Fullerton leads the league in scoring, averaging 87.7 points per game. Guard Joshua Ward is the team’s scoring leader at 15.1 points per game, while forward Landon Seaman contributes 14.0 points per game off the bench.
Long Beach State is the conference leader in turnover margin at 2.85. Guard Gavin Sykes averages a league second-best 19.3 points per contest. Guard Rob Diaz III has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 3.2.
The Big West in the Rankings
The Big West has four teams featured in the latest edition of the College Insider Men’s Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 poll. UC San Diego is ranked No. 8, followed by Hawai‘i at No. 13. UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara are receiving votes in the poll.
Hoops in Henderson
In October, The Big West announced an enhanced agreement with Credit Union 1, the Official Credit Union, Bank and Financial Services Partner of The Big West, to become the title partner of the 2026 Big West Basketball Championships, March 11-14, 2026, at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. All-Session tickets are available now! Learn more >>>
Preseason Prognostications
The UC Irvine men’s basketball team is predicted to win The Big West, according to a poll of the league’s 11 head coaches before the start of the season. The coaches also voted for a six-member Big West Preseason Team.
The Anteaters garnered eight of the 11 first-place votes for a total of 98 points. Last season, UC Irvine went 32-7 overall and finished second in The Big West regular season standings with a 17-3 conference record. The Anteaters qualified for the NIT and won four games in the national tournament before falling in the title match to Chattanooga in overtime.
UC Irvine is expected to be led by two Preseason Team selections in redshirt sophomore guard Jurian Dixon and graduate guard Andre Henry. Dixon is the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year after averaging 8.8 points per game as a rookie, including career-high 23-point performance at UC Santa Barbara. Henry played in nine games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2023-24, Henry was The Big West Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Big West Honorable Mention, starting in all 34 games, averaging 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
UC Santa Barbara is predicted to finish second, receiving the remaining three first-place votes for a total of 93 points. Last year, the Gauchos went 21-13 overall and 11-9 in conference play. Newcomer Aidan Mahaney along with third-year guard Jason Fontenet II were selected to the preseason team.
Mahaney is a transfer from UConn and averaged 4.6 points and 1.3 assists per game. Before UConn, the senior was a standout at Saint Mary’s for two seasons with a list of accolades including Lou Henson All-American, NABC First Team All-District, First Team All-WCC, WCC All-Tournament Team, WCC All-Freshman Team. Fontenet II started all 34 games and averaged 9.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals for the Gauchos last season.
Hawai‘i was third with 76 points. Last season, the Rainbow Warriors went 15-16 overall and did not qualify for The Big West Championship with a 7-13 league record. Gytis Nemeiksa represents Hawai‘i on the preseason team. Nemeiksa logged 12.3 points, on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.
Defending Big West champion UC San Diego is predicted to finish fourth with 69 points. The Tritons went 30-5 overall and 18-2 in conference play in 2024-25. CSUN rounds out the top-five with 63 points and Matador senior forward Mahmoud Fofana fills the final spot on the preseason team. In 2024-25, Fofana played in 33 games with 32 starts, averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 steals per contest.
UC Davis (58), Cal Poly (54), Long Beach State (31), UC Riverside (26), Cal State Bakersfield (20) and Cal State Fullerton (17) conclude the rest of the poll.
See the complete poll and read more about the team here >>>
Watch Us Work
Building on one of the most successful men’s and women’s seasons since the 1990’s, The Big West has announced that more than 350 men’s and women’s basketball games will be available nationally on the ESPN family of networks and Spectrum SportsNet during 2025-26 season. All Big West men’s and women’s basketball home games and all seven games of the Credit Union I 2026 Big West Women’s Basketball Championship will stream nationally on ESPN+. Additionally, The Big West will continue its regional partnership with Spectrum SportsNet for the fifth consecutive season. Five women’s contests are part of the 14-game Spectrum SportsNet package with Long Beach State, UC San Diego, Hawai’i, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly each slated to appear. Learn more >>>
2024-25 Recap
The 2024-25 Big West men’s basketball season showcased unprecedented success and growth, solidifying the conference as a rising force on the national stage.
The Big West was home to two 30-win teams, UC San Diego and UC Irvine, marking an unprecedented feat in conference history. Nationally, only the SEC also had two programs reach the 30-win mark this season. The conference closed the year ranked a collective 12th in the NET, its highest standing since 2000, and cracked the Top 10 in NET rankings during the season. The Big West also ranked 12th in KenPom—a significant leap from 24th in 2019-20 in both listings to highlight the growing competitive depth across the membership.
Five Big West teams finished in the NET top 150: UC San Diego (#35), UC Irvine (#62), CSUN (#104), UC Santa Barbara (#140), and UC Riverside (#142) all finished in the top 150, the most in Big West history.
The Big West had the most NIT appearances in its history with three teams – UC Irvine, CSUN, and UC Riverside – earning postseason bids. UC Irvine reached the NIT championship game, falling by just one point, and serving as the league’s first postseason tournament finalist since Fresno State won the event back in 1983. |
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