What 2 Watch 4
The Big West has a lot of parity this season. Four weeks into conference play, only 3.5 games separate first and 11th place. Hawai‘i (13-4) and UC Irvine (12-7) lead the pack with identical 5-2 league record. UC San Diego (14-5), UC Davis (11-7), UC Santa Barbara (11-7) and Long Beach State (11-7) are all tied for third with a 4-3 conference mark.
On Thursday, UC San Diego heads to UC Davis to break one of the deadlocks for third place. Another matchup to watch is Cal Poly (7-12, 4-3 BW) at UC Santa Barbara in the first edition of the blue-green rivalry this season. The other three games on Thursday are Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton (8-12, 3-5 BW), UC Irvine at UC Riverside (7-12, 2-5 BW) and Cal State Bakersfield (8-12, 2-6 BW) at Hawai‘i (13-4, 5-2 BW).
Saturday’s slate is highlighted by UC Irvine at UC San Diego, a rematch of last season’s Big West Championship final. Another game to watch is UC Santa Barbara at Long Beach State, as both teams come into the week tied for third place.
The rest of the day’s schedule is filled out by the matchups of UC Riverside at UC Davis, Cal State Fullerton at Cal Poly and CSUN (11-9, 4-4 BW) at Hawai‘i.
All games on the schedule this week will air on the ESPN+. Check listings for specific game information.
Around the League
Hawai‘i is 13-4 overall record with a 5-2 league mark. The Rainbow Warriors top the league in scoring defense (64.4) and 3-point shooting defense (.276). Center Isaac Johnson, forward Harry Rouhliadeff and guard Dre Bullock average 12.6, 11.9 and 11.5 points per contest, respectively.
UC Irvine has a 12-7 overall record and tied for first with a 5-2 league record. The Anteaters lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.379) and blocks (6.3), and second in rebounds (40.1). Forward Kyle Evans leads the conference and nation blocks per game (3.2). Evans is also the league topper in field goal percentage (.647) and is second in rebounds per outing (8.2). Guard Derin Saran is third in the league in assists at 4.0 per contest. Guard Jurian Dixon is fifth in the league in scoring (15.8 PPG).
UC San Diego is 14-5 overall and 4-3 in conference action. The Triton offense has the top field goal percentage (.476) in the league. Guard Tom Beattie has the second best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5. Guard Emmanuel Prospere II gets 1.9 steals per outing, tied for second in the conference.
UC Davis is 11-7 overall with a 4-3 league record. As a team, the Aggies are second in the conference in steals (8.17) and 3-point percentage (.358). Guard Connor Sevilla logs 13.6 points per game on a conference-best .446 percent shooting from behind the arc. Guard Brayden Fagbemi is the league leader in steals per game (2.1) and is second in assists per outing (4.5).
UC Santa Barbara is 11-7 overall with a 4-3 conference mark. As a team, UCSB leads the league in 3-point percentage (.379) and free throw percentage (.764) and is second in field goal percentage (.475). Five Gauchos average double figures with guard Aidan Mahaney (14.4 PPG) leading the way.
Long Beach State is 4-3 in league play. Guard Gavin Sykes averages a league second-best 18.3 points per contest. Guard Rob Diaz III has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 3.7.
CSUN sports a 11-9 overall record, going 4-4 in conference action. The Matadors top the league in rebounds (41.8) and offensive rebounds (13.5) per game. The Matadors are second in defensive rebounds per contest (28.3). Guard Larry Hughes II records 18.5 points per outing, making a conference-leading 3.3 3-pointers per game. Guard Joshua O’Garro leads the league in rebounds averaging 9.6 boards per contest and guard Josiah Davis tops the conference in assists at 6.5 dimes per game.
Cal Poly makes the most 3-pointers in the league at 10.8 per game, good for 16th in the nation. Guard/forward Hamad Mousa logs a league-best 21.6 points per contest, which ranks 15th in the NCAA. Guard Cayden Ward and forward Peter Bandelj pitch in 15.0 and 14.8 points per game, respectively.
Cal State Fullerton leads the league in scoring, averaging 85.1 points per game, turnover margin at +3.70 and steals at 8.40 per outing. Guard Joshua Ward is the team’s scoring leader at 14.2 points per game.
UC Riverside guard Marqui Worthy Jr. (34.1 MPG), forward Osiris Grady (33.1 MPG), and guard Andrew Henderson (32.8 MPG) rank first, third and fifth in minutes in the league in minutes played. The Highlander trio all average in double figures in scoring with Henderson at 16.7, Worthy Jr. at 14.4 and Grady at 12.6 per outing.
Cal State Bakersfield leads the league in free throws made (375) and second in offensive rebounds (12.3) and blocked shots (7.9) per game. Guards Dailin Smith and CJ Hardy average 14.9 and 13.7 points per contest, respectively.
The Big West in the Rankings
The Big West has three teams featured in the latest edition of the College Insider Men’s Basketball Mid-Major Top 25 poll. UC San Diego is ranked No. 16, followed by Hawai‘i at No. 18. UC Irvine is 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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