What 2 Watch 4
At the near-midway point of the conference season, Hawai‘i (15-4, 7-2 BW) and UC Irvine (14-7, 7-2 BW) are tied at the top of The Big West standings.
The deadlock will be broken on Thursday, as the Anteaters host the Rainbow Warriors on national television on ESPNU. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT. The last time the two teams met on the hardwood in O‘ahu, Hawai‘i came away with a 67-66 victory thanks to a buzzer-beating fadeaway shot from graduate guard Hunter Erickson.
Thursday’s slate will also feature third-place UC Santa Barbara (13-7, 6-3 BW) at fourth-place UC San Diego (15-6, 5-4 BW). The other three mid-week games are Cal Poly (7-14, 3-6 BW) at Cal State Bakersfield (8-13, 2-7 BW), UC Davis (12-8, 5-4 BW) at CSUN (11-10, 4-5 BW) and Long Beach State (8-13, 4-5 BW) at UC Riverside (7-14, 2-7 BW).
Saturday’s schedule is highlighted by a locally televised game on Spectrum SportsNet as Long Beach State hosts Hawai‘i. The rest of the weekend matchups are filled out by UC Davis at Cal State Bakersfield, Cal Poly at UC Riverside, UC San Diego at CSUN and Cal State Fullerton (10-12, 5-5 BW) at UC Santa Barbara.
All games on the schedule this week will air on the ESPN+. Check listings for specific game information.
Around the League
Hawai‘i is 15-4 overall with a 7-2 league mark, tied for first at the top of the standings. The Rainbow Warriors top the league in scoring defense (64.9), 3-point shooting defense (.275) and rebound margin (+8.3). Those numbers are 15th, sixth and 20th in the NCAA, respectively. Center Isaac Johnson, guard Dre Bullock and forward Harry Rouhliadeff average 12.9, 12.3 and 11.1 points per contest, respectively.
UC Irvine has a 14-7 overall record and tied for first with a 7-2 league record. The Anteaters lead the league in field goal percentage defense (.375) and blocks (6.3), which nationally rank third and sixth, respectively. They are also second in the league in rebounds (40.1). Forward Kyle Evans leads the conference and nation blocks per game (3.2). Evans is also the league runner-up in field goal percentage (.632) and rebounds per outing (8.4). Guard Derin Saran is tied for fourth in the league in assists at 3.9 per contest. Guard Jurian Dixon is sixth in the league in scoring (15.6 PPG).
UC Santa Barbara is 13-7 overall with a 6-3 conference mark, riding a four-game win streak. As a team, UCSB leads the league in field goal percentage (.486), 3-point percentage (.391) and free throw percentage (.760). Five Gauchos average double figures with guard Aidan Mahaney (14.8 PPG) leading the way.
UC San Diego is 15-6 overall and 5-4 in conference action. The Triton offense have the best assist/turnover ratio (1.44) and produce the least turnovers per contest (10.6) in the league. They are also second in field goal percentage (.470) in the league. Guard Tom Beattie has the second best assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.3. Guard Emmanuel Prospere II gets 2.0 steals per outing, the most in the conference.
UC Davis is 12-8 overall with a 5-4 league record. As a team, the Aggies are first in assist (16.5) and second in the conference in steals (7.8) and 3-point percentage (.362). Guard Connor Sevilla logs 13.3 points per game on a conference-best .438 percent shooting from behind the arc. Guard Brayden Fagbemi is second in the league in steals per game (1.9) and is third in assists per outing (4.3). Guard Nils Cooper averages a team-best 14.4 points per game.
Cal State Fullerton leads the league in scoring, averaging 84.8 points per game, turnover margin at +3.9, steals at 8.5 per outing and bench points at 33.5 per game. Guard Joshua Ward is the team’s scoring leader at 14.6 points per game. Guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro adds 13.0 points per outing and forward Landon Seaman produces 12.5 points per contest off the bench.
CSUN tops the league in rebounds (41.8) and offensive rebounds (13.7) per game. The Matadors are third in defensive rebounds per contest (28.1). Guard Larry Hughes II records 18.6 points per outing, making a conference-leading 3.3 3-pointers per game. Guard Joshua O’Garro leads the league in rebounds averaging 9.7 boards per contest and guard Josiah Davis tops the conference in assists at 6.5 dimes per game.
Long Beach State guard Gavin Sykes averages a league third-best 18.2 points per contest. Guard Rob Diaz III has the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league, 15th nationally, at 3.6.
Cal Poly makes the most 3-pointers in the league at 10.8 per game, good for 20th in the nation. Guard/forward Hamad Mousa logs a league-best 20.7 points per contest, which ranks 19th in the NCAA. Guard Cayden Ward and forward Peter Bandelj pitch in 14.8 and 13.9 points per game, respectively.
Cal State Bakersfield leads the league in free throws made (403 FTM) and second in offensive rebounds (12.0 ORPG) and blocked shots (5.1 BPG). The Roadrunners’ blocked shots mark ranks 19th nationally. Guards Dailin Smith and CJ Hardy average 15.6 and 13.7 points per contest, respectively. Forward Ronald Jessamy averages 2.0 blocks per game which ranks second in the conference.
UC Riverside guard Marqui Worthy Jr. (34.1 MPG), guard Andrew Henderson (33.0 MPG) and forward Osiris Grady (32.1 MPG) rank first, fourth and fifth in minutes played in the league. The Highlander trio all average in double figures in scoring with Henderson at 16.1, Worthy Jr. at 14.0 and Grady at 12.1 per outing.
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. Hawai‘i is ranked No. 11, followed by UC irvine at No. 21 and UC San Diego at No. 22. UC Santa Barbara 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 >>>
Second Wildcard Selection Revealed
UC Santa Barbara hosts league-leading UC Irvine at the Thunderdome in the second game of the ESPN’s Big West Wildcard Selection on Feb. 7. It will be the first meeting this season between the Anteaters and Gauchos. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
UC Irvine (14-7, 7-2 BW) is currently tied for first in The Big West standings at the halfway point of the conference season, while UC Santa Barbara (13-7, 6-3 BW) is the hottest team in the league, riding a four-game win streak and sitting in third place. Dave Feldman (play-by-play) and Corey Williams (analyst) will be on the call from Santa Barbara.
For more, click 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 >>> |
|