What 2 Watch 4 - Three Teams Go Dancing
Three Big West squads are into the national postseason headlined by back-to-back champion UC San Diego (24-8, 17-3 BW), making a return trip to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship in consecutive seasons in their only two years of eligibility after a four-year reclassification period from Division II. The Tritons earned the league’s automatic bid after knocking off red-hot Hawai’i, halting a 10-game winning streak for the Rainbow Wahine that included two overtime victories in Henderson, Nev.
In the finale, All-Tournament team selection Erin Condron led the scoring with 22 points for the Tritons, connecting on 10-of-18 attempts from the field with 14 rebounds to secure the double-double. Championship Most Valuable Player Makayla Rose added 17 points with eight rebounds and five steals in the victorious effort as both All-Tournament Team players were on the court for all 40 minutes of the title-winning contest.
The duo will lead the charge as the No. 14 seed Tritons draw third-seeded TCU for Friday’s first round.
About the Tritons
Trends:
Big West regular-season co-champions; have won their last six games and eight of their last 10.
UC San Diego leads The Big West in field goal percentage (42.7) and assist-turnover ratio (1.11) with Dymonique Maxie (4.5 assists per game) the individual assists category leader; Erin Condron (.536 fg%) also tops The Big West listings.
Postseason History:
This is UC San Diego’s second appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship in their second year of eligibility. Last year, UCSD lost to Southern in the First Four in Los Angeles, 68-56. In the Division II era, the Tritons made 13 appearances, reaching the national semifinals in 2006-07 under the direction of Janell Jones. UCSD also went to the Division II postseason on fve occasions in the 90s.
Versus:
Friday marks the first all-time meeting between the Tritons and Horned Frogs, and will be the first time and UC San Diego contest will be aired on ESPN’s flagship network.
Notables:
A VanDerveer has coached in the NCAA Tournament for the last 29 consecutive season, dating back to 1996-97, as UC San Diego’s leader Heidi VanDerveer keeps the tradition alive with two straight at UC San Diego. Tara and Heidi have combined for 40 Division I appearances at three institutions. While Stanford went to the Final Four in 1996, Tara was on sabbatical to lead Team USA to an 8-0 record en route to the gold in Atlanta.
Team Leaders & Award Winners:
Erin Condron (Jr., PF/C, Woodend, Victoria, Australia)
Big West All-Tournament Team selection • All-Big West first team selection • Leads the team in scoring (15.7 ppg), field goal percentage (.536), rebounds (8.6 rpg) and blocks (1.3 bpg)
Makayla Rose (Sr., G, Roseville, Calif. - played two seasons at UC Riverside)
Big West Championship Most Valuable Player • Back-to-back Best Defensive Player (once at UCR, once at UCSD) • Co-Best Hustle Player • All-Big West first team and All-Defensive Team selection • 12.8 points per game on .420 shooting and 4.7 rebounds with 2.1 assists and a team-best 3.2 steals per game
2025 Big West Newcomer of the Year Sabrina Ma (11.5 ppg, 2.23 3PT/g, 4.5 rpg) and Rosa Smith (11.0 ppg, 2.5 apg) also provide double-digit scoring, and Lev Feiman (6.5 ppg, 15.1 mpg) named to The Big West All-Freshman Team
Scouting the Horned Frogs
The Horned Frogs (29-5, 15-3 Big 12) enter the fray as an at-large selection after claiming the Big 12’s regular season crown, but unlike UCSD, was unable to complete the bid for the two-trophy season, falling to West Virginia 62-53 in last Sunday’s tournament finale. The Horned Frogs were ranked 14th nationally in the last iteration of the AP poll, released on March 15.
TCU’s defense holds teams to 56.3 points per game with a 33.7 field goal percentage defense figure, second in the country. Graduate transfer and four-time All-American and graduate transfer from Notre Dame Olivia Miles leads the team with averages of 19.6 points on .487 shooting and 6.4 assists per game.
Friday will be the first all-time meeting between the Tritons and Horned Frogs. The two tussle at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT on ESPN.
TCU has won an NCAA-leading 42 consecutive home games. The Horned Frogs are undefeated at 10-0 in all postseason contests held inside Schollmaier Arena.
WBIT Bound - UC Irvine versus San Diego State
The Big West regular-season co-champion UC Irvine Anteaters (26-6, 17-3 BW) were one of Hawai’i’s overtime victims in Henderson, knocking off the top seed in the bracket 67-63 with the extra period. Despite the loss, Big West Player of the Year and All-Tournament Team selection Hunter Hernandez pouring in 33 points with four triples and a 13-of-14 effort from the free throw line to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Big West Newcomer of the Year Jada Wynn added 18 points with four threes and four assists in the loss.
The Anteaters are set to take on No. 4 seed San Diego State (25-5, 19-1 MW) in the first round of the WBIT. With the Aztecs hosting the first and second rounds of the men’s NCAA Tournament, the game will take place at San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion on Thursday at 6 p.m. SDSU enters as the Mountain West automatic qualifier after the team was stunned by No. 9 seed Air Force 83-76 in the championship quarterfinals. The matchup will feature head-to-head hardware winners with both teams sporting their respective league Coach and Player of the Year award winners with both sides reaching the 25-win mark on the season.
About the Anteaters
Trends:
Big West regular-season co-champions; have won eight of their last 10 games; the Anteaters won a program record 16 consecutive from Nov. 15 to Jan. 22; UCI sported a 14-1 home record on the year with the lone loss to fellow co-champion UC San Diego on Jan. 24, a 66-68 decision.
UC Irvine leads The Big West in scoring offense (71.4), three-point percentage (35.7 - 22nd in NCAA D1), free throw percentage (80.4 - 3rd in NCAA D1), free throws made per game (17.41 - 3rd in NCAA D1); scoring margin (13.4) and turnovers per game (12.6 - 18th in NCAA D1).
Postseason History:
This marks UC Irvine’s first appearance in the WBIT, earning The Big West’s automatic berth as the league champion not advancing to the NCAA field. The Anteaters will be making the program’s sixth postseason appearance and fifth under the helm of 10th-year head coach and Big West Coach of the Year Tamara Inoue.
Versus:
San Diego State leads 21-9 in the all-time series, but UC Irvine has won its last three road games against the Aztecs. The most recent meeting came in the first round of the 2023 WNIT where UCI claimed the 55-45 victory at Viejas Arena.
Team Leaders & Award Winners:
Hunter Hernandez (Sr., G, San Jose, Calif.)
Big West All-Tournament Team selection • The Big West Player of the Year • Three-time All-Big West first team selection (2022-23, 2024-25, 2025-26, redshirted in 2023-24) • leads the team and is second in The Big West in scoring (19.9 ppg) on .393 shooting with 6.0 rebounds per game; second in The Big West in free throw percentage at .851 only trailing teammate Jada Wynn
Jada Wynn (Sr., G, Yorba Linda, Calif. - played one season at Colorado and two at Texas Tech)
The Big West Newcomer of the Year • All-Big West first team selection • Named to the midseason watch list for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year • leads The Big West in free throw percentage (.861 - 41st nationally) and is second in three-point percentage (.405 - 35th nationally) and threes per game (2.34); leads UCI in rebounding (7.1) and assists (3.8) while adding 15.1 points per game (second for the Anteaters)
WNIT Bound - UC Davis versus Pepperdine
In their final year of Big West membership before heading to the Mountain West, UC Davis (23-10, 15-5 BW) heads down to Malibu to take on Pepperdine (19-12, 10-8 WCC) in the first round of the WNIT. The Aggies’ road to the postseason came after defeating No. 7 seed UC Riverside in the second round matchup in Henderson before falling to eventual champion and No. 2 seed UC San Diego in the semifinal round, 84-79. In that contest, Big West All-Tournament Team selection Avery Sussex finished with a game-best 27 points with five threes while Nya Epps added 20 and Megan Norris powered to a 20th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Pepperdine, the sixth seed in the WCC brackets, fell to San Francisco 86-69 in the third round, their lone game in Las Vegas in the multi-bye setup. The Waves are led by sophomore Elli Guiney, who averages 14.6 points per game an connects from distance at a .405 clip. Guiney is the first Wave to earn All-WCC first team honors since 2020.
About the Aggies
Trends:
Won seven of their last 10, with losses coming to fellow Big West semifinalists UC Irvine and Hawai’i and champion UC San Diego.
UC Davis leads The Big West in assists per game (14.6), three-point attempts per game (27.9), defensive rebounds per game (28.9) and fouls per game (14.6).
Postseason History:
This will mark UC Davis’ sixth appearance in the WNIT brackets and a first since the 2018 season. The Aggies sport a 5-5 overall record in the postseason tournament and notched three wins while advancing to the quarterfinal round in their last appearance, taking down Idaho, Wyoming and Kansas State.
Versus:
The Waves and Aggies have met just six times before with an even 1-1 mark at Firestone Fieldhouse and a 4-2 all-time record favoring Pepperdine. The last matchup came in the 2019-20 season, a 70-67 home win for the Waves.
Team Leaders & Award Winners:
Megan Norris (R-Sr., C, Menlo Park, Calif.)
All-Big West first team selection • 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year • set the Big West single-game rebounding record and earned AP/USBWA Player of the Week with 29 in a triple-overtime win against UC San Diego • leads The Big West and is fourth in NCAA D1 in rebounding (12.7 rpg) with 20 double-doubles (7th nationally) • 10.2 defensive rebounds per game leads the country; adds 12.3 points on .475 shooting, 2.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game
Ryann Bennett (So., G, Long Beach, Calif.)
All-Big West second team selection • Leads UC Davis in scoring (15.1 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (1.6 spg); plays 36.30 minutes per game (12th in NCAA D1)
Nya Epps (12.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Big West All-Tournament Team selection Avery Sussex (12.2 ppg, 2.39 3PT/g, 3.2 apg) also add double-figure scoring
Hoops in Henderson - Here to Stay
On March 2, The Big West announced a multi-year extension of its partnership with Lee’s Family Forum, securing the venue as the home of the Big West Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships through March 2030, reinforcing the conference’s strong commitment to the Las Vegas/Henderson region and to delivering a premier championship experience for student-athletes and fans alike. Read more >>>
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