Tuesday, January 31, 2023

SLO vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 21 (BW Game 10)
Cal Poly at UCSB
Thursday, February 2, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
Gaucho fans are plotting paths to 30 wins after our boys snagged a 2nd significant road win in the Big West race.  The Gauchos (17-3, 9-1) have won at arguably the two most difficult places to play in the conference and have the lead on the back stretch with UC Riverside and UC Irvine nipping at their heels.  As the season progresses, the team continues to improve in playing its style of basketball with each of its players seeming to settle into their roles.  This week is the calm before the storm: The Gauchos visit last-place CSUN on Saturday before embarking on a 7-games-in-3-weeks segment that will largely determine their fate.  Consider this: the Gauchos will have played half of their Big West schedule once Cal Poly is in the books.  They will be finished with the Mustangs along with CSU Bakersfield.  Their 2nd half will include two games with contending UC Davis and two more with surging Long Beach State, along with games vs. Irvine, Fullerton, Hawai'i and at Riverside.  It's going to get sporty!

The Mustangs (5-16, 1-9) have imploded.  They had their best non-conference season in recent memory, but they have hit the skids in 2023.  They did not win in January, going 0-9 while topping 60 points just 3 times.  Yes, they've lost some close games, but they've been buried as well.  Let them hang around and they gain confidence.  Jump on them and they roll over and submit.  I think we know what Santa Barbara has to do.

Last meeting
Jan. 7: UCSB 62, @ Cal Poly 57
Miles Norris scored 16 points and pulled down 6 rebounds as the Gauchos shrugged off poor 1st-half shooting, rebounding and turnovers to beat the Mustangs.  UCSB shot 74% in the 2nd half after making just 30% of its 1st-half field goals.  Cal Poly led 43-41 with 6:53 remaining, but was outscored 10-0 over the next 4 minutes.  Ajay Mitchell scored 12 of his 15 points in the 2nd half.  Chance Hunter made five 3-pointers on his way to 19 points for the Mustangs, who won the rebounding battle 31-27.

Last time out
Jan. 26: UCSB 65, @ Hawai'i 64
Ajay Mitchell made a driving bank shot with 1.9 seconds left to lift the Gauchos over the Rainbow Warriors.  Mitchell scored 24 points as UCSB improved to 4-3 in its last 7 games to the Islands.  UCSB led by as many as 13 points but Hawai'i rallied with a 9-0 run to take a 1-point lead.

Jan. 28: Cal State Fullerton 65, @ Cal Poly 36
The Titans used a 31-6, 1st-half run to bury the Mustangs.  Max Jones scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Fullerton, which led 37-16 at halftime and by as many as 31 points in the 2nd half.  Cal Poly made just 5 baskets in the 1st half in losing its 9th straight game.

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000
The school is giving away 3,000 rally towels for the game.



Cal Poly Roster
Alimamy Koroma #15 SR F, 6-8 220, Freetown, Sierra Leone -- 10.2 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Trevon Taylor #2 SR G, 6-6 197, Chesapeake, VA -- 10.0 Pts, 5.2 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Brantly Stevenson #4 JR F, 6-4 185, Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- 8.8 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Chance Hunter #31 SR G, 6-6 190, Inglewood, CA -- 8.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Kobe Sanders #3 JR G, 6-6 175, San Diego, CA -- 7.7 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Nick Fleming #12 SR G, 6-1 165, Atlanta, GA -- 4.1 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Camren Pierce #1 JR G, 5-10 175, Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- 4.8 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Bryan Penn-Johnson #23 JR C, 7-0 260, Long Beach, CA -- 3.3 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Julien Franklin #5 SO G, 6-7 200, Brea, CA -- 2.3 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Aidan Prukop #11 SO G, 6-4 180, Ladera Ranch, CA -- 2.2 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Cole Haller #21 FR F, 6-7 185, Bellevue, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Isaac Spears #10 FR G, 6-4 170, Las Vegas, NV -- 3.3 Pts, 0.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Hayden Jory #0 SO G, 5-11 170, Lompoc, CA -- 0.8 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Aaron Price #22 FR F, 6-8 195, Las Vegas, NV -- 1.7 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Nick Carlson #13 JR G, 6-0 155, La Mesa, CA -- 0.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matur Dhal #35 SO C, 6-11 195, Tempe, AZ -- 2.0 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.9 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 4.6 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.4 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.2 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.4 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.3 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.6 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.5 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.5 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 1.0 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.5 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.4 Pts, 0.4 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
Cal Poly National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Assist/Turnover Ratio: 348 (0.69)
  • Assists per game: 341 (10.0)
  • Blocks per game: 284 (2.5)
  • Effective FG pct: 316 (.471)
  • Field Goal pct: 303 (.418)
  • Fouls per game: 334 (19.6)
  • Free Throw Attempts per game: 316 (15.0)
  • Free Throw pct: 68 (.743)
  • Scoring Defense: 69 (65.6)
  • Scoring Margin: 314 (-4.9)
  • Scoring Offense: 345 (60.7)
  • Steals per game: 284 (5.5)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 281 (19.0)
  • Three-Point pct: 336 (.294)
  • Three Pointers per game: 326 (5.6)
  • Turnover Margin: 316 (-2.0)
  • Turnovers per game: 310 (14.6)
  • Winning pct: 302 (.318)

Players

  • Alimamy Koroma -- Blocks: 254 (19), Blocks per game: 289 (0.86)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Effecive FG pct: 37 (.545)
  • Field Goal pct: 9 (.493)
  • Rebound Margin: 37 (+5.2)
  • Scoring Defense: 22 (62.0)
  • Scoring Margin: 53 (+8.8)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 342 (16.0)
  • Three Pointers per game: 328 (5.4)
  • Winning percentage: 10 (.850)

Players

  • Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 119 (1.92), Assists: 103 (92), Assists per game: 75 (4.6), Field Goal pct: 98 (.509), Field Goals: 277 (110), Free Throw Attempts: 128 (104), Free Throw pct: 154 (.817), Free Throws: 83 (85), Minutes per game: 308 (32:05), Points: 255 (318), Points per game: 177 (15.9), Steals: 200 (32), Steals per Game: 164 (1.60)
  • Miles Norris -- Blocks: 232 (20), Blocks per game: 209 (1.00), Double Doubles: 193 (3), Field Goal pct: 106 (.505), Minutes per game: 313 (32:01), Rebounds: 322 (128), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 330 (4.30), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 244 (2.10), Rebounds per game: 250 (6.4)
  • Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 254 (19), Blocks per game: 247 (0.95), Double Doubles: 193 (3), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 186 (4.95), Rebounds per game: 280 (6.2)
  • Josh Pierre-Louis: Steals: 221 (31), Steals per Game: 122 (1.72)

Prediction
The Gauchos should have no trouble pulling away from the fading Mustangs.  UCSB 70, Cal Poly 46

Official Site:  https://gopoly.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/calpoly ... board-f66/
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 80d612833b
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428860

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

UCSB Men's Basketball Coach Joe Pasternack Interview, 1-22-23

Interview with UCSB Men's Basketball Head Coach Joe Pasternack, January 22, 2023


Gaucho Hoops ("GH"):  Hi Coach, can we get an update?  We finished the nonconference and started the conference part of the schedule.  I wanted to get your take.  I've seen improvement in most of the players, and as a team.  The team is getting more cohesive.  Do you have any comments around that?

Joe Pasternack ("JP"):  Every team is a new team.  And the season is a like a lifetime.  That's what it feels like.  We have a lot of new players, and we're getting to know each other early, and as the season goes on, everyone gets more comfortable with each other.  The best teams are the ones that really improve in January and February.  Pete Newell is a mentor of mine.  I was really, really close with him, and he is someone I really respect.  And he used to say:  with basketball, a season is divided into a golf analogy.  In November and December, you're driving for show.  In January, February, March, you're putting for dough.  It's all about chemistry, improving, and team improvement in January, February and March.


GH:  By the way, is that Pete Newell, Sr. or Pete Newell, Jr.?

JP:  Pete Newell, Sr. the coach.


GH:  Wow.

JP:  He was at Indiana, he was coach Bob Knight's best friend.  So I met him when I was at Indiana, and then at Cal.  I was at Cal-Berkeley for 8 years.  The name is Pete Newell Court.  He would come up and spend a lot of time, and I would really spend a lot of time picking his brain and how to teach the game.  He was a huge influence on my career.  He would watch every Cal game when I was at Cal.  We would talk weekly, and I would visit him in San Diego.  He had a big influence on me.


GH:  I wasn't aware of Pete Newell's influence.  I knew you were under Coach Knight.  Between the two of those, that's basketball royalty.  They are icons, definitely.

JP:  Yep.  Hall of Famers.


GH:  To expand on that, most teams do improve, right?

JP:  No, not necessarily.  A lot of teams don't improve, and they'll fizzle out.  And the other things are injuries.  There's so much, it's such a long season.  So much can happen.  And hopefully, we can keep getting better every day.  We haven't practiced in 12 days.  We had 5 games in 11 days, which is unprecedented.  We have to do it twice this year.  The schedule is the way it is, and we don't control it.  All we can do is play the games.  We played 5 games in 11 days, and all we had was walk-throughs.  We did not have one day of real practice in 12 or 13 days.  


GH:  How do the players keep their conditioning up--the players who aren't playing all the time?

JP:  The guys who don't play, we have them playing 3 on 3, and work out.  


GH:  It's visible that the Gauchos are improving, individually and as a team.  Do you have any comments on the players?  Miles, of course, had one of his best games ever.  He's living up to what he was working on, right?  Rebounding, specifically being more aggressive on the offensive boards..

JP:  Miles is one of the best players in our league.  He's becoming a complete player, rebounding the basketball, scoring in the post, driving the ball, and shooting 3's.  And then the second part is playing really hard on defense.  


GH:  Does that include defending the perimeter and the post, and help defense?

JP:  Yes it includes doing everything on defense.  He's really, really improved.  Someone like Jaquori McLaughlin is a great example--someone who wasn't an All-American as a sophomore or a junior.  He was just a good player.  But his game took off as a senior.  And I feel like Miles is doing the same.  


GH:  Was that over the course of the season with Jaquori?  It just seemed like he was getting better and better.  

JP:  He really improved, but it took until his senior year.  It was his 5th year.


GH:  And this will be Miles' 5th year.  Interesting.

JP:  Yes.  The biggest part is in this day and age where everybody is transferring, parents are impatient.  Miles' family, Christina and Fred, believed in us, believed in our system, in our development, and wanted him to stay here.  He could have left.  And he could have taken a lot of NIL money in other places.  But it was a risk that you just don't know what's gonna happen at the next place.  You know what you have here, and so...it's great.  The season is young still, so let's see what happens.  The final chapter hasn't been written.


GH:  On that note, I've seen players transfer even multiple times, and the grass wasn't necessarily greener.  They kinda digressed almost, because they had to learn a new system, had new coaches, new staff, new players, new teammates.

That's great, this is a great example of patience paying off with Miles.  With Ajay, he rocketed up the second half of his freshman season.  It's obvious his game has improved.  Do you have any comments on his play and his leadership?

JP:  Ajay is so wise and mature beyond his years.  He may be the most mature young man, as a freshman and sophomore that I've ever coached.   And poised, really poised, so I think he'll keep improving.  


GH: That poise was tested, because the opponents are getting pretty physical with him.  He bulked up this summer, so that's good.  He needs it.  What about Andre?  How has his transition been, after transferring in from Cal?

JP:  Andre is really doing well.  Everybody's expectations on everything, whether it's our team, or individual players--expectations are always very unrealistic.  You have to understand Andre had 3 coaches in 3 different systems in 5 years.  As a coach, I understand that's really, really hard.  Basketball is a game of habit.  That's a Pete Newell statement.  And when your habits with one coach in year 1 where he is teaching you one thing on defense and offense, then years 2 through 4, it's another thing, and then your last year, you have to learn a totally different scheme and system. It's going to take time.  And I think we'll see Andre just get better and better.  


GH:  It seems like he already has improved.  He had injuries and illnesses, so he's really stepped up.  Plus, his state of mind has to be really good, being on a winning program now. <laughs>.

JP:  Yeah well, he came here to win, so he's really enjoying himself--he loves Santa Barbara.  He's very grateful to be here.


GH:  That's great to hear.  Yeah.  Let's talk about Josh.  Fans call him JPL.  How has he developed?

JP:  Josh got sick--food poisoning before the UCI game, so he didn't play in that game.  We had 7 players out from food poisoning for the UCI game.  Josh is really, really locked in to being the best defender he can possibly be.  Great, great rebounder.  And he just gives us so much energy and toughness.  


GH:  He's a pretty good finisher, too. <laughs>

JP:  He is--I'd like him to finish even more.  


GH:  How about Ajare?

JP:  Ajare has had a lot of injuries--his ankles--obviously, at Hawaii last year.  It was really bad.  And in the tournament.  He's just been through so much, injury-wise.  He's just finally getting really healthy, so I'm expecting him to have a great finish in conference.  


GH:  He seems to be confident on his shot lately.  He seemed more tentative earlier in the year.  Let's talk about the bench.  Let's start with Cole.

JP:  I'm really excited about Cole.  Like all players--he's only a sophomore, and expectations are unrealistic.  Everybody wants it now.  Some players don't play well until their junior or senior year.  That's the way it used to be in college basketball.  Now it's a microwave society.  Everybody wants it now and unfortunately it doesn't work like that.  You have to learn the college game, you have to learn how to defend, you have to learn nuances and how we defend in different ways, and he has just skyrocketed his ability to defend, his position both off the ball and on the ball,   His improvement on defense is as good as any I've seen in a college basketball player.  He was a huge liability last year on defense.  Everybody would say "you're not playing Cole enough, you're not playing Cole enough."  Well, he wasn't very good defensively, and he knew that.  But to his credit, he's worked extremely hard this last summer and all fall, and he's improved tremendously.  And even from the fall to now, it's night and day.  I mean he guarded DJ Davis from UCI, and he just loves the game, works his tail off, and is one of our hardest workers, and again, he's not even halfway through conference season of his sophomore year.  He's going to get better and better.  But he's only a sophomore.  Obviously, he's a weapon offensively, but because everybody just looks at his shooting, they don't notice the defense.


GH:  You gotta play defense in your system.

JP:  Yeah, you can't be a liability on defense.


GH:  With his on ball defense, is it because he has physically improved his quickness?  But you're saying he's learning the system, so his help defense is better.

JP:  Yep, everything.  He can do off-ball, on-ball defense.  He's improved tremendously, and it's great to see.


GH:  This is a really interesting topic on the message boards.  KK?  Can you comment on him?

JP:  I told our team on Friday, after he had 11 rebounds the night before.  In today's world, families, coaches, high school coaches, people, parents, players, they judge all their happiness and success by the jumpshot, scoring, points.  Well, it's really refreshing to have a young man like KK, where he doesn't care if he scores.  All he wants to do is help the team win, in whatever role--and accept his role.  A lot of people know their role--but they don't accept their role.  But KK accepts his role and plays SO hard.  Rebounds, motor, and he's an energy GIVER, not an energy vampire.  You put him in a game, the whole game changes--from an energy level.  I'm just so happy for him--he's just the greatest young man in the world.  Again, in a age where there's so much selfishness in college basketball and sports, he's the most unselfish kid I've coached.  


GH:  That's a big statement.  Coming in from high school, he was a big-time scorer, right?

JP:  He can score.  But the point is, the other night, he effects winning.  He had 11 rebounds and I don't think he scored.  I think he only took 1 shot.  Those guys that effect winning.  How do you guard a ball screen?  People don't even think like that.  How do you block out?  It's the little details of winning.  


GH:  Wow, yeah, he got 11 rebounds in 18 minutes. <laughs>  That's a crazy stat.  So Calvin, I really like his game, 'cuz he's aggressive.  He doesn't just shoot 3's--he takes it to the hole.  He makes things happen.  He's strong to the cup.

JP:  Yeah, Calvin is a rock of our team--he's one of the most competitive players we have.  He's a great young man.  He's another very unselfish player  He's come such an amazing way in the last year.  From last year to this year, he's completely different.  Coachable kid, who has really effected winning with his toughness.  


GH:  That's a great word for him:  toughness.  When you say unselfish, he doesn't care if he comes off the bench or starts?

JP:  Correct.  He just plays hard.  He doesn't care.  He's a senior, could have had an attitude, but he just wants to win.  He's our 6th man, and I think he should be the 6th man of the year in our league.  


GH:  I hope he gets it--he deserves it.  What about Evans?  He's starting to play a little more.

JP:  Yeah, we're getting Evans and Matija into the game.  We want to keep developing our bench.  We're playing right now 8 guys.  People say, "well, there's Joe Pasternack, he only plays 8 guys."  You go look at Arizona who played UCLA, the #4 team in the country--Arizona played 7 players.  Gonzaga plays 7.5 players, meaning one players plays 4 minutes.  So we're playing 8 players right now.  And if we could get a 9th to contribute, that would be terrific. 


GH:  That's great.  They're sophomore and freshman, respectively?

JP.  Yes.  


GH:  If you keep getting convincing wins, they'll get to play more and develop more.  It's a team effort.  Any comments for the rest of the conference season--and the next game against Hawaii on the road?

JP:  They're really, really good.  They're a great defensive team--they're very hard to beat at their place in Hawaii.  Winning on the road in college basketball is just so hard.  I don't care who you're playing.  And to play them is really hard.  It's going to be a tough, tough match up.  Our nonconference schedule--a lot of peopled talked about our schedule being such a bad schedule.  I respectfully disagree.  We played at Stanford and at San Jose State in scrimmages.  Then we had more road games and neutral games than we've ever had--since I've been here.  And we've prepared our team to play and win on the road.  And I think it's really helped us in conference so far.  


GH:  Yep,  Fresno State and Appalachian State were good teams.

JP:  Fresno State beat UNLV, UCI, and Wyoming.  They've had some really good wins recently.  You can't assess a schedule until the season is over.


GH:  Any other comments about the rest of the season?

JP:  My only focus is tomorrow's practice and that we improve.  We finally have a practice.  We haven't had a practice in a while.  


GH:  Ok, thanks for a great interview and quotes.

JP:  Yes, anything you ever need, just call me, ok.?


GH:  Thanks Coach and good luck in Hawaii! 



Saturday, January 21, 2023

Marin Leads 4th Quarter Comeback as Gauchos Down Roadrunners




CSUB vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 19 (BW Game 8)
CSU Bakersfield at UCSB
Saturday, January 21, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
The Gauchos (15-3, 6-1) had another one of those games.  You know, letting a Big West bottom feeder hang around and even take the lead in the 2nd half.  Then the switch is flipped, and the Gauchos run away and even cover the spread.  UCSB has trailed in the 2nd half of each of its 3 Big West home games.  The Gauchos are 1/2 game behind UC Riverside, which hosts Hawai'i in the Spectrum 1pm game.  UC Irvine is idle.

After CSUB, the Gauchos travel to Hawai'i for a Thursday night game and then take their final bye of the season.  Looking way ahead, UCI and UCR will be the opponents in back-to-back games in mid-February.

The Roadrunners (6-12, 2-5) are without Kaleb Higgins for the remainder of the season, and they have no one else who is averaging double digits in scoring.  Bakersfield is averaging 49.5 over its last 4 games, averages 52.3 points per game on the road and has the 4th-lowest scoring offense in the nation.  They are a good defensive team but it's hard to get W's with stats like that. 

UCSB-CSU Bakersfield History
UCSB leads the series 6-1.
January 11, 2023: W 60-48 at Bakersfield
November 19, 2016: L 77-70 at Bakersfield
December 27, 2016: W 62-60 (OT) at Santa Barbara
December 3, 2019: W 64-60 at Bakersfield
February 19, 2021: W 71-66 at Santa Barbara
February 20, 2021: W 63-44 at Santa Barbara
February 10, 2022: W 74-62 at Bakersfield

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000



Last time out
The crazy weather that hit California could not stop UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball from making the trip to Bakersfield to take on the Roadrunners of Cal State Bakersfield as the Gauchos continued with conference play.  Despite a slow start for the Gauchos, the team came out with their ninth straight game 60-48 to also stay undefeated in Big West play. 

Sorry, that wasn't me but the recap off the UCSB website.  This is what I wrote late that night on the Big West Boards:  Miles Norris scored 14 points as the Gauchos defeated the out-manned Roadrunners, who learned before the game that leading scorer Kalen Higgins had season-ending knee surgery earlier today.  UCSB is off to its best start since the 1988-89 squad began the season 15-1.  Freshman forward Ugnius Jarusevicius led all scorers with 15 points for Bakersfield, which failed to reach 50 points for the 5th time this season. 

CSU Bakersfield Roster
Kaleb Higgins #1 JR G, 5-10 155, Pine Bluff, AR -- 13.1 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 3.9 Ast
Antavion Collum #4 JR F, 6-7 230, Memphis, TN -- 9.2 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Marvin McGhee #10 JR G, 6-4 180, Atlanta, GA -- 7.9 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Cameron Smith #22 SR F, 6-7 205, Okolona, MS -- 6.3 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Modestas Kancleris #55 SO F, 6-9 195, Kaunas, Lithuania -- 5.8 Pts, 5.8 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Ugnius Jarusevicius #21 FR F, 6-10 220, Alytus, Lithuania -- 4.4 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Ivan Reynolds #23 SO G, 6-4 200, Pompano Beach, FL -- 4.3 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Travis Henson #2 SR F, 6-6 195, Oxon Hill, MD -- 4.5 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Cedquavious Hunter #0 FR G, 6-0, Como, MS -- 3.6 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Kaseem Watson #11 FR G, 6-7 180, Philadelphia, PA -- 3.6 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Naseem Gaskin #5 SO G, 6-4 185, Oakland, CA -- 0.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.5 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.9 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 4.7 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.3 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.7 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.1 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 6.7 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.6 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.9 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.4 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.6 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.6 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.6 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.0 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
CSU Bakersfield National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Assist/Turnover ratio: 332 (0.78)
  • Assists per game: 340 (10.4)
  • Effective FG percentage: 346 (.439)
  • Fastbreak points: 345 (4.72)
  • Field goal percentage: 336 (.400)
  • Field goal percentage Defense: 51 (.406)
  • Fouls per game: 287 (18.6)
  • Free Throw Attempts per game: 326 (14.4)
  • Free Throws Made per game: 306 (10.5)
  • Scoring Defense: 23 (61.4)
  • Scoring Margin: 286 (-3.1)
  • Scoring Offense: 349 (58.3)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 351 (12.8)
  • Three Pointers per game: 351 (4.3)
  • Winning percentage: 302 (.333)

Players

  • Modestas Kancleris -- Blocks: 190 (19), Blocks per game: 189 (1.06), Double Doubles: 245 (2)
  • Travis Henson -- Blocks per game: 326 (0.82)
  • Cameron Smith -- Double Doubles: 245 (2), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 274 (2.06)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Bench Points per game: 284 (15.83)
  • Effective FG percentage: 48 (.542)
  • Field Goal percentage: 14 (.492)
  • Rebound Margin: 54 (+4.9)
  • Scoring Defense: 24 (62.1)
  • Scoring Margin: 74 (+8.7)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 344 (15.8)
  • Three Pointers per game: 330 (5.3)
  • Winning percentage: 11 (.833)

Players

  • Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 98 (2.02), Assists: 75 (85), Assists per game: 56 (4.7), Field Goal percentage: 93 (.513), Field Goals: 232 (99), Free Throw attempts: 118 (92), Free Throw percentage: 134 (.826), Free Throws: 76 (76), Minutes per game: 274 (32:16), Points: 205 (286), Points per game: 167 (15.9), Steals: 150 (30), Steals per game: 139 (1.67)
  • Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 239 (17), Blocks per game: 241 (0.94), Double Doubles: 148 (3), Rebounds: 260 (118), Rebounds (defensive) per game: 135 (5.22), Rebounds per game: 230 (6.6)
  • Miles Norris -- Blocks: 164 (20), Blocks per game: 174 (1.11), Double Doubles: 148 (3), Minutes per game: 297 (32:01), Rebounds: 296 (114), Rebounds (offensive) per game: 250 (2.11), Rebounds per game: 264 (6.3)
  • Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 206 (28), Steals per game: 108 (1.75)

Prediction
Look, there's no reason this game ever has to be close.  I'd like to see the Gauchos stomp these guys so we can see more of Evans Kipruto, Matija Belic and the scout team.  UCSB 67, CSU Bakersfield 47.

Official Site:  https://gorunners.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  none
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=26 ... 15b4771d87
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428859

Gauchos Romp to Big Win over Matadors

https://ucsb.prestosports.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301200hjb3x



Full-Team Effort Guides Gauchos Past Matadors

https://ucsb.prestosports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/2023012057yiv5



Thursday, January 19, 2023

Mark Patton: Gauchos Have Miles To Go With Their Well-Traveled Basketball Star

https://www.noozhawk.com/mark-patton-gauchos-have-miles-to-go-with-their-well-traveled-basketball-star/?utm_source=hive&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hive_email_id_164290_mbb-newsletter&h_sid=c7c8cefb15-c318d5d68ba04b1c28c8fc84&h_slt=eyJoYXNoIjoiYmFhMWFhOTM5NDlkYjExIiwiaGl2ZV91c2VyX2lkIjo2ODI0NDc3OH0%3D



UCSB’s Big Finish Knocks UC Irvine Off the Top of Big West Conference

https://www.noozhawk.com/ucsbs-big-finish-knocks-uc-irvine-off-the-top-of-big-west-conference/?utm_source=hive&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hive_email_id_164290_mbb-newsletter&h_sid=c7c8cefb15-c318d5d68ba04b1c28c8fc84&h_slt=eyJoYXNoIjoiYmFhMWFhOTM5NDlkYjExIiwiaGl2ZV91c2VyX2lkIjo2ODI0NDc3OH0%3D



Men's Basketball Returns To Thunderdome Against CSUN

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230119loh1ua



Gauchos Visit CSUN Before Road Rematch with CSU Bakersfield

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230119ja4svg



CSUN vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 18 (BW Game 7)
CSUN at UCSB
Thursday, January 19, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
All is right in the world again.  If you had told me the Gauchos (14-3, 5-1) would split with Riverside and Irvine last week, I would have been disappointed that we can't seem to ever win down in Irvine.  Of course, the Gauchos took the most improbable route to 1-1...losing at home to UCR and winning at Bren with essentially 7 players (Kipruto made the floor for, like, one possession).  UCSB played its best game of the season, with a resurgent Andre Kelly keeping 'em close with 11-of-14 shooting from the field and then Ajay, Miles, Cole and Sanni hitting clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch to incredibly pull away from the Anteaters.  It helped that UCI was missing two of its bigs, but they have a big man factory down there so they just crank out a few more.  Importantly, UCSB won a rebounding battle after losing a lot of those in Big West play.  Even with this result, UCSB has a -1.5 rebound margin in conference play.

The Matadors (3-15, 0-7) are on their way to a 14th consecutive losing season and have not won since before Christmas.  However, they tend to stick around in games.  They were losing badly at Hawai'i last Saturday and rallied to within 3 points in the last 30 seconds.  Dionte Bostick and Atin Wright are their scoring guards and De'Sean Allen-Eikens has some skills inside, but they are otherwise devoid of scoring ability.  CSUN is getting its defensive chops back and has allowed just 65 points per game in the last two weeks.

CSUN-UCSB History
UCSB leads the series 45-21.
Recent games
March 1, 2022: W 70-61 at Santa Barbara
January 25, 2022: W 72-45 at Northridge
January 23, 2021: W 80-66 at Northridge
January 22, 2021: W 105-58 at Northridge
January 30, 2020: L 67-79 at Northridge
January 22, 2020: L 75-83 at Santa Barbara
March 14, 2019: W 71-68 at BWT, Anaheim
March 7, 2019: W 76-74 at Northridge
February 6, 2019: W 70-64 at Santa Barbara
February 24, 2018: W 82-73 at Northridge
February 3, 2018: W 75-51 at Santa Barbara 

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000
Tonight is High School Night.  All high schools students get into the game free by showing their student ID.

Head Coach
Trent Johnson
overall: 286-303 (.486)
CSUN: 10-38 (.208)
Johnson came out of retirement July, 2021 to lead CSUN as interim coach for the 2021-22 season in the wake of the Mark Gottfried fiasco.  CSUN removed the interim tag prior to this season.  Johnson, 68, has been named conference coach of the year in 3 different circuits: with Nevada (WAC), Pac-12 (Stanford) and SEC (LSU).  He took both the Wolfpack and the Cardinal to the Sweet 16 in his final season at each school.  Johnson has not had a winning season since his final season at LSU in 2011-12.

CSUN Roster
Atin Wright #5 SO G, 6-1 160, Lakewood, CA -- 13.7 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Dionte Bostick #0 SO G, 6-2 190, Clearwater, FL -- 13.6 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.7 Ast
De'Sean Allen-Eikens #25 JR G, 6-6 219, Williston, ND -- 10.1 Pts, 5.8 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Dearon Tucker #35 JR F, 6-10 240, Dallas, TX -- 5.3 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Ethan Igbanugo #21 SR G, 6-3 191, Lakeville, MN -- 5.2 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Fidelis Okereke #24 SO F, 6-6 240, Carson, CA -- 4.4 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Marcel Stevens #12 SO G, 6-2 175, Beverly Hills, CA -- 3.8 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Onyi Eyisi #13 SR F, 6-9 225, Napa Valley, CA -- 4.1 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Adam Afifi #23 JR F, 6-9 235, San Jose, CA -- 4.0 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Cam Slaymaker #3 FR G, 6-4 180, Coquitlam, Canada -- 1.6 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Arman Pezeshkian #22 JR G, 5-10 170, Glendale, CA -- 3.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.7 Ast
John Wade #1 JR G, 6-5 175, Oakland, CA -- 1.5 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Lamine Niang #34 FR F, 6-10 225, Thies, Senegal -- 1.7 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Johnnie Walter #4 FR F, 6-9 210, Westlake Village, CA -- 0.8 Pts, 1.9 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Ben Starks #45 FR C, 7-0 235, San Clemente, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.8 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 4.6 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.1 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.7 Pts, 6.7 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 10.1 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.2 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.5 Pts, 3.0 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 6.5 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.9 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.5 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.8 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.4 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.7 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.7 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
CSUN National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Assist/Turnover Ratio: 290 (0.88)
  • Assists per game: 343 (10.1)
  • Effective Field Goal percentage: 338 (.455)
  • Field Goal percentage: 331 (.404)
  • Fouls per game: 323 (19.3)
  • Scoring Offense: 330 (64.4)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 312 (18.1)
  • Three Point percentage: 286 (.316)
  • Three Pointers per game: 318 (5.7)
  • Turnovers per game: 55 (11.5)
  • Winning percentage: 341 (.167)

Players

  • Dionte Bostick -- Field Goal Attempts: 210 (218), Free Throw Attempts: 199 (79), Free Throws: 253 (55)
  • Atin Wright -- Field Goal Attempts: 282 (203), Free Throw percentage: 15 (.905), Free Throws: 228 (57), Minutes per game: 317 (31:48), Steals: 331 (24), Steals per game: 345 (1.33), Three Point Attempts: 205 (105)
  • De'Sean Allen-Eikens -- Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 250 (2.11)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

  • Bench Points per game: 290 (15.47)
  • Effective FG percentage: 63 (.537)
  • Field Goal percentage: 17 (.488)
  • Rebound Margin: 60 (+4.8)
  • Scoring Defense: 30 (62.6)
  • Three Point Attempts per game: 345 (15.5)
  • Three Pointers per game: 334 (5.2)
  • Winning percentage: 18 (.824)

Players

  • Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 112 (1.98), Assists: 97 (79), Assists per game: 62 (4.6), Field Goal percentage: 106 (.500), Field Goals: 313 (91), Free Throw attempts: 120 (90), Free Throw percentage: 137 (.822), Free Throws: 77 (74), Minutes per game: 239 (32:35), Points: 248 (268), Points per game: 170 (15.8), Steals: 132 (30), Steals per game: 105 (1.76)
  • Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 259 (16), Blocks per game: 248 (0.94), Double Doubles: 144 (3), Rebounds: 274 (114), Rebounds (defensive) per game: 125 (5.29), Rebounds per game: 215 (6.7)
  • Miles Norris -- Blocks: 259 (16), Blocks per game: 248 (0.94), Double Doubles: 144 (3), Minutes per game: 234 (32:37), Rebounds: 332 (109), Rebounds (offensive) per game: 224 (2.18), Rebounds per game: 253 (6.4)
  • Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 287 (25), Steals per game: 135 (1.67)

Prediction
The Gauchos are in the midst of a gauntlet of games necessitated by the Big West squeezing 22 game dates onto the calendar from just before New Year's to the first weekend in March.  UCSB is playing its 4th game in 9 days and has CSUB coming in on Saturday for its 5th game in 11 days.  Hopefully the flu bug has moved on and the Gauchos can go deeper into their bench.  UCSB 74, CSUN 50

Official Site:  https://gomatadors.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/bigwest ... etball-f9/
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 07bf7e7776
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428858