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
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How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=26 ... 15b4771d87
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428859