CSUF vs UCSB Big West Conference Championship Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 34 (BWT Championship)
Cal State Fullerton (20-12) vs. UCSB (26-7)
Saturday, March 11, 2023, 6:30 pm PST
Henderson, Nev.
 
Quick Bite
So here we are.  Every school in the Big West points to this day in March.  They want to be playing on this day in March, because this is likely the game you have to win to make the NCAA Tournament.  And the Gauchos have made it to this day.  Even with a school-record 26 wins, they have to win on this day to make the NCAA Tournament.  The bracketologists have all swapped UC Irvine out of their brackets for UCSB: Joe Lunardi has the Gauchos as a 14 seed going to Denver to play Gonzaga.

The Gauchos had their typical slow start last night, with the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth from the Gaucho faithful.  But they recovered nicely, and only a buzzer-beating Flynn Cameron 3 prevented UCSB from entering halftime tied with the Highlanders.  The Gauchos took control early in the 2nd half and I don't think they gave up the lead thereafter.  Josh Pierre-Louis laid it all out last night.  He scored a season-high 20 points, many off of dart-quick drives to the basket.  He dished a couple of assists to Evans Kipruto and played incredible defense until he fouled out with under 4 minutes to play.  Ajay Mitchell was too much for Riverside, who tried putting Jamal Hartwell on him to no avail.  Mitchell pretty much had his way getting a little edge on his smaller defender and either getting a basket or getting fouled.  Even board favorites Kipruto and Belic chipped in, combining for 14 points off the bench. 

UCSB has won 6 straight games, and the most amazing stat to me?  Just 44 turnovers in those 6 games (7.3 per game).  Last night, UCSB committed just 5 turnovers and I think can remember every one of them...there's the 2 in-bounds play travels by Ajay Mitchell, JPL threw one over the Gaucho bench and JPL had a charge.  I give up, I can't remember the last one.

Yesterday morning, if I told you we would be playing Cal State Fullerton, just about everyone on this board would have taken that matchup.  After CSUF's win over the top-seeded Anteaters, everyone immediately flipped to "oh no, the Titans look too touch for us."  I understand.  The Titans are competing at a high level and are the hottest team in the Big West with an 8-game winning streak.  Their unheralded program is playing in the Big West Championship game for the 4th time in the last 6 seasons (5 events).  Latrell Wrightsell Jr. can do it all...he's their top scorer, top 3-point shooter and a great defensive player.  Troy San Antonio was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year but scored 15 first-half points yesterday.  Fullerton has a lot of interchangeable undersized but quick swingmen that will be a problem for Santa Barbara to handle.  CSUF usually initiates its offense from the top of the key with penetrating drives to the basket.  Therefore, they don't get a lot of assists.  This is where you break out the pack-line defense that Joe Pasternack has been willing to deploy in the past.

2023 Meetings
Dec. 29: UC Santa Barbara 66, Cal State Fullerton 58
FULLERTON, Calif. -- Ajay Mitchell scored 24 points and Josh Pierre-Louis added 17 as the Gauchos handed the Titans their first home loss.  Pierre-Louis hit four free throws and Mitchell added a leaning 3-pointer as the shot clock expired in a game-closing 11-2 run.  CSUF had a season-high 21 turnovers but out-rebounded UCSB 33-22.  Jalen Harris led Fullerton with 19 points and three rebounds.

Feb. 20: Cal State Fullerton 74, UC Santa Barbara 60
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The Titans (17-12, 11-6) used runs of 9-0 and 11-0 in the 1st half to run out to a double-digit lead and were never seriously threatened in a defeat of the reeling Gauchos (20-7, 11-5).  Max Jones scored 18 points and Latrell Wrightsell, Jr. and John Mikey Square each added 15 for Fullerton, which has won 5 straight games.  UCSB has lost 3 in a row to fall into a tie for 3rd place with Hawai'i.

Last UCSB game
March 10: (2) UC Santa Barbara 92, (3) UC Riverside 87
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Ajay Mitchell scored 28 points and handed out 7 assists and Josh Pierre-Louis added a season-high 20 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Gauchos (26-7) to their second Big West Tournament Championship game in 3 seasons.  UCSB shot 57% from the field and received career-highs in points from Matija Belic and Evans Kipruto off the bench.  Flynn Cameron scored a career-high 31 points and Zyon Pullin added 24 for the Highlanders (22-12), who made 10-of-21 threes and out-rebounded the Gauchos 34-25.

Last Cal State Fullerton game
March 10: (4) Cal State Fullerton 83, (1) UC Irvine 80
HENDERSON, Nev. -- Latrell Wrightsell Jr. scored 22 points to lead five players in double figures as the defending-champion Titans (20-12) advanced to the Big West Tournament Championship game for the second straight season and fourth time in the last 5 Tournaments.  Cal State Fullerton made 7-of-8 free throw attempts down the stretch to hold off the top-seeded Anteaters.  Dawson Baker scored 22 points and DJ Davis added 20 for UC Irvine, which has an automatic bid to the NIT.

Cal State Fullerton Roster
Latrell Wrightsell #3 JR G, 6-3 189, Omaha, NE -- 16.4 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 2.4 Ast
Jalen Harris #0 SR G, 6-1 180, Los Angeles, CA -- 12.4 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Max Jones #2 JR G, 6-5 206, Clearwater, FL -- 12.3 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast
Tory San Antonio #23 SR G, 6-3 165, Moreno Valley, CA -- 7.6 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Vincent Lee #13 SR F, 6-8 230, Midlothian, TX -- 7.6 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Grayson Carper #21 SR G, 6-6 190, Fresno, CA -- 4.3 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Garrison Wade #22 SR F, 6-6 200, Madison, MS -- 4.4 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 0.4 Ast
John Mikey Square #32 JR F, 6-6 210, North Bethesda, MD -- 3.1 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Daeshawn Eaton #1 JR G, 6-2 160, Columbia, MD -- 2.6 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Lathaniel Bastian #14 SO G, 6-8 225, Nassau, Bahamas -- 2.1 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Victor Panov #5 FR F, 6-7 230, Saint Petersburg, Russia -- 1.4 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia #10 SR F, 6-7 205, Bamako, Mali -- 3.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Cameron Carter #35 SR G, 6-2 180, Reno, NV -- 1.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Trey Blackmore #11 FR G, 6-2 165, San Antonio, TX - 0.8 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Jayden White #12 FR F, 6-7 200, San Marcos, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Justin White #24 FR F, 6-5 205, San Marcos, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 16.3 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 5.2 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 14.2 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.5 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 10.0 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.3 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 7.0 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.5 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.9 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 2.3 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 1.3 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 1.2 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.0 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.2 Pts, 0.2 Reb, 0.2 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 State Fullerton National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Assist/Turnover Ratio: 296 (0.89)
• Assists per game: 334 (10.5)
• Bench Points per game: 293 (14.81)
• Field Goal pct Defense: 57 (.416)
• Free Throw Attempts per game: 53 (20.7)
• Free Throws Made per game: 77 (14.4)
• Scoring Defense: 38 (64.9)
• Three-Point percentage: 31 (.374)
• Three-Point percentage Defense: 38 (.310)
• Turnover Margin: 44 (2.5)
• Turnovers Forced per game: 69 (14.31)

Player

• Latrell Wrightsell Jr. -- Double Doubles: 413 (2), Field Goal Attempts: 186 (389), Field Goal pct: 265 (.427), Field Goals: 252 (166), Minutes per game: 239 (33:17), Points: 246 (475), Points per game: 145 (16.4), Steals: 254 (43), Steals per game: 191 (1.48), Three Point Attempts: 215 (182), Three Pointers per game: 114 (2.45), Three Pointers: 167 (71)
• Jalen Harris -- Field Goal Attempts: 272 (364), Free Throw Attempts: 261 (129), Free Throw pct: 335 (.736), Free Throws: 284 (95)
• Max Jones -- Free Throw Attempts: 242 (131), Free Throw pct: 209 (.794), Free Throws: 201 (104)
• Vincent Lee -- Rebounds (offensive) per game: 273 (2.03)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Assist/Turnover ratio: 61 (1.26)
• Bench Points per game: 288 (14.91)
• Effective FG pct: 28 (.547)
• Field Goal pct: 7 (.496)
• Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 303 (8.15)
• Rebounds per game: 307 (32.03)
• Scoring Defense: 56 (65.7)
• Three Point Attempts per game: 341 (15.8)
• Three Pointers per game: 329 (5.5)
• Turnovers per game: 66 (11.4)
• Winning percentage: 19 (.788)

Players

• Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 52 (2.34), Assists: 20 (171), Assists per game: 35 (5.2), Double Doubles: 285 (3), Field Goal Attempts: 265 (365), Field Goal pct: 93 (.504), Field Goals: 136 (184), Free Throw attempts: 48 (184), Free Throw pct: 156 (.815), Free Throws: 33 (150), Minutes per game: 209 (33:32), Points: 106 (538), Points per game: 150 (16.3), Steals: 194 (46), Steals per game: 245 (1.39)
• Calvin Wishart -- Assists: 344 (94)
• Miles Norris -- Blocks: 272 (27), Blocks per game: 309 (0.82), Double Doubles: 203 (4), Field Goal pct: 106 (.494), Field Goals: 238 (168), Minutes per game: 195 (33:39), Points: 263 (469), Points per game: 332 (14.2), Rebounds: 207 (206), Rebounds (defensive) per game: 261 (4.52), Rebounds per game: 258 (6.2)
• Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 344 (24), Double Doubles: 103 (7), Rebounds: 222 (203), Rebounds (defensive) per game: 150 (5.00), Rebounds per game: 241 (6.3)
• Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals per game: 341 (1.28)

Prediction
Both of yesterday's semifinal contests went WAY over.  With a championship on the line, I think the scoring goes down.  It will be another close one, which is the type of contest we excel in.  UCSB 66, Cal State Fullerton 65.

Official Site:  https://www.fullertontitans.com/sports/m-baskbl/index
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CSUF vs. UCSB Game Preview, by Gaucho Freg

UCSB vs Cal State Fullerton, Game 2
Saturday, February 23, 2019, 7 PM PST
 
Overview:  Gauchos, tied for 3^rd in the Big West two games behind second place Cal State Fullerton host the streaking Titans Saturday night. When the teams played back in January, UCSB was all alone in first place and the Titans were 6-12 overall.  Since, the Gauchos dropped all the way down to 5^th place and CSF has only lost once, a close one to first place UCI.

 By the Numbers                                                             
 

Quadrant 4 Game
Record	13-13	18-8
Home/Away (D1)	4-9 (A)	9-2 (H)
Big West Conference	9-3	7-5
Composite National Rankings
DCI 1&2, BPI, KP, Massey, NET, RPI, Sagarin	165	155
NET	164	154
SOS (NET)	141	287
Efficiency Rankings (Pomeroy)
Offense	271	138
Defense	93	207
Scoring	73.3  /  72.4	73.3  /  68.2
FG%	46.1  /  47.1	45.5  /  42.4
3 Pt Makes pg	5.7  /  4.9	6.3  /  6.2
3Pt %	32.1  /  33.0	33.3  /  31.2
FT Makes pg	14.8  /  16.5	15.4  /  14.2
FT%	70.3  /  70.7	71.3   /  71.4
PPG Allowed	70.5  /  67.7	65.0  /  65.8
FG % Defense	42  /  42	42.1  /  45.6
3Pt % Defense	31  /  30.3	29.2  /  30.6
Rebounding Margin	+1.5  /  +1.7	+6.7  /  +3.0
Turnovers	13.5  /  13.1	11  /  10.7

CSF:
Best win (NET):  vs. UCSB (154)
Worst Loss (NET):  vs. Sacramento State (270)
Trend:  The Titans have won 4 straight and 8 of 9, their only loss in the stretch on the road by 7 to frontrunner UCI.

CSF-UCSB History
This will be the 88^th meeting between the schools with the Gauchos holding a 47-40 advantage.  Game One in Fullerton was a laugher with the Titans prevailing by 21.  The Titans negated Amadou Sow, holing him to 4 points. Heidegger, coming off the bench was scoreless on 6 fg attempts, 5 from deep, with no FT attempts.  All BW guards Kyle Allman and Khalil Ahmad torched the Gauchos for 21 & 19 respectively.  Jackson Rowe pulled down 12 boards, scored 12 and dished 4 assists. The Titans shot 55% and made 13-14 FT attempts.  The Gauchos made just 12-22 FTs.  Fullerton is not a good three point shooting team, their guards were able to penetrate the Gaucho defense at will and scored most of their points in the paint. 

Head Coach:  Dedrique Taylor is in his 6th season at the helm of the Titans coming off his most successful season by far in winning the BW tournament and taking Fullerton to the NCAAs. This was his second consecutive year with a winning record after an initial three losing seasons. He has an overall record of 80-102 and a 39-53 record in the Big West.  Current players Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe have both earned freshman of the year awards under his watch. 

Roster 
The Titans return nearly everyone from their BWT champion team a year ago and start four upperclassman and one sophomore. Their primary reserves are two juniors and a freshman.  Four starters average 8.8 ppg or more and the rest of the team average under 4pts each. 

Probable Starters
Guard Austen Awoskia  #10   6’3”, 193 lb.  Junior  8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 31 mpg, 1.4 spg.  The well-built guard leads the team in assists and is second in rebounding. He is fourth in scoring and has caught fire from deep, now shooting 40%.
Guard Kyle Allman #0  6’4” 182 lbs, Senior. 18.0 ppg on 39% from 3, 3.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.5 TOs per game, 6 FT attempts per game.  34 mpg.  2018 All Big West First Teamer and BWT MVP Allman is again having a productive season, leading the Titans in scoring, three pointers, minutes played, and getting to the FT line. 
Guard Khalil Ahmad #14   6’3”, 209 lb, Senior, 17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 31 mpg  2018 All BW 2^nd Teamer, former BW Freshman of the Year is 2^nd in scoring and three pointers made, 32% clip. He is good in getting to the line with over four attempts per game.  Leads the team with steals, 1.8 pg but coughs it up a lot, 2.2 TOs per game, 0.5 ATO ratio.
Forward Jackson Rowe  #34   6’7”, 210lb, Junior  11.2 ppg, 32% from deep, 8.0 rpg, 30 mpg  Preseason All Big West.  Leads team in rebounding and averages a block a game
Forward Johnny Wang  #33   6’9”, 245lb, Sophomore  3.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg.   Has been starting but playing just 15 mpg.  6 pts on 3-5 vs. UCSB in 23 minutes in the first game.  More importantly, his defense was very good.
 
Key Reserves
Guard Jamal Smith  #1  6’3”, 165lb RS Junior 3.1 ppg, 19 mpg.
Forward Davon Clare  #5  6’5”, 220 lb Junior.  Averages 16 mpg and pulls down 3.3 boards while scoring 3.0 ppg.
Forward Dominik Heinzl  #21  6’7”, 239  Senior  2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 10 mpg, 6 pts & 4 boards in 16m vs UCSB, first game
Guard Wayne Arnold  #2  6’4”, 170 lb. Freshman 3.5 ppg, 12 mpg  Terrible 3pt shooting %
 
View from a Titan Fan:
None.
 
Match-up overview:
The Titans are on quite the streak winning 8 of 9 including their 21 point blow out win over UCSB.   The Gauchos had no answers on defense and could not stop their speedy guards & wings.  When UCSB had the ball, Fullerton was able to effectively defend Sow despite having an unheralded post in Johnny Wang.  This was the worst match-up for UCSB so far in conference.  Max is healthier now and should be better on defense than he was in the first game.  Pasternack was able to scheme an effective defense to slow down the Titans last year, we’ll see what he has in store this time around.

Keys to the game for the Gauchos: 
·       Gaucho inside game:  Sow was shut down but Idehen had a good game.  Sow has been improving and I doubt he puts up only 4 this time around. 
·       Massive improvement in the defense.  Was probably the worst defense the Gauchos had in conference play.  If similar, UCSB loses.  Sekou may be a good asset on defense for UCSB in this game.
·       Offensive spacing & movement without turnovers.  UCSB ball movement & passing was terrific vs. Hawaii and it was getting the team open lanes and looks from the perimeter.  Fullerton’s defense is excellent, rating 93 in Pomeroy so this may not come as easy but if they can wear out the Titan starters, CSF has a big production drop-off from them.

Prediction:  Gauchos improve but, like we are for Hawaii, this matchup is a tough one for UCSB.  CSF 75  UCSB 70

Official Site:    http://www.fullertontitans.com/sports/m-baskbl/index
Hey Guys!:  https://247sports.com/college/cal-state ... RT-103523/
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UCSB vs. CSUF Game Preview, by Gaucho Freg

UCSB @ Cal State Fullerton, Game 1
Thursday, January 24, 2019, 7 PM PST
 
Overview:  The first place Gauchos, at 3-0 the only undefeated team in the Big West, travel south to Fullerton to take on the 2-2 Titans who are tied with CSUN  for 5th. Both teams are coming off of road victories, UCSB handling UC Davis by 11 and Fullerton knocking off Long Beach by 2.

By the Numbers                                                     
 

Record	6-12	14-3
Home/Away (D1)	2-2 (H)	3-3 (A)
Big West Conference	2-2	3-0
Composite National Rankings
DCI 1&2, BPI, KP, Massey, NET, RPI, Sagarin	201	129
NET	202	137
SOS (ESPN BPI)	48	348
CBS Preseason Rank	220	288
SI Preseason Rank	118	185
Preseason Poll Pick	2nd	4th
Efficiency Rankings (Pomeroy)
Offense	277	93
Defense	124	212
Scoring	72.8	76.2
FG%	45.3	47.5
3Pt %	31.4	35.2
FT%	69.1	70.8
PPG Allowed	67.4	63.4
FG % Defense	42.7	39.8
3Pt % Defense	32.5	28.9
Rebounding Margin	+.1	+9

CSF:
Best win (NET):  vs. Long Beach (196)
Worst Loss (NET):  vs. Sacramento State (282)

CSF-UCSB History
This will be the 87^th meeting between the schools with the Gauchos holding a 47-39 advantage.  The series started in 1976 after Fullerton moved up to D1 and the Titans won the first 6 meetings, the Gauchos notching their first victory in 1979.  The Titans equaled this streak from 1982-1985.  The Gauchos longest win streak in the series is 8 games, from 1999 to 2003.  UCSB swept the series last season and has won two straight vs. the Titans.
 
Head Coach:  Dedrique Taylor is in his 6th season at the helm of the Titans coming off his most successful season by far in winning the BW tournament and taking Fullerton to the NCAAs. This was his second consecutive year with a winning record after an initial three losing seasons. He has an overall record of 73-101 and a 32-52 record in the Big West.  Current players Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe have both earned freshman of the year awards under his watch.

Roster 
The Titans return nearly everyone from their BWT champion team a year ago and start four upperclassman and one sophomore. Their primary reserves are two juniors and a freshman.  Four starters average 8.8 ppg or more and the rest of the team average under 4pts each.

Probable Starters
Guard Austen Awoskia  #10   6’3”, 193 lb.  Junior  8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.8 apg, 31 mpg, 1.4 spg.  The well-built guard leads the team in assists and is second in rebounding. He is fourth in scoring and is a terrible three point shooter.
Guard Kyle Allman #0  6’4” 182 lbs, Senior. 18.5 ppg on 40% from 3, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 6 FT attempts per game.  35 mpg.  2018 All Big West First Teamer and BWT MVP Allman is again having a productive season, leading the Titans in scoring, minutes played, and getting to the FT line.    Guard Khalil Ahmad #14   6’3”, 209 lb, Senior, 17.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 31 mpg  2018 All BW 2^nd Teamer, former BW Freshman of the Year is 2^nd in scoring and three pointers made, 32% clip. He is good in getting to the line with 3.6 attempts per game.  He is second in minutes played, 30.1 mpg, pulls down 3.9 boards per game. Leads the team with steals, 1.8 pg but coughs it up a lot, 2.5 TOs per game, 0.5 ATO ratio.
Forward Jackson Rowe  #34   6’7”, 210lb, Junior  16.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 32 mpg  Preseason All Big West.  Leads team in rebounding and adds nearly a block a game.  Easily the best three point shooting threat on the team, making an impressive 56% of them, 17/30.  He is third in scoring with 12.7 ppg.
Forward Johnny Wang  #33   6’9”, 245lb, Sophomore  3.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg.   Has been starting but playing just 16 mpg
 
Key Reserves
Forward Davon Clare  #5  6’5”, 220 lb Junior.  Averages 16 mpg and pulls down 3.5 boards while scoring 3.2 ppg.
Guard Jamal Smith  #1  6’3”, 165lb RS Junior 3.7 ppg, starter minutes at 21 mpg.
Guard Wayne Arnold  #2  6’4”, 170 lb. Freshman 3.3 ppg, 12 mpg  Terrible 3pt shooting %
 
View from a Titan Fan:
Titan Central normally provides excellent pre-game write-ups but it looks like they stopped doing them after preseason for some reason.  Oh well, a link to their site just in case they add one before the game:
https://247sports.com/college/cal-state ... 373/Feeds/
 
Match-up overview:
The Titans played a challenging preseason schedule, toughest in the conference and will have faced off against three of the top 4 teams coming into conference play after their game with the Gauchos. They had been up by 14 on the road against Washington and are certainly better than their record might suggest.  Dedrique Taylor had the program on a nice trajectory up until this season but the Titans have taken a step back and the team seems to have lost chemistry and energy.  They were awful against UCI, scoring only 12 points in the first half but seemed to have righted the ship and earned a hard fought win on the road over Long Beach their last time out.  Despite the uneven season so far, Fullerton has three elite players in Rowe, Allman and Ahmad plus an emerging talent in Awoshika. Like CSUN, Fullerton has the talent to beat any team in the Big West but are held back by a lack of a front court and depth. 

Keys to the game for the Gauchos: 
·       Gaucho inside game:  Sow’s speed and athleticism plus depth with Idehen & Ami vs. Wang & Rowe in the post. Rowe is a terrific player but Fullerton does not have good front-court talent beyond him.  Pound it inside and make Fullerton collapse their defense.  Should open things up for our guards.
·       Good rotations on defense.  Fullerton’s guards are terrific and Gaucho help defense must be on point.  Ramsey is key to disrupting their flow. 
·       Blackmon vs. Rowe.  Blackmon has been one of SB's best defenders, this will be one of his biggest challenges in conference play. 
·       Max integration project, continued. I think his defense showed some improvement vs. Davis, he was working hard on that end.  This fan has complete faith that he and the coaches are moving this in the right direction and we will be seeing the Max of last season before too long. 

Prediction:  Fullerton may lead this early and into the second half but Gaucho depth & balance should prevail over 40 minutes.  Gauchos 74 Titans 67

Official Site:    http://www.fullertontitans.com/sports/m-baskbl/index
Hey Guys!:  https://247sports.com/college/cal-state ... RT-103523/
How to Watch:  http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1724


Big West Three-Man Weave Pre-Season Preview Link:
https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/big ... eview-2019

Double-Doubles by Harmon, Williams Lead Gauchos Past Fullerton, 80-65

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2013-14/releases/201402225ttwem

Titans Rally with 2 in the 9th to Steal a Win!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTMwheJvt4I

Men's Basketball: 3/7: UCSB Has Big Second Half, Defeats CSUF, 66-50

http://youtu.be/uNU5eEA0COE