UCSB vs UCD Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 30 (BW Game 19)

UCSB at UC Davis
Thursday, March 2, 2023, 6:00 pm PST
Davis, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
They are all must-win games now.  This week, we must win twice to have any chance to gain the #1 seed for the Big West Tournament.  While UC Irvine at UC Riverside is the marquee matchup, in the end it doesn't really matter who wins that game from our perspective.  The Gauchos (22-7, 13-5) just need to win to keep pace, and hope for some help on Saturday.  A depleted UCSB squad played very well last week.  It was nice to get JPL back for the UCSD game, but the Gauchos managed to outlast speedy Long Beach State without him.  Matija Belic has taken advantage of injuries to take on a more prominent role.  He brings a propensity to drive and kick, and flashes well to open spots on the floor.  The team in general is adjusting to life without KKK and Ajare.

Will this game even be played?  A week ago, the Aggies (17-12, 10-7) canceled a game at Cal State Fullerton due to not having enough healthy players to field the 8 required to play.  Two nights later, they were able to make the trip to last-place Cal Poly.  Hmmm.  It actually wouldn't hurt us to have the game canceled...we could still win the Big West outright with a win vs. Hawai'i coupled with the UCI/UCR winner losing on Saturday.  UCD is in a battle to avoid 7th place, but that will largely depend on their Saturday matchup with Long Beach State.  Elijah Pepper has been a scoring machine for the last month.  Pepper is averaging 28.1 points on 19 shot attempts per game since January 26.  During that stretch he is shooting .494 from the field (season average is .457), .419 from 3-point range (season average .337) and .852 from the free throw line (.800 season avg.).  All this while averaging 38 minutes a game over his last 7 games.  And who can forget Ty Johnson, who ended his last outing against the Gauchos as the bottom flapjack in an Andre Kelly tall stack?  He'll run the point and try to annoy Ajay Mitchell again.  UCD is devestated inside, and UCSB big men should have a field day.  Operative word: should.

Last meeting
Feb. 11: UC Santa Barbara 84, UC Davis 74
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Ajay Mitchell scored 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead the Gauchos (20-4, 11-2) over the Aggies (14-11, 7-6).  Johs Pierre-Louis added 18 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists for Santa Barbara, which reached 20 wins for the 5th time in Joe Pasternack's six seasons at the school.  UCSB shot 61% from the field.  Elijah Pepper scored 30 points for UC Davis, the 5th straight game in which he has scored at least 28.

UCSB's last game
Feb. 25: UC Santa Barbara 87, UC San Diego 71
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Miles Norris made his first 8 shots from the field, scoring a season-high 25 points to spark the Gauchos (22-7, 13-5) to the runaway win over the Tritons (10-20, 5-13). Each UCSB starter scored in double digits, with Andre Kelly recording a double double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  The Gauchos shot 59% from the field and made 10-of-17 (59%) shots from the 3-point line.  Roddie Anderson III scored 21 points and Francis Nwaokorie added 19 for UC San Diego.

UCD's last game
Feb. 25: UC Davis 58, Cal Poly 52
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Elijah Pepper scored 20 points to become the leading single-season scorer in school history and the Aggies (17-12, 10-7) returned from a one-game hiatus to defeat the Mustangs (7-23, 1-17).  Pepper, who has 617 points on the season, made 3 free throws with 59 seconds left to break a 52-52 tie.  Cal Poly has lost 17 straight games and is locked into the 10 seed position for the Big West Tournament.

The Arena
University Credit Union Center
Capacity: 6,003
The Pavilion was renamed in July, 2021 thanks to a 10-year partnership between UC Davis and the credit union.  The arena, originally known as Recreation Hall, opened in 1977.  On Dec. 9, 1995, the basketball floor inside the arena was renamed Hamilton Court, in honor of former men’s basketball coach Bob Hamilton, who passed away just days prior to the ceremonies.  As of a few years ago, his wife was still attending the Big West Tournament as I got a chance to meet her.

UC Davis Roster
Elijah Pepper #40 JR G, 6-4 200, Selah, WA -- 22.0 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 3.4 Ast
Ty Johnson #2 SO G, 6-3 190, Chicago, IL -- 14.6 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Christian Anigwe #4 SR F, 6-9 220, Phoenix, AZ -- 12.0 Pts, 5.8 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Robby Beasley #5 SO G, 6-3 190, San Ranon, CA -- 9.8 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Kane Milling #0 JR G, 6-4 180, Nantes, France -- 7.2 Pts, 4.4 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Leo DeBruhl #10 SO G, 6-2 190, Seattle, WA -- 4.7 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Ade Adebayo #24 JR G, 6-4 200, London, United Kingdom -- 3.8 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Niko Rocak #20 SO F, 6-9 220, Geneva, Switzerland -- 2.1 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Sione Lose #22 FR G, 6-4 170, Sacramento, CA -- 1.1 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Sam Manu #13 JR F, 6-7 210, San Mateo, CA -- 1.6 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.1 Ast
DeAndre Henry #15 JR F, 6-7 225, Phoenix, AZ -- 5.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jac Mani #11 FR F, 6-9 217, Beverly Hills, CA -- 5.0 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Francesco Borra #55 SO F, 6-11 250, Moncalieri, Italy -- 1.2 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Patrick Lambey #23 JR F, 6-5 190, Granite Bay, CA -- 1.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.7 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.9 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 14.1 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.5 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.5 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.1 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.7 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 2.9 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 -- 1.1 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.8 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.1 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 -- 0.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.3 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
 
UC Davis National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Assist/Turnover Ratio: 316 (0.84)
• Bench Points per game: 317 (13.83)
• Fastbreak Points: 14 (14.52)
• Fouls per game: 300 (18.7)
• Free Throw Attempts per game: 5 (24.1)
• Free Throws Made per game: 16 (16.7)
• Rebound Margin: 44 (+4.5)
• Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 38 (11.93)
• Rebounds per game: 69 (36.90)
• Three Point percentage Defense: 323 (.368)
• Turnovers Forced per game: 43 (14.93)
• Turnovers per game: 326 (14.6)

Players

• Elijah Pepper -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 349 (0.98), Assists: 267 (96), Assists per game: 242 (3.4), Double Doubles: 380 (2), Field Goal Attempts: 17 (453), Field Goal percentage: 186 (.457), Field Goals: 30 (207), Free Throw attempts: 35 (175), Free Throw percentage: 186 (.800), Free Throws: 27 (140), Minutes per game: 81 (34:52), Points: 14 (617), Points per game: 8 (22.0), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 216 (4.71), Rebounds per game: 342 (5.9), Steals: 208 (42), Steals per game: 182 (1.50), Three Point Attempts: 124 (187), Three Pointers per game: 181 (2.25), Three Pointers: 202 (63)
• Christian Anigwe -- Blocks: 83 (39), Blocks per game: 72 (1.44), Double Doubles: 380 (2), Free Throw Attempts: 282 (117), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 95 (2.59)
• Leo DeBruhl -- Double Doubles: 587 (1)
• Kane Milling -- Double Doubles: 587 (1)
• Robby Beasley -- Double Doubles: 587 (1)
• Ty Johnson -- Free Throw Attempts: 72 (159), Free Throws: 109 (112), Points: 345 (408), Points per game: 292 (14.6), Steals: 92 (50), Steals per game: 82 (1.79)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Bench Points per game: 287 (15.07)
• Effective FG percentage: 39 (.543)
• Field Goal percentage: 10 (.491)
• Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 279 (8.59)
• Rebounds per game: 288 (32.59)
• Scoring Defense: 41 (64.9)
• Three Point Attempts per game: 339 (16.1)
• Three Pointers per game: 328 (5.5)
• Winning percentage: 31 (.759)

Players

• Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 78 (2.12), Assists: 52 (142), Assists per game: 54 (4.9), Double Doubles: 380 (2), Field Goal percentage: 105 (.500), Field Goals: 217 (157), Free Throw attempts: 89 (153), Free Throw percentage: 164 (.810), Free Throws: 65 (124), Minutes per game: 243 (33:07), Points: 201 (456), Points per game: 196 (15.7), Steals: 256 (40), Steals per game: 261 (1.38)
• Miles Norris -- Blocks: 251 (26), Blocks per game: 262 (0.90), Double Doubles: 261 (3), Field Goal percentage: 114 (.495), Field Goals: 321 (147), Minutes per game: 222 (33:19), Points: 345 (408), Points per game: 345 (14.1), Rebounds: 261 (183), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 276 (4.48), Rebounds per game: 252 (6.3)
• Andre Kelly -- Double Doubles: 113 (6), Rebounds: 273 (181), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 151 (5.04), Rebounds per game: 231 (6.5)
• Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals per game: 257 (1.38)

Prediction
Both teams have been degraded by apparent season-ending injuries.  While UCSB appears to have rebounded, each player remaining needs to be play at a high level for them to win.  The Aggies are a tough out, especially at home.  Of course, they're depleted as well, but Pepper makes up for it with his bull-in-a-china-shop play.  Pepper is unstoppable and playing at home...I think he's the x factor in this game.  Prove me wrong, Gauchos!  UC Davis 68, UCSB 66.

Official Site:  https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.aggiesportstalk.com/categor ... lton-court
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=07 ... a6b26562f4
How to Listen:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ucsb/
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428786

UCD vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 24 (BW Game 13)

UC Davis at UCSB
Saturday, February 11, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
Once again the Gauchos (19-4, 10-2) got off the floor, dusted themselves off and posted a high-quality conference road win.  UCSB has quite the list of road scalps: Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, Hawai'i and now Long Beach State.  The loss at CSUN continues to perplex, but JPL didn't play in the 2nd half of that contest and he was a difference maker at the Pyramid.  He looked fully recovered from a hip injury as he was quick, bouncy and, most importantly, under control.

The Gauchos now return home to face another team they have yet to face in the guard-oriented Aggies (14-10, 7-5).  UC Davis has the highest-scoring 1-2 combo in the Big West in Elijah Pepper and Ty Johnson.  Pepper is on an unbelievable roll, having reached or surpassed 28 points in 4 straight games.  He's a bull in a china shop driving inside, but he can also hit threes and is essentially a stat-stuffer, filling every column with crooked numbers.  Johnson runs the point and is the #4 scorer in the conference, but he is prone to turnovers.  The Aggies like to push the ball , feeding off of turnovers, and are very streaky.  They can go ice cold and then explode for points.

UC Davis-UCSB History
UCSB leads the series 32-11
Recent games
February 24, 2022: W 76-69 (OT) at Davis
March 12, 2021: W 71-55 at BWT, Paradise, NV
January 30, 2021: W 89-86 (OT) at Davis
January 29, 2021: W 72-51 at Davis
February 22, 2020: W 70-56 at Santa Barbara
February 13, 2020: L 75-84 at Davis
February 9, 2019: L 57-61 at Santa Barbara
January 17, 2019: W 69-58 at Davis
February 17, 2018: L 54-71 at Santa Barbara
February 8, 2018: W 90-81 at Davis

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000
Saturday night is Goleta Union School District night where all families in the district can claim free tickets to attend.



Head Coach
Jim Les
overall: 332-329 (.502)
UC Davis: 178-189 (.485)
Monson is in his 13th season at Davis.  He has 2 Big West regular-season titles (2015, 2018) and 1 Big West Tournament title (2017).  Prior to his arrival in Davis he roamed the sidelines for nine seasons at his alma mater Bradley, where he made one trip to the NCAA and made a run to the Sweet Sixteen.  He played his college ball at Cleveland State and then Bradley and had NBA stops with Utah, the Clippers, Sacramento and Atlanta.  He led the NBA in 3-point shooting with the Kings in 1991.  He even spent some time with the Santa Barbara Islanders of the CBA.

UC Davis Roster
Elijah Pepper #40 JR G, 6-4 200, Selah, WA -- 20.9 Pts, 6.0 Reb, 3.7 Ast
Ty Johnson #2 SO G, 6-3 190, Chicago, IL -- 15.8 Pts, 4.7 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Christian Anigwe #4 SR F, 6-9 220, Phoenix, AZ -- 11.7 Pts, 5.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Robby Beasley #5 SO G, 6-3 190, San Ranon, CA -- 9.8 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.2 Ast
Kane Milling #0 JR G, 6-4 180, Nantes, France -- 6.0 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Ade Adebayo #24 JR G, 6-4 200, London, United Kingdom -- 4.0 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Leo DeBruhl #10 SO G, 6-2 190, Seattle, WA -- 3.6 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 1.9 Ast
Niko Rocak #20 SO F, 6-9 220, Geneva, Switzerland -- 2.4 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Sione Lose #22 FR G, 6-4 170, Sacramento, CA -- 1.1 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.8 Ast
DeAndre Henry #15 JR F, 6-7 225, Phoenix, AZ -- 5.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Sam Manu #13 JR F, 6-7 210, San Mateo, CA -- 2.1 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Jac Mani #11 FR F, 6-9 217, Beverly Hills, CA -- 5.0 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Francesco Borra #55 SO F, 6-11 250, Moncalieri, Italy -- 1.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Patrick Lambey #23 JR F, 6-5 190, Granite Bay, CA -- 1.3 Pts, 0.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.6 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 4.9 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.7 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 9.4 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 7.0 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 6.7 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.1 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.8 Pts, 4.0 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 -- 0.9 Pts, 0.7 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
 
UC Davis National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Assist/Turnover Ratio: 301 (0.86)
• Bench Points per game: 305 (14.50)
• Fastbreak Points: 16 (14.62)
• Free Throw Attempts per game: 12 (23.8)
• Free Throws Made per game: 22 (16.2)
• Rebound Margin: 39 (+5.0)
• Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 52 (11.88)
• Three Point percentage Defense: 344 (.381)
• Turnovers Forced per game: 51 (14.96)

Players

• Elijah Pepper -- Assists: 197 (86), Assists per game: 175 (3.7), Double Doubles: 318 (2), Field Goal Attempts: 45 (350), Field Goal percentage: 178 (.463), Elijah Pepper: 46 (162), Free Throw attempts: 48 (140), Free Throw percentage: 246 (.779), Free Throws: 47 (109), Minutes per game: 131 (34:10), Points: 25 (481), Points per game: 16 (20.9), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 222 (4.74), Rebounds per game: 335 (6.0), Steals: 190 (36), Steals per game: 165 (1.57), Three Point Attempts: 190 (142), Three Pointers per game: 224 (2.09), Three Pointers: 267 (48)
• Christian Anigwe -- Blocks: 102 (31), Blocks per game: 97 (1.35), Free Throw Attempts: 254 (98), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 210 (2.22)
• Ty Johnson -- Field Goal Attempts: 299 (270), Field Goal percentage: 147 (.478), Field Goals: 229 (129), Free Throw Attempts: 35 (145), Free Throws: 73 (100), Points: 196 (378), Points per game: 185 (15.8), Steals: 104 (42), Steals per game: 98 (1.75)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Effective FG percentage: 49 (.539)
• Field Goal percentage: 14 (.488)
• Rebound Margin: 50 (+4.4)
• Scoring Defense: 24 (62.8)
• Scoring Margin: 67 (+7.8)
• Three Point Attempts per game: 339 (16.3)
• Three Pointers per game: 330 (5.4)
• Winning percentage: 10 (.826)

Players

• Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 92 (2.05), Assists: 66 (113), Assists per game: 53 (4.9), Double Doubles: 318 (2), Field Goal percentage: 110 (.500), Field Goals: 270 (124), Free Throw attempts: 103 (123), Free Throw percentage: 218 (.789), Free Throws: 80 (97), Minutes per game: 269 (32:39), Points: 251 (358), Points per game: 200 (15.6), Steals: 208 (35), Steals per game: 177 (1.52)
• Miles Norris -- Blocks: 253 (22), Blocks per game: 249 (0.96), Double Doubles: 211 (3), Field Goal percentage: 107 (.502), Minutes per game: 276 (32:32), Rebounds: 330 (144), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 237 (2.13), Rebounds per game: 272 (6.3)
• Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 299 (20), Blocks per game: 290 (0.87), Double Doubles: 113 (5), Rebounds: 264 (151), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 149 (5.13), Rebounds per game: 224 (6.6)
• Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 261 (33), Steals per game: 164 (1.57)

Prediction
I think the Gauchos have learned their lesson (fingers crossed).  Thursday was a well-played basketball game deserving of the national stage.  Hopefully the Gauchos are not looking ahead as the Aggies are a dangerous team.  UCSB 70, UC Davis 61

Official Site:  https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.aggiesportstalk.com/categor ... lton-court
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 7fbe8d0e8a
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428861

UCD vs. UCSB Men's Basketball Game Preview, by GauchoDan

Survive and advance. Live to play another day. That's all that matters at this time of the season. Yesterday, the Gauchos found themselves playing a team punching well above its weight class. Long Beach State was young, athletic, fast and could shoot the ball a little bit. UCSB needed three Gauchos to score at least 20 points apiece and an elbow to Sanni's face to remain in front of the Elbees at the final buzzer. Survive and advance.

Another team that survived and advanced was 4th-seeded UC Davis. What a year the Aggies had. In early December, Yolo County's tyrant health director shut the basketball team. They couldn't play at home. They couldn't even pick up their program and move to another location, like Stanford, Santa Clara and San Jose State were allowed to do. Players were left to sneaking around town, looking for courts where the nets hadn't been taken down. Once conference season started, UC Davis watched as weekend series after weekend series was canceled by the conference. Finally, UCD was able to take the court for what turned out to be a non-conference series at UCSD. They lost their first game by 20 points. We played a still-rusty UC Davis squad the following weekend, sweeping them 72-51 and 89-86 (OT).

The current UC Davis squad is on fire. After a loss at CSUN left them 1-4 in the calendar year...and 1-2 in conference, they have lost just once...winning 7 of 8. Their latest win is a 58-56 victory over CSU Bakersfield, capped by an Ezra Manjon reverse layup with 1 second remaining. The 5-11 sophomore from Davis has taken over the role previously played by TJ Shorts II...a small, darty, fearless guard who has a knack for late-game heroics. Stop Manjon's penetration, and you've just about solved the Davis offense. In our 72-51 rout of the Aggies, Manjon was just 2-of-9 from the field for 5 points along with 2 assists. A day later, Manjon was 8-of-21 from the field, had 4 assists and scored 19 points as the Gauchos were pushed to the brink. Channel your inner Jerry Pimm. "No straight-line drives!" Yup.

Sophomore Elijah Pepper is a strong, 6'4" guard/forward who can hit the three. I saw him back down McLaughlin with ease in one isolation play. He's the other guy that must be shut down (he scored 9 points in our rout, and 23 points in the OT game). He's made 45% of his threes this season!

Damion Squire can also hit the three, making them at a 41% clip. He doesn't take a lot of shots, so I'd expect he's spotting up as a relief valve on the weak side. Caleb Fuller comes off the bench and is their best on the team at getting to the rack, making shots inside the arc at a 62.5% rate. Cameron Ba (5.4 ppg) and B.J. Shaw also (4.4 ppg) also see time on the floor in the Jim Les 4-in, 1-out offense.

Davis is undersized on the back line. Christian Anigwe, 6'9", gets nearly half of his 4.6 boards per game on the offensive end. Kennedy Koehler, 6'7", is one of just 3 UCD players to have started every game, but he makes less than 40% of his shots from the floor. Koehler leads the team in rebounding at 5.3 per game. The aforementioned Pepper and Fuller are the other players most likely to be seen defending down low.

As mentioned in another thread, UC Davis is an excellent free-throwing team. The Aggies have a FT% of .785, and they get to the line at a rate of 22 times per game. Manjon, Pepper, Squire and Fuller are all above 80%, but Anigwe and Koehler are below 70%. 

The Aggies' slow tempo belies their bad defensive numbers. Conference opponents make 53.5% of their shots from inside the 3-point line, the 2nd-worst percentage in the conference. They foul a lot, as well. Their 20.1 personal fouls per game are the worst in the Big West. There's no reason we should be jacking up threes when we can go inside and get some "and-ones"

The Gauchos have plenty of weapons to draw from. Here's what Pasternack had to say about Amadou Sow: “I probably played Amadou a few too many minutes (29), but that’s what we had to do to win,” Pasternack said. “I told him yesterday in practice that I thought his legs — his athleticism — was the best I’ve seen all year. He’s really healthy at the right time of the year.” (Quotes courtesy of King Patton's SBNP article)

Josh Pierre-Louis showed off another dimension to his game: the ability to hit a three. With Long Beach deploying a zone to compensate for the loss of Joe Hampton, Pierre-Louis showed no gumption in bombing away from the perimeter. He went 3-for-3 in the 1st half from the 3-point line on his way to a career-high 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting. “Josh was terrific,” Pasternack said. “He’s an amazing athlete and basketball player. He’s got a special future ahead of him. He really injected energy into us, as he always does when he comes into the games.”

JaQuori McLaughlin scored 22 points, while Ajare Sanni was also a sparkplug off the bench driving it into the Long Beach defense. Robinson Idehen tried to play on his bad ankle but managed just 8 minutes of play. Honestly, they could avoid using him today altogether. Save him for the winner of the UC Riverside/UC Irvine tilt.

UC Davis is a well-coached but undersized squad. Every year, the rest of the conference underestimates them and by the end of the season they are contenders. Jim Les is arguably the best x's and o's coach in the conference, in my opinion. If he calls a timeout, they're scoring on their next play.

But UCD is the type of team UCSB is built to handle. An old adage in college basketball is that it's difficult to beat a team 3 times in one season. But we're already sitting at 2-0, and I see little reason to not believe we'll be sitting at 3-0 at about 8 o'clock tonight. Then we can sit back and watch Irvine and Riverside duke it out.

UCSB vs. UCD Game Preview, by Gaucho Freg

UCSB @ UC Davis
Both games @ 4pm on Big West TV

Gauchos are on fire, having won 6 straight against teams in the bottom half of the BWC and playing the best defense of the Pasternack era. They have edged up to #60 in the NCAA NET rankings, easily their highest ever (this RPI replacement is just a couple years old).  They take on UC Davis who are playing their BWC home opener.  Last week the Aggies threw off the shackles of Yolo County then got promptly routed by UCSD.  With three weeks of rust to shake off, this was understandable.  They rebounded the next night to win by 7 but shot a blistering 9-20 from deep to turn it around.  They shot just 25% from 3 in the loss. 
 
Roster wise, the Aggies have run a smaller, four guard line up for the most part.  Junior forward Christian Anigwe just played his first two games vs. UCSD, coming off the bench in both games; I would not be surprised to see him inserted into the starting lineup to counter the Gaucho size.
 
Possible Starters
Guard Ezra Manjon  #5  5’11”, 170 lb. Sophomore 17.8 ppg, 3.5 apg, 33 mpg
The BWC FOY last year, Manjon is taking on a bigger scoring role this season, and is getting to the FT line for nearly 6 attempts per game, making 86%.  Struggling from deep, shooting just 26%.
Guard Damion Squire  #1  6’0”, 185 lb. Junior 11.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 30 mpg.  Leads team in assists, 3.7 apg, second in getting to the line, 79% on  33 attempts.  Shooting 33% from deep.
Guard Elijah Pepper  #40  6’4”, 200 lb. Sophomore  12.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg.  26 mpg  7-18 from deep.  Leads team with 11 steals.  Second leading scorer on 49% from the field.  6 assists vs. 13 TOs.
Guard Caleb Fuller  #11  6’5”, 210 lb. Junior 9.7 ppg, 20 mpg.    36% from deep.  Has been a starter most of the season but I am guessing Les may have him come in off the bench to get more size in the starting line up.  
Forward Kennedy Koehler  #10  6’7”, 220 lb, Senior 9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg  25 mpg.
Can hit the 3, is 7/19 for the season.  Leads the team in blocks (6)
 
Possible Key Reserves
Forward Christian Anigwe  #4  6’9”, 220 lb, Junior 6.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg  20 mpg. 
Played his first two games of the season vs. UCSD
Guard Cameron Ba  #2  6’3”, 180 lb. Sophomore 6.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg,  Leads team in three point makes  (33%).  Playing starter minutes, 24 mpg. 
Forward Caleb McGill #4  6’7”, 215 lb, Freshman 11 mpg.   
DNP vs. UCSD.
Played his first two games of the season vs. UCSD, wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting vs. SB. 
Guard BJ Shaw  #20  6’6”, 195 lb. Sophomore 11 mpg 
Our favorite Gaucho’s son is playing some for the Aggies without too much to show statistically. 
 
Of interest is the Gauchos and Aggies have split the series every year in the Pasternack era with Davis winning the second game each time.  Different circumstances this year with the back-to-backs.  Pasternack has been going to the bench earlier and deeper with Toure in the regular rotation now and this depth is a key advantage for UCSB.  Predicting another sweep this weekend with the second game being closer.
In a perfect scenario, Gauchos win by 20 each game but BJ Shaw goes off over the weekend.

UCD vs. UCSB Men's Basketball Game Preview, by Gaucho Dan

UC Davis at UCSB
Saturday, February 22, 2020, 7 pm PST, BigWest,tv
 
Quick Bite
The whirling dervishes of UC Davis invade the Thunderdome on Saturday night. The Aggies ran circles around and through the Gaucho defense a week ago Thursday, commanding the seas to part like Moses on the shores of Egypt. If they didn't get a layup, they'd kick it open for a three...or they'd make their free throws. Even as Max Heidegger went into break-glass-in-case-of-emergency mode and started making threes from Vacaville, Davis continued to score and hold on for a 9-point win. The Aggies haven't lost since -- two nights later they bombed away for 110 points vs. CSUN, and pulled away Thursday night at Cal Poly for a 15-point win. UCSB will have its hands full in a must-win game if a 2nd-place finish is the goal.

By the Numbers

	UC Davis	UC Santa Barbara
Record	13-15	17-9
Away/Home/Neutral (D1)	5-10 (A)	8-3 (H)
Big West Conference	7-5	6-5
Record vs. Quadrant	vs. Q3: 2-7	vs. Q4: 12-3
Composite (NET, kpi, sor, bpi, pom, sag)	222	171
DCI	155	165
DC2	225	162
RPI	257	185
NET	198	171
SOS (NET)	320	326
KPom Offensive Efficiency	112	68
KPom Defensive Efficiency	305	269
KPom Tempo	184	334
Points per game (overall/BWC)	74.0 (105th) / 76.7 (2nd)	72.2 (143rd) / 69.3 (6th)
FG% (overall/BWC)	46.6% (41st) / 47.0% (3rd)	46.9% (33rd) / 46.2% (4th)
2-pt FG% (overall/BWC)	50.8% (139th) / 49.8% (4th)	53.8% (43rd) / 52.2% (2nd)
3-pt FG% (overall/BWC)	39.3% (7th) / 42.6% (1st)	34.2% (136th) / 35.4% (6th)
FT% (overall/BWC)	78.2% (7th) / 78.9% (1st)	75.8% (36th) / 76.3% (2nd)
Points allowed per game (overall/BWC)	71.7 (249th) / 74.4 (6th)	67.3 (120th) / 66.7 (3rd)
FG% allowed (overall/BWC)	45.8% (312th) / 48.0% (9th)	45.4% (298th) / 46.9% (8th)
2-pt FG% allowed (overall/BWC)	53.4% (328th) / 55.4% (9th)	50.4% (240th) / 51.9% (8th)
3-pt FG% allowed (overall/BWC)	33.7% (223rd) / 36.7% (6th)	36.0% (314th) / 36.4% (4th)
Off. rebounds per game (overall/BWC)	7.5 (312th) / 7.3 (8th)	10.3 (177th) / 9.0 (5th)
Def. rebounds allowed per game (overall/BWC)	23.8 (168th) / 23.7 (5th)	21.3 (10th) / 21.5 (1st)
Off. rebounds allowed per game (overall/BWC)	9.3 (176th) / 8.9 (4th)	8.0 (27th) / 8.1 (3rd)
Def. rebounds per game (overall/BWC)	23.5 (233rd) / 23.5 (5th)	24.0 (290th) / 22.1 (9th)
Rebounds per game (overall/BWC)	30.9 (286th) / 30.8 (6th)	34.2 (257th) / 31.1 (9th)
Rebounds allowed per game (overall/BWC)	33.0 (169th) / 32.6 (6th)	29.3 (5th) / 29.5 (1st)
Assists per game (overall/BWC)	14.5 (323rd) / 14.4 (9th)	11.6 (89th) / 11.6 (3rd)
Steals per game (overall/BWC)	6.1 (206th) / 6.3 (9th)	4.5 (6th) / 3.8 (1st)
Blocks per game (overall/BWC)	2.6 (77th) / 2.5 (5th)	2.3 (16th) / 2.1 (2nd)
Best wins (NET, Quadrant)	@ Northern Ariz (216, 3) @ CSUN (235, 3)	@ UT Arlington (114, 2) UC Irvine (109, 3) @ Louisiana (231, 3)
Worst losses (NET, Quadrant)	vs VMI (287, 4) @ Portland (276, 4) Cal State Fullerton (267, 4) UC Riverside (219, 4)	Long Beach State (292, 4) CSUN (235, 4) Rice (214, 4)
Trend	Won 4 in a row	Won 4 of last 5

UCSB - UC Davis History
UCSB and UC Davis have played 41 times with the Gauchos holding a 30-11 all-time advantage. The Aggies won the first match-up between the teams on Feb. 13 in Davis, 84-75. The teams split games each of the last two years with the road team winning all four times.  Former head coach Bob Williams won a Division II championship at UC Davis in 1997-98.

Head Coach
Jim Les is in his 9th season as head coach at UC Davis. In his 4th season, the Aggies broke through with a 25-7 overall record, their first regular-season Big West championship (14-2 in conference play) and an NIT appearance. Les was named Big West coach of the year as his squad led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.447). Two years later, UC Davis finished 2nd in conference, won its first Big West Tournament and defeated North Carolina Central in an NCAA Tournament First Four game. In 2017-18, Davis won 22 games and the regular-season championship again. Les once again was named Big West coach of the year.

Les came to the Aggies after spending nine years as the head coach at his alma mater, Bradley University, where he won more than 150 games and led the Braves to the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

Les began his collegiate basketball career playing at Cleveland State, but transferred after the 1981–82 season to Bradley. When he left college in 1986, he had compiled the second most assists in NCAA history in a combined playing career with Cleveland State and Bradley. With the Braves, he played alongside Hersey Hawkins. Years later, he would coach Hersey's son Corey.

Les is no stranger to the Sacramento area, having spent four years as a player with the Sacramento Kings, followed by three seasons as an assistant for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs.

Roster
Probable Starters

• Ezra Manjon (5) FR, G, 5-11, 165, Brentwood, CA, Heritage HS, 12.6 Pts, 3.3 Reb, 4.1 Ast -- has twice been named Big West player of the week. Ranks 6th in conference scoring (15.6 ppg) and 2nd in assists. In 4-game winning streak, averaging 14.8 ppg and 5 apg. 35% shooter from 3 (1.4 attempts per game). 76% from FT line. Scored 20 vs. UCSB. Ranks 6th in conference scoring (15.6 ppg), 3rd in assists and 4th in overall assist/TO ratio (2.2).
• Elijah Pepper (40) FR, G, 6-4, 200, Selah, WA, Selah HS, 8.8 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 2.0 Ast -- Arguably the best rebounder on the team despite his position and size (12 rebounds per 100 plays). Has grabbed at least 4 rebounds in 22 straight games. Has posted 10 rebounds twice this season. Scored a career-high 19 at Long Beach, and got 18 vs. UC Irvine. Averaging 10 points and 5.8 rebounds in last 4 games. Scored 4 points and grabbed 6 rebounds vs. UCSB. 33% shooter from 3 (2.6 attempts per game). 78% FT shooter.
• Kennedy Koehler (10) JR, F, 6-7, 220, Las Vegas, NV, Coronado HS, 5.9 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 0.9 Ast -- Transfer from Pima CC. Has started last 6 games, getting about 22 minutes. Picked up 25 fouls in those 6 starts, fouling out twice. Has fouled out 4 times this season. 17-of-34 from field in those 3 games (44 points), but just 19 rebounds. Decent free-throw percentage (.726). Not averse to taking the 3 (20 attempts in 28 games, 30% conversion rate). Scored 5 points and secured 4 rebounds vs. UCSB.
• Damion Squire (1) SO, G, 6-0, 175, Montreal, Quebec, Wasatch Academy (UT), 5.8 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 1.6 Ast --  Has made 5 of last 9 shots since starting season 13-of-47 from two-point range. Gets to the free throw line (76 attempts, 22 in last 3 games). Low usage (17%). Takes 1.7 threes per game, making 1/3rd of them. Had season-high 15 points vs. UCSB after scoring just 3 points total in previous 3 games. Had 10 FT attempts vs. UCSB. Makes 76% of threes.
• Rogers Printup (23) SR, G, 6-4, 205, Orange, CA, Orange Lutheran HS, 3.6 Pts, 2.3 Reb, 0.6 Ast -- career 3-point FG% of .312, but is 10-for-19 (.526) from 3 in last 6 games. Has started last 6 games. Played a season-high 34 minutes vs. UCSB, hitting a season-high 4 three-pointers in 7 attempts. Also grabbed a season-high 6 rebounds. 62% of his shots come from three (100% of them in the UCSB game).

Key reserves

• Joe Mooney (22) SR, G, 6-3, 187, Wauconda, IL, Notre Dame College Prep, 13.2 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 1.3 Ast -- has been coming off the bench since Printup's return from injury. Ranks 10th in conference in overall scoring. Scored 35 points on 12-of-16 shooting at Northern Arizona. Has topped 20 points five times this season. Named Big West player of the week Dec. 9 after hitting 8 of 14 three-pointers in two games. Has taken the most 3-pointers on team (156), and converts at a .365 clip. Tied with Manjon for highest usage on team (23.9%). Hit 7-of-9 threes (29 points) in 110-98 win over CSUN.
• Stefan Gonzalez (2) SR, G, 6-2, 195, Pocatello, ID, Highland HS, 11.0 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast -- Transferred from Saint Mary's after his sophomore season. Ranks No. 1 nationally in 3-point FG% (.490, 5.7 attempts per game). Made 7-of-10 threes in game at Hawai'i. Takes 79% of his shots from 3. Ranks 12th in conference scoring (13.3 ppg). Does not turn the ball over (just 1.6 turnovers per 100 plays). Worst defensive box plus/minus on team (-3.6 pts per 100 possessions).
• Matt Neufeld (13) SR, C, 6-11, 225, Victoria, British Columbia, Lambrick Park HS, 8.1 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.3 Ast -- Played two seasons at Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10. Makes a team-high 55.3% of his shots, all from two-point range. Averages just 20.6 minutes per game despite 21 starts. Started coming off the bench after a scoreless game Jan. 30 vs. UCI. Did not play vs. UCSB or CSUN due to injury and saw just 3 minutes at Cal Poly.
• Caleb Fuller (11) SO, G, 6-5, 210, Ipswich, England, Barking Abbey School, 6.5 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast -- scored 23 points coming off the bench at Fullerton, hitting 9-of-12 overall (2-of-3 from three, 3-of-4 from FT). Scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting vs. UCSB, and his drives really freed up 3-point shooters. Averaging 16 ppg in 4-game winning streak. Makes 38% of his threes (1.3 attempts per game) 
• Ade Adebayo (24) FR, G, 6-4, 180, London, England, Barking Abbey School, 1.1 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.4 Ast -- first alphabetically in the Big West. Has just 24 FG attempts in 26 games (9.9 minutes per game). Scored 9 points vs. Cal Poly, the only time he has gone above 2 points in conference play. Has 11 assists vs. 20 turnovers. Has 8 blocked shots. Only played 1 minute vs. UCSB.

Match-up overview:
In our 1st preview of the Aggies, we talked about how strong they were from three, and Manjon's ability to break down a defense. OMG. UC Davis was 28-of-50 overall from the field (56%) and an efficient 7-of-15 from three (47%). They made their free throws (21-of-24, .875). They are a very difficult team to chase down because of their offensive efficiency. They make you guard the whole court, and not stopping drivers on the perimeters creates a cascade effect that usually leads to a basket or free throws. To add salt to the wound, the Aggies out-rebounded the taller Gauchos 32-26...although it's been pointed out that some of those rebounds came off of the numerous UCSB misses (just 7 of 16 from the line). Despite Joe Pasternack's continued insistence that this team is going to be known for its man-to-man defense, the Gauchos notoriously struggle with teams that can drive and kick it. See Rice, Cal Poly (2018), CSUN twice this season, UC Davis last week, etc.

UCSB did an adequate job on another drive-and-kick team. Cal State Fullerton rallied from an 11-point deficit by running the weave over and over. On one iteration, Jackson Rowe set the screen at the top of the key and faded to the right wing. He accepted the pass, and Amadou Sow was late getting over as Rowe hit a three. Thankfully, CSUF went away from the "dream weave" and the Gauchos made some clutch baskets and free throws down the stretch to get the road win.

UCSB is all of a sudden having trouble getting Sow the ball. In the three-game winning streak vs. Long Beach, Hawai'i and Irvine, Sow had 42 shot attempts (14 per game) plus 10 FT attempts (3.3 per game). In the last two games, he's had 18 shot attempts (9 per game) and 3 FT attempts (1.5 per game). Davis harassed the Santa Barbara guards and prevented good entry passes into the post. UCSB needs to bring Sow out to the top of the key and play pick-and-roll. Alternately, flash Freeman to the high post and go high-low to Sow. I think I vote for that option.

The Gauchos finally won a game where Max Heidegger scored more than 20 points. He was aggressive throughout the game...his drives to the basket have become so efficient. For the season, he is 55% from inside the perimeter. He has scored 58 points in his last two games, after having scored just 36 in the previous three (all wins). His FG attempts in the last two games (19, then 16) are his two highest totals of the season. And yet, he's still piling up assists...he had 5 vs. Fullerton. He is 2nd in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.5 overall, 3.4 in conference).

JaQuori McLaughlin has reached double figures in scoring his last three games (12.0 ppg) and has chipped in 10 assists. He missed three 3-pointers vs. Fullerton and has made just 5 of his last 26 attempts (.192). He's getting to the free throw line (18 attempts in his last 3 games), after going through a quiet stretch (4 total attempts in 4 games) that coincided with a groin injury.

Matt Freeman scored 9 of the Gauchos' first 13 points vs. Fullerton, and didn't score again until a huge stab drive jumper in the key late in the game. He has made multiple two-pointers in 5 straight games (64% completion rate), after going all of January without one. He is 4-of-17 (.235) from three in the last 4 games. His defense will be vital in the rematch with Davis.

Devearl Ramsey has played at least 30 minutes in all 11 conference games. He's been an excellent FT shooter in conference (30-of-32, .938). Ramsey was a key part of the Gaucho's 11-0 explosion out of the blocks vs. Fullerton...the Gauchos had four fast breaks early and converted on three of them. He's averaging 4.6 rebounds per game in his last 5. Another player who will need to play well defensively vs. Davis.

Robinson Idehen got just 10 minutes vs. Fullerton, and 7 vs. Davis. In the Davis game, he was apparently injured late in the 1st half and played only one minute in the 2nd half. He hit the deck again vs. Fullerton, but did see 4 minutes in the 2nd half. He only has 4 points in his last 3 games, although he had 7 rebounds vs. UCI.

Brandon Cyrus has come off the bench the last 7 games, making 12-of-26 shots, grabbing 18 rebounds and posting 6 steals in 132 total minutes. This after a 2-for-16 stretch in UCSB's 3-game losing streak. He played 20 minutes vs. Fullerton, scoring 6 points that included a highlight-reel dunk on a straight-line drive. He struggled to defend a beefier Jackson Rowe Thursday night.

Jay Nagle hit a three! His only shot attempt was buried, his first made three since Jan. 30. He also had an assist in 7 minutes of play. He's averaging just 4.3 minutes per game in his last 3 games.

Sekou Toure has also lost significant playing time -- he scored 6 points in 23 minutes at Cal Poly, and has played just 53 total minutes since then (5.3 mpg). He has not scored since the first CSUN game. He tallied an assist in 3 minutes at Fullerton

Keys to the game for the Gauchos 

• Stop drives by Manjon and Fuller. These two started the domino effect that buried the Gauchos.
• Recover to guard the 3-point line. UC Davis is 7th in the nation in 3-point FG%. Gonzalez leads the nation in 3-point FG%.
• Don't foul. This is a very good free-throw-shooting team (7th in the nation in FT%).
• Feed the bigs. UCSB guards can't force harassed passes at not-optimal angles into the post. Pasternack needs to come up with a different way to take advantage of the Gauchos' height.
• Heidegger is aggressive. Mad Max, when he decides to take over a game, is virtually unstoppable. In the past, he has tended to facilitate but we may be past that point.
• Freeman has a surge. The Gauchos win games when Freeman has a scoring spurt...they are 8-1 in the last 9 games in which Freeman has reach double digits in scoring.
• Make free throws. Just looking at the box score from last week, if we make all of our FT's that game goes to OT...or perhaps we win, since we missed some front ends of one-and-ones. The 7-of-16 from the charity stripe stat tells me the team's focus wasn't there. Bus ride to Davis next year!

Prediction
DC2 trends: UCSB's 5-game trend is strong at 57.97. UC Davis has been red-hot as well, at 57.54. Only Irvine has been hotter over the last 5. UC Davis is 4-2 in conference road games. The Gauchos are 2-1 in revenge games this season, and I think we figure out how to defend them well enough to get the win. UCSB 70, UC Davis 66.

Official Site: 
https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  http://www.aggiesportstalk.com/categori ... lton-court
How to Watch:  https://bigwest.org/watch/default.aspx? ... &path=ucsb