Meet the Team: UCSB Men's Basketball

UCSB Narrowly Edged Out, Picked 2nd in Big West Media Poll; Sow, Heidegger Named Preseason All-League

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2019-20/releases/20191024pplnn7

Instagram Videos of Gaucho Hoops Practices

Check out the Gaucho Hoops Instagram site to find videos of women's and men's basketball practices.  Also, bonus video of the baseball team's blue/grey scrimmage played under the lights for the first time ever.

https://www.instagram.com/gauchohoops/

UCSB Men's Basketball 2019-20 Season Preview, by Gaucho Freg

.2019-20 Season Preview, UCSB

The Gauchos are coming off a 22-10 season and a second place finish in the Big West Conference.  They return four of their top five scorers, add two impact transfers and, unlike last year, former First Team All Big West Max Heidegger and do-everything guard Jaquori McLaughlin are healthy coming into the season.  Knock on wood, the entire roster is healthy at the time of this posting.  Common to the first two seasons under Coach Joe Pasternack have been 20+ wins, impact transfers and a soft schedule. This season projects to be more of the same.

Head Coach
Joe Pasternack enters his third season at the helm of the Gauchos.  Pasternack has recruited extremely well, especially in the transfer market.  Each year he has added at least one graduate transfer that has played a key role on the team with two earning all-conference honors.  In year one, he led UCSB to its greatest turnaround season ever with 23 wins versus just 6 the year previous. Prior to UCSB he was the associate head coach under Sean Miller at Arizona.  He was also the head coach for the University of New Orleans in the post Katrina years.

The Roster
The Gauchos are experienced and deep but still youthful with three sophomores having played key roles in their freshmen campaigns last year.  This is highlighted by 2^nd Team All Big West Center Amadou Sow.  The team returns four starters plus add DePaul transfer wing Brandon Cyrus who started most games in his two seasons as a Blue Demon.  They also add graduate transfer Matt Freeman, who was used as a stretch four off the bench while at Oklahoma.  There is a bevy of talent at the off-guard/wing positions so UCSB may often end up going with a small line-up on the floor.
All of the Gaucho guards are capable of penetrating the defense and all are perimeter threats too. The offense is typically guard oriented, moving the ball around the perimeter until one of the guards finds an opening or works the ball to Sow inside who is difficult to stop one-on-one.  Every Gaucho non-center position player can shoot the three so they will be able to stretch the floor.  Possibly add Sow to that category if summer practice reports on his perimeter shooting are true.
The roster has an international flavor with six players originally from outside the U.S.; Walk-on Max Cheylov-Canada, Matt Freeman-New Zealand, Robinson Idehen-Spain, RS Jakov Kukic-Croatia, Amadou Sow-Mali and Seko Toure-Guinea

Key Losses:  Armond Davis (F), 13.1ppg, 5.9 rpg; Jarriese Blackmon (F), 4.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg. 
 
Probable Starters (2018/19 stats)
Devearl Ramsey:  #4 PG, RS Junior.  6’0”, 185 lb  10.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.4 rpg, 31 mpg, 43% from the field, 41% from three and 79% from the FT line.   A quick and exciting point guard that can both penetrate and hit from deep, Ramsey played his freshman season at Nevada.  A highly recruited 3-4* player out of high school, his defense is a strength   He shoots over 40% from deep, second on the team for accuracy last year.  A vocal leader, he was team captain last year.  His aggressive play and ability to penetrate defenses creates opportunities.  His aggressiveness sometimes leads to him forcing the issue and make poor passes, he had a 1.5 A/TO ratio as a sophomore.  Ramsey staying healthy all year is key to Gaucho success.

Max Heidegger:  #21 Guard, Senior. 6‘3”, 180 lb, 10.8, ppg, 85% FTs, 23% from deep, 2.9 apg, 2.5 rpg, 29 mpg.  Max regained his role as a starter after sitting out much of the first half of last season with a concussion then minor leg injury.  He struggled with his shot his junior year and his numbers took a big step back from his All Big West First Team Sophomore year.  In some respects, dealing with the injury was a benefit as he was more of a facilitator than in his sophomore year so his game is more well rounded.  With injury issues in the rear view mirror, a return to sophomore form is expected (and hoped for). When healthy and on, Heidegger is a do-it-all shooting guard with amazing range, deft moves and ball handling skills.  He may not end up with the same scoring average he had as a sophomore given there are more scoring threats around him to share the ball with compared to two years ago.  2019-20 Preseason All Big West Pick

JaQuori McLaughlin:  #3  Guard, RS Junior  6’4, 190 lb  10.7  ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.8 rpg, 34% from three, 32 mpg.  Another transfer, McLaughlin came to UCSB from Oregon State where he set the freshman record for three pointers made.  He can play either guard position and is one of four Gauchos to average in double figures returning this year.  He led the team in three point makes but gets most praise from Coach Pasternack for his defense.  As a starting shooting guard and a back-up point, he led the team in minutes played. After a bit of a slow shooting start while recovering from the off-season injury, he really improved and provided clutch offense in some close games.  With a full off season of normal practices this year, he could have a big step forward in 2019/20.

Matt Freeman:  #2  Forward, GT (Oklahoma) 6‘10”, 220 lb  3.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 36% from three (Oklahoma) Was primarily a spot-up, floor stretching, four for the Sooners.  Will have an expanded role at UCSB, being counted on to get points and boards in the paint.  He is the third consecutive Grad Transfer to play the four spot for UCSB with his predecessors both making all league.  If he can do the same, it will make for a lineup without any holes in it.

Amadou Sow:  #12  Forward/Center, Sophomore, 6’9”, 235 lb  11.6 ppg on 58% shooting, 6.3 rbg. 23 mpg.  Was 2^nd Team All Big West in his freshman campaign while leading the team in rebounding.  He improved greatly over the course of the year and is reportedly expanding his range to beyond the arc.  Is the team’s leading returning scorer and is the best bet to lead the team in scoring and rebounding again.  UCSB can go big by having Sow shift to the four and Robinson Idehen come in at the five.   2019-20 Preseason All Big West Pick

Main Reserves (in order of projected minutes played)
Brandon Cyrus:  #11 Guard/Wing, RS Junior, 6’5”, 190lb. Sat out last season after transferring from DePaul.  Averaged 7.5 ppg and 3.5 rpg while a two year starter for the Big East school.  Lauded by Pasternack as a physical defender.  Will be the main guy off the bench will probably play starter level minutes.  Received rave reviews for his play in the pre-season intra-squad scrimmage.

Robinson Idehen:  #35  Center, Junior, 6’10”, 230 lb  3.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg. 10 mpg   Shot 70% from the field, leading the team. A JC transfer and considered the strongest, most physical athlete on the team, Idehen improved over the season and is expected to take a step up in 2019-20.  If UCSB wants to go big, we’ll see him on the floor with Sow who will shift over to the four.

Jay Nagle:  #5  Forward, Sophomore.  6’9”, 210 lb 3.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 44% from three, 13 mpg.  Has grown an inch since his freshman campaign.  An excellent 3 point shooter, has been working to get stronger and to expand his game into the paint. An ankle injury kept him out of summer practices for a while but is healthy now.  Will push Freeman for minutes at the four. 

Sekou Toure:  #0  Guard, Sophomore, 6’5”, 185 lb  3.5 ppg, 2.6 rbg  8 mpg  Lightly recruited, UCSB may have got a steal in him. Solid skills in slashing through the defense and finishing. His defense is good but, like many freshmen, his decision making last year wasn’t always the best.  Worked on his outside shot over the summer. A player with excellent potential; with Heidegger, McLaughlin and Cyrus playing the same position, he is battling a numbers game to get minutes. 

Roberto Gittens:  #1 Wing, JC Transfer Junior, 6’5”, 220lb.  Gittens comes to UCSB after averaging 13.6 ppg and 4.6 rpg at the College of S. Idaho.  He shot 33% from deep.  Highly skilled and rated 4 stars out of high school but needs to improve his fitness to earn minutes with this group.  A wild card, there may be games he doesn’t play at all and others where he could lead the team in scoring.
 
The Out of Conference Schedule
No way to sugarcoat it, the Gaucho OOC schedule this year, like last year, is soft. A closer look reveals a few compelling match-ups that will likely be competitive games.


Lets get the worst out of the way first and talk about the SWAC, consistently one of the bottom two or three leagues in the country.  UCSB has hosted a SWAC team each of the past two seasons and Pasternack liked it so much he’s going with three this year.  The reasoning is it is difficult to get teams to travel to SB and these represent the cheapest buy games. Jackson State, with the recent addition of a transfer wing Roland Griffin from Iona paired with possible SWAC POY forward Jayveous McKinnis, is expected to be competitive. Grambling State returns nearly everyone from last year’s team and is picked to finish 3^rd in the SWAC.

UCSB again takes on multiple teams from the Big Sky with one of those teams a candidate to contend for the conference title in Southern Utah.  The Gauchos travel to the Beehive State in December to take on the Red Birds.  Like Grambling, SUU returns nearly everyone from last year plus add some high-level transfers.  They should make a big jump from where they finished last season. Portland State had a lot of turnover but has some good transfer talent while Idaho State is picked to finish near the bottom.


UCSB’s likely four toughest opponents are all on the road with the first two of these are early in the season vs. Pac 12 schools, UCLA and Oregon State (games 2 & 4, respectively).  One of the highlights of the schedule is one of the better mid-majors in the country in UT Arlington which returns much of their talent from last year’s second place team and should compete for the Sunbelt Conference crown again (they were second last year).  On the road in Arlington, this will be a very tough opponent. 
My rank of the schedule from toughest to weakest match-ups with consideration given to if home or away:
 

Opponent Rank	Date	Home/Away	Team
1	11/10/2019	A	UCLA
2	11/20/2019	A	Oregon St.
3	12/7/2019	A	UT Arlington
4	12/14/2019	A	Southern Utah
5	12/29/2019	A	Louisiana
6	11/29/2019	H	Grambling St
7	12/3/2019	A	Bakersfield
8	11/16/2019	H	Rice
9	11/27/2019	H	Portland St.
10	12/22/2019	H	Merrimack
11	11/6/2019	H	Jackson St.
12	12/16/2019	A	Idaho St
13	12/20/2019	H	Southern
14	1/2/2020	H	Westmont
15	11/23/2019	H	Menlo College

The Big West 
The Big West will have three distinct groups in 2019-20 with an upper echelon of UCSB, UCI & CSUN,  pretty much everyone else except Cal Poly in the mix for 3-8  with Davis most likely drift down to the 8th spot and Poly in the cellar the second year in a row.  Prognosticators so far are picking either Irvine or UCSB to win the conference and it is very likely that this will be the case.  Irvine probably has the best front court in the league with Senior Tommy Rutherford, Sophomore Collin Welp and RS Junior Brad Greene and play the best defense in the Big West, by a long shot.  The Gauchos have the best back court in the league and the most depth & balance.  CSUN has the most top-end talent in returning POY Lamine Diane & BW 1^st Teamer Terrell Gomez. A wild card for them is a mysterious Ukrainian 7 footer who showed up after school started.  Has been playing in a pro league in Ukraine the last few years and comes in as a senior.

Big West & UCSB Previews:
https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/09/29/ ... gauchos/3/
https://www.three-man-weave.com/3mw/big ... 20-preview
https://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/17605
https://cbbcentral.com/2019/10/13/32x32 ... t-preview/

Hoops history. UCSB has been an above-average mid-major the past 25 years but has not been able to break through with a type of season that would garner national attention. Its hey-day was in the late 80s/early 90s when the Big West conference rivaled the then Pac 10 for hoops superiority in the West. At that time, UNLV was a power and UCSB had a couple major upsets of the Rebels when they were ranked in the top 5 of the country. The Gauchos were the last team to beat UNLV before the Rebels went on to win the National Championship in 1990. Those Rebels would not lose again until to Duke in the Final Four the following year. Also in 1990, the Gauchos won their only NCAA tournament game ever, defeating Houston in the first found before losing to top seed Michigan State by 3. During this time the crowds were among the best in the country and the Campus Events Center earned the nick-name of “The Thunderdome.” Sadly, present-day crowds make a mockery of that name.  Coach Pasternack has been leading efforts to improve things off the court as well as on so hopefully the home court can be deserving of its nickname once again. Under previous coach Bob Williams, who led the program for 19 years, the Gauchos got to the NCAA tournament three times and the NIT twice, never winning a game. Our most famous basketball alum is Brian Shaw who won three NBA championships with the Lakers in the early 2000s and is back with the Lakers as Associate HC.  UCSB has turned down the CBI/CIT tournament bids the past two season under Pasternack.

Gauchos in the NBA
No current players in the NBA.  Last year we had two:
James Nunnally, 2012, a deep bench reserve forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves
Alan Williams, 2015, school’s all-time rebounding leader, Brooklyn Nets

The School: Once more known as a party school (and it certainly was when I was there way back when!), it has grown to become one of the best universities in the country, consistently in the top 40 of the school ratings. You’ll be hard pressed to find a more beautiful campus location, surrounded on two sides by the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains behind. It is more sedate now but still has the surf and bikinis in January. The soccer team has had a lot of success, winning the National Championship in 2006 and created a fantastic following as the school led the country in attendance for more than 10 consecutive years. The school responded by investing into their stadium and UCSB hosted their second College Cup (Final 4) last December. They are currently in the top 20 in the country.

Veteran NBA Coach Larry Lewis Added to Pasternack's UCSB Staff

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2019-20/releases/20190927kcm9gd

Jason Smith Quotes (Brewster Head Coach) on Miles Norris

Thanks to Brewster Academy Head Basketball Coach Jason Smith for providing a few quotes on Miles Norris.  Coach Smith has won multiple national championships at Brewster.

Gaucho Hoops ("GH"):  Hi Coach Smith. UCSB hoops fans are excited that Miles verbally committed to the Gauchos.  Can I get a couple quotes from you on what type of student-athlete the Gauchos will be getting?  Thanks for the consideration.

Jason Smith ("JS"):  Miles is a tremendous talent.  [He's a] High level athlete and very skilled combo-forward. Wonderful young man and family! I look forward to following his career at UCSB.

GH:  Awesome. What are his strengths and what will he be working on during his redshirt year?

JS:  The redshirt year [requires] sitting out as a transfer, will be a great opportunity for Miles to mature physically and gain strength. He will provide the scout team with a very versatile, skilled player during daily practices.

GH:  He's obviously a very long post player. Is his game mostly in the post? Does he have a mid range shot and can he step out and stretch the defense?

JS:  Miles isn’t a post. He’s more of a hybrid forward. Very athletic and has skill level to stretch the floor with his shooting ability.

GH:  Who does he compare to in the NBA regarding his style of play?

JS:  He reminds me a lot of one of my former players, Jonah Bolden [Philadelphia 76ers]. Miles has potential to be a high level shooter. The redshirt year will help with his continued growth.

GH:  Thanks Coach and good luck next season!

Former Gauchos Mitch Brewe, Leland Take Part in USA Basketball 3x3 National Championship, Training Camp

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190502ryfhnc

Orlando Johnson's Impact as an Indianapolis Pacer

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2019/04/06/retrospective-collapse-last-great-pacers-team/3351182002/

“That was the death-knell," he told IndyStar last year. “When we did that for Danny, I just sort of in my gut, I knew we weren't going to be able to get by the Heat. Even though it was in February, I knew we’d be able to get through the first two rounds, but without Danny, without OJ (Orlando Johnson was waived as part of the Granger trade), without Roy (Hibbert) being mentally confident, I knew we weren’t going to have enough to get by them.”

Losing Orlando Johnson wasn’t just collateral damage, either. It hurt. Though he only averaged nine minutes a night for the Pacers that year, Johnson was an invaluable role player, West said. 

“You can ask anybody to a man, OJ was the guy in that locker room,” West said. “His playing time was (limited), but he brought it every single day. He talked to every single guy. He gave the locker room life. I mean he was a genuinely good dude. And he was a huge part of why we were winning. Those nights where guys didn’t have it, or didn’t feel right, he was the guy in everybody’s ear encouraging. He was huge. That lesson probably taught me how important it was having a locker-room minded guy, a glue guy.”

UCSB Goes Cold Late, Falls to Cal State Fullerton, 64-58

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/201903164qv0ua

No. 2 Gauchos Play No. 3 Cal State Fullerton in Big West Tourney Semifinal Showdown Friday

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190315o3rgwo
 

UCSB Uses 9-0 Rally Late to Edge CSUN in Big West Tournament Quarterfinal, 71-68

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190314shtub5

CSUN vs. UCSB, Big West Tournament Game Preview, by Gaucho Freg

BWT Quarterfinal Preview
UCSB vs. CSUN
The Pond, Noon, Thursday, March 14
All tournament games can be watched on ESPN3
 Abbreviated preview this time, we all already know these teams.

The Arena
The Honda Center, aka “The Pond” was built in 1993 and seats 18,836 for basketball.  Shockingly, it has never sold out for a BWT game.  The BWT has been held there since 2011 and has never seen a repeat champion.  It primarily serves as the home of the Anaheim Ducks NHL hockey team.  It has a reputation for terrible sight lines for shooting which can be explained in part by BW teams being accustomed to much smaller venues.

UCSB- CSUN History
This will be the 59^th meeting between the two teams with the Gauchos holding a 39-19 advantage.  The Gauchos own a 4 game win streak in the series, having swept the Matadors two years in a row.  However, the Matadors hold a 2-1 advantage in the BWT.  The last time the teams played in the BWT was in 2011 with the Gauchos winning by 20 in the Quarterfinal.
This season, both conference games were tightly contested and there’s no reason that the tournament matchup will be any different.

Game One Recap, February 6, Santa Barbara
UCSB 70  CSUN 64
The Matadors jumped to an 11-0 lead before the Gauchos settled down and went into HT down just 29-28.  Max Heidegger had a season high 26 points in bringing the Gauchos all the way back to a 6 point victory.  Gaucho defense/ an off-night of 3-point shooting held the Matadors to just 1-21 from deep and to 13 points below their season scoring average.  CSUN did shoot 63% from inside the arc and outscored the Gauchos in the paint by 10.  Do-everything Lamine Diane led the ‘Dors with 28 points on 12-19 from the field and even hit 4-6 from the FT line.  Gomez was scored only about half his average with 10 points on just 3-13 from the field (1-8 from deep).  Besides Heidegger, Sow also had an excellent game with 16 pts and 9 boards.  Blackmon had a nice game off the bench, getting 5 pts, 5 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals in 26 minutes and, most importantly, managed to slow Diane’s torrid start to the game. Not to ignore the defense from Ramsey & McLaughlin which kept the potent CSUN guards in check.

Game Two Recap, March 7, Northridge
UCSB 76  CSUN 74
In the most dramatic game of the season for the Gauchos, UCSB came back from a late 4 point deficit to defeat the Matadors on a three point shot by Heidegger with 3.8s left.  In that last couple minutes it seemed everyone came up with a huge play to get the win, Blackmon managed to block Diane’s shot; Sow got to the line and hit both FTs then blocked the inbounds pass, JRoq made an incredible hustle play and Heidegger hit two huge threes. 
Unlike the first game, the Matadors shot the ball very well from deep going 9-20 with Gomez leading the turnaround on 5-11 from three and scoring 21 points.  POY Diane was his normal unstoppable self, scoring 34 including an unusually accurate 8-10 from the line.  He added 13 boards but did have 5 turnovers.  Rocket Henderson was accurate from the field and added 9 points.

Heidegger again led the way for the Gauchos with 23 points on 3-7 from deep and 4-4 from the line plus added 3 assists and a remarkable 8 rebounds.  Sow, a hero in the final minute of the game, had 11 points on 5-6 from the line but was only 3-12 from the field.  He had 6 boards. Davis came off the bench in this game, probably because Pasternack wanted Blackmon in for defense on Diane, and had a solid shooting night with 12 points and 6 boards.  Idehen also had a great game off the bench, scoring 6 and grabbing 5 boards in 13m of play. 

Match-up & prediction
Many BW fans, including this one, saw CSUN being a tournament dark horse after the emergence of Liane Diane in pre-season play.  He, along with reigning FOY, Terrell Gomez, gave the Matadors a two-headed monster which is a huge advantage in a mid-major conference (OJ-Nunnally, right?)  The Matadors are the only team with two players on the BW First team.  But poor defense, a lack of depth, and inexperience contributed to many lost leads and close losses and the end result is the 7^th seed.  The defense & depth are more difficult to fix but experience happens regardless and with fewer mistakes down the stretch CSUN can turn the close losses into close wins.   As the 7^th seed, they’re out of the spotlight with less pressure but definitely looking to prove they’re better than their record suggests.  UCSB sits about a 100 points higher in the computer rankings so the odds makers will likely have UCSB favored by more than what the final margin will likely be. 

The Pond is known for bad sight lines and this ought to harm both teams equally as they are similarly reliant on outside shooting. I expect the defenses to pack it in a bit more and the scoring to be lower than what was put up last week.  While CSUN has the best player in the league at creating offense in the paint in Diane, UCSB has the better defense to close out the lanes and force CSUN to hit from outside when Diane is bottled up.  If the Gauchos can turn the Matador two-headed monster into just Diane, as they did in the first game, then the odds of a Gaucho win go way up. So here’s to you JRoq and Devearl, I don’t care if you two don’t light it up on offense, just keep Gomez in check. 

Despite the upset potential the Matadors present, I believe a bit more experience on the side of the Gauchos carries.  I think this plays out much like the first game, it may not be pretty but UCSB prevails 71-65.

No. 2 UCSB Plays No. 7 CSUN in Big West Tournament First Round Thursday

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190312lr4lp8

UCSB Trio Honored by Big West Conference

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190311tijgb1

Big West Tournament Tickets

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/tickets/index

Call the UCSB Athletics Ticket Office for tickets to the Big West Conference Tournament. See you at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Go Gauchos! 

Sow's Record Breaking Night, Davis' Rebounding Lead Gauchos to 92-82 Win at Cal Poly

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190310172irv

UCSB vs. Cal Poly Game Preview, by Gaucho Freg

UCSB @ Cal Poly Preview, Game 2
Saturday, March 11, 2019, 7 PM PST
 
Overview:
UCSB bookends their conference season with their second game against their Central Coast rival, at last place Cal Poly.  The 3^rd place Gauchos are coming off a dramatic road win over CSUN and are still in contention for the second seed in the BW tournament; they have at least the third seed locked up.  Meanwhile the Mustangs have hit rock bottom, they fired Head Coach Joe Callero then went on to suffer one of the worst losses in their history at the hands of first place Irvine.   

By the Numbers                                                             
 

Quadrant 4 Game
Record	6-22	20-9
Home/Away vs D1	2-8 (H)	6-6 (A)
Big West Conference	2-13	9-6
Composite National Rankings
DCI 1&2, BPI, SOR, KP, Massey, NET, RPI, Sagarin	331	157
NET	333	161
SOS (NET)	329	287
Efficiency Rankings (Pomeroy)
Offense	301	143
Defense	339	210
Scoring  (Overall  /  Big West)	66.0  /  65.7	73.4  /  69.3
FG%	41.1  /  40.1	45.4  /  42.8
3Pt %	32.6  /  30.1	34.0  /  33.4
FT%	64.5  /  62.4	71.5  /  71.8
PPG Allowed	74.7  /  77.2	65.5  /  66.7
FG % Defense	45.8  /  47.9	42.5  /  45.8
3Pt % Defense	36.7  /  36.9	30.3  /  32.8
Rebounding Margin	-4.4  /  -6.2	+6.8  /  +4.0

Mustangs overview:
Nothing positive to be said for Cal Poly except that, mercifully, their season is nearly over. Some thought that the team may somehow find inspiration with the firing of Callero and they would step it up in their last two games but Irvine’s dominating win seems to put that to bed.  They still have Donovan Fields who gave the Gauchos trouble in the first game and wing Mark Crowe is an outstanding shooter, Marcellus Garrick has established himself as a scorer but not much else.   Mustang frontcourt players have not put up much in terms of numbers.  Poly does not rebound well and our front court should take advantage.

Best win (NET):  vs. Hawaii (203)
Worst Loss (NET):  @ Portland (326)
Trend:  Have lost 3 in a row, 8 of their last 9

CP-UCSB History/Game 1 Recap
This will be the 115^th meeting between the schools; UCSB holds a 80-35 advantage and has won three in a row, including 65-56 in on January 9 in Santa Barbara.  In that game, Devearl Ramsey & JRoq led the way with 19 & 16 points, respectively.  Sow had one of his least productive games with only 4 points, 1 rebound and 4 fouls in 15 minutes.  Idehen and Blackmon filled in with 8 and 7 boards respectively with Idehen adding 6 points.   Fields led the way for Poly with 19 pts and 8 assists.

Mott Gymnasium
Built in 1960, renovated in 1998, has a capacity of 3,032.  The aging facility is considered a detriment to recruiting but is a fun & loud place when the fans show up.

Head Coach:  Joe Callero is in his 10^th season which will officially be his last as he was notified of not being retained on Wednesday. This season is shaping up to be the worst in his tenure with not making the tournament extremely likely.  Only a victory over the Gauchos, a UCR loss to Davis and a win of a coin toss will gain them entry.

Roster 
The Mustangs start three upperclassman and two underclassmen. Their bench has some experience in forwards Niziol and Hollingsworth.

Probable Starters
PG Donovan Fields   #3  5’10”, 160 lb, Senior  16.8 ppg, 4.1 apg, 82% FT, 34 mpg.  Poly’s unquestionable team leader.  Tops in scoring, FT attempts & assists.  His fg% has suffered from his junior year, hitting .298 from three and .397 overall.  He absolutely destroyed UCSB in the first game last year, penetrating the Gaucho defense at will, leading Poly to a surprising upset.
Guard Marcellus Garrick  #11  6’4”, 190 lb. 11.6 ppg, 27 mpg  Senior  Second on team in assists and getting to the line (78%)  Tied for team lead in 3pt makes, 35%
Guard Job Alexander  #1  6’4”, 200 lb. JC Transfer Junior 20 mpg.   5.2 ppg  Has started 11 games.
Wing Mark Crowe   #5  6’5”, 205lb RS Sophomore  10 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 33 mpg  Good shooter, hitting  44% overall and 41% from deep on 138 attempts.
Forward Karlis Garoza  #23  6’9”, 230 lb, Sophomore  12 mpg. 4 rpg. From Latvia

Key Reserves
Forward Kuba Niziol  #35  6’7”, 210 lb.  Senior  6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg. 19 mpg  Former starter Fourth leading scorer.  Went for 8 on 2-4 from 3 against the Gauchos.
Forward Daxton Carr  #13  6’7”, 200 lb, Freshman 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg  18 mpg. Shooting .395 from the field and .321 from deep on 53 attempts.  Has started 12 games
Forward Hank Hollingsworth  #30  6’10”, 235 lb, Junior 4.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg  21 mpg.  Makes .589 of his fg attempts but only .432 of his FT attempts. 
Forward Tuuka Jaakola  #14  6’10”, 240 lb, Freshman 2.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 14 mpg, shooting an outstanding .625 from the field, 50% from the line.  From Finland

Injured:
Guard Junior Ballard  #24  6’3”, 200 lb. Freshman  5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 15 mpg    Shooting .315 from the field and .273 from deep.  Not sure if injured but has not played last couple games

Match-Up:  While there’s no strong incentive to win this game in terms of BWT seeding, we’re locked into playing Davis or CSUN regardless, there’s no way UCSB should lose this game or for it to be even close.  If they come out focused and get Sow involved early, fully exploit their rebounding advantage,  this should be a Gaucho win.

Keys to the game for the Gauchos:
·       No way Sow is a non-factor in this rematch.  He’s improved so much, should the Mustangs double him, our guards will make them pay.
·       McLaughlin slow down Fields.  While he got 19 in the first game, it was on a low %.  When we have not shut down the lead guard in our opponents (Shorts, Martin, Booker, Allman/Ahmed) UCSB has lost. 
·       Ramsey gets untracked.  Devearl has been a bit quiet of late, would be good for him to get untracked with another big game, as he had the first time and feeling confident going into the tournament. 

Prediction:  It’s the time of year that focus needs to be razor sharp, regardless of the opponent or relevance.  Gauchos come out strong and take it to them.  UCSB 86  CP 64

Official Site:    http://www.calpolymustangs.com/sports/mbkb/index
Hey Guys! To   https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/calpolymustangs/
How to Watch:  http://bigwest.sidearmstreaming.com/watch/?Live=1330

Heidegger's Three-Pointer in Finals Seconds Gives Thrilling 76-74 Win at CSUN

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/201903081iyvz8

 

Gauchos Get It Done!

GAUCHOS GET IT DONE ‼️

Max Heidegger leads @UCSBbasketball with 23pts (8-18 FG, 4-4 FT) + 8reb to get a #BIGWIN on the road, 76-74 at CSUN

Armond Davis 12pts + 6reb
Amadou Sow 11pts + 6reb

With the W, UCSB (20-9, 9-6) records 2nd-straight 20-win season under Joe Pasternack pic.twitter.com/3oKXZ8rDCT

— #BigWestMBB (@BigWestMBB) March 8, 2019

Gauchos Travel to CSUN, Cal Poly to Complete 2018-19 Regular Season

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190306quvxl3