Kelly, Norris Earn Double-Doubles In Win Over Anteaters

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301170ma2x0

Whitfield Leads All Scorers, but Gauchos Fall to UC Irvine

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301170p2nie

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

https://www.noozhawk.com/ucsbs-big-finish-knocks-uc-irvine-off-the-top-of-big-west-conference/

Gauchos Ready For Road Contest Against Anteaters

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230116m6oqhn

UCSB vs UCI Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 17 (BW Game 5)
UCSB at UC Irvine
Monday, January 16, 2023, 6:00 pm PST
Irvine, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
Well, that sucked.  Clever writing aside, the Gauchos (13-3, 4-1) cheated the Devil one too many times.  Lots of bugaboos reared up at the wrong time vs. UC Riverside.  Poor perimeter defense.  Ugly three-point shooting.  Little bench production. 

The Anteaters (12-5, 5-0) are not the antidote for a return to success.  UC Irvine was knocking on the door of the Top 25 in November but inexplicably went into a 1-4 funk after Thanksgiving.  Dawson Baker has stepped up in conference play to help right the ship, and DJ Davis is starting to get going again.  Pierre Crockrell II leads the conference in assists.  Unfortunately for the 'Eaters, their best big man Bent Leuchten just went under the knife and is out for this game.  More than any other team in the conference, Irvine employs the next-man-up mentality as Russell Turner does not hesitate to hockey-line change his lineup when he sees fit.

UCSB-UC Irvine History
UCSB leads the series 55-45.
Recent games
March 10, 2022: W 78-69 at BWT, Henderson, NV
February 3, 2022: L 52-53 at Santa Barbara
March 13, 2021: W 79-63 at BWT, Anaheim, CA (Gauchos win BWT Championship)
December 28, 2020: L 69-73 at Irvine
December 27, 2020: L 56-75 at Irvine
February 29, 2020: L 58-69 at Irvine
February 8, 2020: W 64-61 at Santa Barbara
February 16, 2019: L 70-83 at Irvine
January 31, 2019: L 62-66 (OT) Santa Barbara
March 9, 2018: L 58-61 at BWT, Anaheim, CA
February 22, 2018: L 49-69 at Irvine
January 6, 2018: W 70-58 at Santa Barbara 

The Arena
Bren Events Center
Capacity: 5,608
Gaucho pre-game is at Eureka! Irvine, 4143 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA 92612.  Be forewarned.  The jinx plans to attend.

Head Coach
Russell Turner
overall/UC Irvine: 254-163 (.609)
Turner is in his 13th season at UCI.  He has 10 consecutive winning seasons, 7 seasons of 20+ wins, five regular-season conference titles and two NCAA appearances.  His 2018-19 squad went 31-6 and advanced to the 2nd round of the Tournament.  Turner is the leading scorer in D3 Hampden-Sydney (Va.) history.

UC Irvine Roster
Dawson Baker #1, JR G, 6-3 180, Coto de Caza, CA -- 14.1 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 0.7 Ast
DJ Davis #22 JR G, 5-6, 170, Moreno Valley, CA -- 13.9 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Bent Leuchten #15 SO C, 7-0 258, Karlsfeld, Germany -- 10.4 Pts, 6.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Justin Hohn #2 JR G, 6-1 180, Sioux Falls, SD -- 8.4 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Devin Tillis #11 JR F, 6-6 215, Los Angeles, CA -- 6.8 Pts, 6.1 Reb, 1.3 Ast
Andre Henry #4 JR G, 6-4 175, La Canada-Flintridge, CA -- 4.9 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Pierre Crockrell II #3 SR G, 6-0 175, Tacoma, WA -- 4.9 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 4.9 Ast
JC Butler #00 SR F, 6-5 200, Racine, WI -- 4.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Dean Keeler #31 SR F, 6-9 210, Westminster, CA -- 4.0 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Chazz Hutchison #5 JR F, 6-9 215, Mission Viejo, CA -- 2.8 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Ofure Ujadughele #10 JR G, 6-3 210, Long Beach, CA -- 2.1 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Akiva McBirney-Griffin #43 SO F, 6-9 220, Hamilton, Canada -- 1.3 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.2 Ast
Emilis Butkus #23 FR G, 6-5 215, Vilnius, Lithuania -- 1.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Hayden Welling #13 FR F, 6-8 210, Draper, UT -- 0.9 Pts, 0.6 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Eli Chol #33 FR C, 6-11 175, Cumming, GA -- 0.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.3 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.9 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 4.5 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 12.9 Pts, 6.1 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 10.1 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 2.2 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 8.9 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 6.7 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 7.0 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 6.3 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.5 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.8 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.4 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.8 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.7 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
UC Irvine National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Assists per game: 60 (15.3)
• Bench points per game: 20 (28.94)
• Effective FG percentage: 46 (.544)
• Fastbreak Points: 39 (13.53)
• Field Goal percentage: 34 (.481)
• Field Goal percentage Defense: 48 (.403)
• Fouls per game: 321 (19.3)
• Rebound Margin: 30 (+6.0)
• Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 52 (27.35)
• Rebounds per game: 66 (38.12)
• Scoring Margin: 33 (11.4)
• Scoring Offense: 50 (78.1)
• Three-Point percentage: 4 (.405)
• Winning percentage: 64 (.706)

Players

• Pierre Crockrell II -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 68 (2.21), Assists: 55 (84), Assists per game: 41 (4.9)
• Dean Keeler -- Blocks: 268 (15), Blocks per game: 281 (0.88)
• Bent Leuchten -- Blocks per game: 346 (0.80), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 337 (1.93), Rebounds per game: 300 (6.1)
• Devin Tillis -- Double Doubles: 228 (2), Rebounds: 331 (104), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 304 (4.41), Rebounds per game: 303 (6.1)
• Dawson Baker -- Field Goal percentage: 159 (.471), Field Goals: 302 (89), Points per game: 323 (14.1)
• DJ Davis -- Free Throw percentage: 67 (.855), Points per game: 345 (13.9), Three Point attempts: 253 (97), Three Pointers per game: 131 (2.41), Three Pointers: 147 (41)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Bench Points per game: 289 (15.69)
• Field Goal percentage: 24 (.484)
• Rebound Margin: 56 (+4.9)
• Scoring Defense: 29 (62.5)
• Three Point Attempts per game: 345 (15.5)
• Three Pointers per game: 336 (5.2)
• Winning percentage: 21 (.812)

Players

• Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 143 (1.85), Assists: 131 (72), Assists per game: 85 (4.5), Field Goal percentage: 102 (.506), Field Goals: 345 (86), Free Throw attempts: 146 (83), Free Throw percentage: 90 (.843), Free Throws: 89 (70), Minutes per game: 274 (32:15), Points: 286 (254), Points per game: 164 (15.9), Steals: 160 (28), Steals per game: 109 (1.75)
• Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 268 (15), Blocks per game: 256 (0.94), Double Doubles: 228 (2), Rebounds: 343 (103), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 176 (5.00), Rebounds per game: 247 (6.4)
• Miles Norris -- Blocks: 268 (15), Blocks per game: 256 (0.94), Double Doubles: 228 (2), Minutes per game: 275 (32:14), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 240 (2.12), Rebounds per game: 315 (6.1)
• Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 259 (25), Steals per game: 139 (1.67)

Prediction
UCSB has lost 6 straight games at the Bren, with its last win coming in Bob Williams' penultimate season.  Many of those losses have been convincing, but the Gauchos are at full strength and may have gotten a wakeup call with Saturday night's loss.  However, even without Leuchten the Anteaters are a load to handle.  Also, this Irvine team plays at a fast pace and can bring waves of players into the game.  It would be a moral victory to keep the game close and low-scoring.  UC Irvine 66, UCSB 63.

Official Site:  https://ucirvinesports.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/bigwest ... etball-f7/
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 51aa76eb75
How to Listen:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ucsb/
Live stats:  https://ucirvinesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/media

Four Gauchos Recorded Double-Digits In Nail-Biter Against Highlanders

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301153qxcmy

Women’s Basketball Earns First Win in Riverside Since 2013

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/2023114

UCR vs UCSB Game Preview, by gauchodan

Game 16 (BW Game 4)
UC Riverside at UCSB
Saturday, January 14, 2023, 7:00 pm PST
Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
The Gauchos (13-2, 4-0) have smoke-and-mirrored their way to their best start in 34 years.  The schedule has helped, certainly, but the team does seem to find a way to unlock a secret code in each game to record the victory.  Wednesday, CSU Bakersfield never threatened but UCSB never really pulled away either.  Ajare Sanni scored 8 of UCSB's first 11 points with a couple of threes, which is the spark UCSB needs from him as a starter.  The more other players can heat up on offense, the load is thus distributed away from Ajay Mitchell.  Andre Kelly was better although still not at his November peak.  Koat Keat Tong scored a career-high 6 points and has cemented his "first-big-off-the-bench" role.  Jakov Kukic was a DNP as Evans Kipruto got 4 minutes of run. 

Hopefully, UCSB is not looking past the dangerous Highlanders (11-6, 4-1) to their MLK showdown at Irvine.  Through the vagaries of COVID scheduling/cancellations, the last 4 games have been played in the Inland Empire.  UC Riverside has played the last 2+ games without Big West Conference-leading scorer Zyon Pullin, who is nursing some kind of ankle injury.  There's no word on his status.  In his absence, UCR was blown out at home by Cal State Fullerton and fell 18 points behind at UC San Diego before something clicked.  Riverside closed the game on a 33-9 run led by Jamal Hartwell II's career-high 30 points.  The Highlanders also erased an 18-point deficit at Loyola Marymount this season.  UCR has never won in Santa Barbara.

UC Riverside-UCSB History
UCSB leads the series 39-11.
Recent games
February 26, 2022: W 97-90 at Riverside (2OT)
February 27, 2021: L 52-68 at Riverside
February 26, 2021: W 72-68 at Riverside
February 27, 2020: W 65-60 at Riverside
January 25, 2020: W 65-53 at Santa Barbara
February 14, 2019: L 71-57 at Riverside
January 12, 2019: W 72-64 at Santa Barbara
January 27, 2018: W 76-69 at Riverside
January 6, 2018: W 65-57 at Santa Barbara 

The Arena
The Thunderdome
Capacity: 5,000
The DCI will be making his first appearance at the Campus Events Center since the 2019-20 season.  Moderate rain is expected in soggy Santa Barbara.

Head Coach
Mike Magpayo
overall/UC Riverside: 41-25 (.621)
Magpayo was named interim head coach for the 2020-21 season, then was promoted to full-time head coach on May 21, 2021.  After leading the Highlanders to a 14-8 record in his first season, Magpayo signed a five year extension.  He is the first Division I men's basketball coach with full Asian heritage.  Magpayo has also found tremendous success off the court, both as the CEO of a multi-million dollar real estate firm in Southern California for seven years and as the founder and president of the Asian Coaches Association.  He graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in business economics in 2001.

UC Riverside Roster
Zyon Pullin #5 SR G, 6-4 195, Pleasant Hill, CA -- 19.6 Pts, 4.5 Reb, 4.1 Ast
Flynn Cameron #11 SR G, 6-3 210, Auckland, New Zealand -- 10.5 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 3.3 Ast
Lachlan Olbrich #30 FR F, 6-10, Adelaide, Australia -- 10.1 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Kyle Owens #0 SR F, 6-8 205, Calabasas, CA -- 9.2 Pts, 4.8 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Jamal Hartwell II #4 SR G, 5-10, Inglewood, CA -- 8.0 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Wil Tattersall #14 JR G, 6-7 198, Melbourne, Australia -- 5.4 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 1.8 Ast
Vladimer Salaridze #13 SO F, 6-7, Tblisi, Georgia -- 4.3 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Jhaylon Martinez #12 SO C, 6-11 260, Vallejo, CA -- 4.2 Pts, 4.6 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Luke Turner #22 SO F, 6-7, Temecula, CA -- 3.6 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 0.6 Ast
Nate Pickens #1 FR G, 6-4, El Mirage, AZ -- 1.9 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Anthony Bell #25 JR G, 6-1, Chino Hills, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Kobe Jerome #3 FR G, 6-4 190, New Rochelle, NY -- 0.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Niyi Olabode #10 SO F, 6-5 205, Orinda, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.3 Ast

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 15.9 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 4.5 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 13.0 Pts, 6.3 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 10.3 Pts, 3.8 Reb, 2.4 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 8.7 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 7.0 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.6 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 7.3 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 5.8 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.6 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.8 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.4 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 0.8 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.7 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
UC Riverside National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Blocks per game: 341 (1.7)
• Fastbreak Points: 315 (6.29)
• Free Throw Attempts per game: 308 (15.1)
• Free Throws made per game: 300 (10.6)
• Rebound Margin: 33 (+6.0)
• Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 61 (27.24)
• Rebounds per game: 56 (38.41)
• Steals per game: 338 (4.7)
• Turnover Margin: 278 (-1.2)
• Turnovers Forced per game: 286 (11.71)

Players

• Zyon Pullin -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 233 (1.54), Assists: 241 (57), Assists per game: 132 (4.1), Field Goal Attempts: 223 (196), Field Goal percentage: 79 (.526), Field Goals: 87 (103), Free Throw Attempts: 204 (72), Free Throw percentage: 289 (.750), Free Throws: 197 (54), Minutes per game: 73 (34:42), Points: 140 (274), Points per game: 30 (19.6)
• Flynn Cameron -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 270 (1.40), Assists: 259 (56), Assists per game: 281 (3.3), Rebounds (Defensive) per game: 236 (4.65), Steals: 285 (23), Steals per game: 335 (1.35), Three Point Attempts: 210 (96), Three Pointers per game: 200 (2.18), Three Point Field Goals: 179 (37)
• Kyle Owens -- Double Doubles: 209 (2)
• Lachlan Olbrich -- Rebounds: 324 (100), Rebounds (Offensive) per game: 115 (2.59)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team

• Bench Points per game: 291 (15.73)
• Effective FG percentage: 70 (.536)
• Field Goal percentage: 23 (.486)
• Rebound Margin: 40 (+5.8)
• Scoring Defense: 29 (62.3)
• Three Point Attempts per game: 346 (15.5)
• Three Pointers per game: 328 (5.4)
• Winning percentage: 14 (.867)

Players

• Ajay Mitchell -- Assist/Turnover ratio: 152 (1.84), Assists: 135 (68), Assists per game: 81 (4.5), Field Goal percentage: 101 (.503), Free Throw attempts: 170 (76), Free Throw percentage: 72 (.855), Free Throws: 96 (65), Minutes per game: 280 (32:05), Points: 292 (239), Points per game: 170 (15.9), Steals: 133 (28), Steals per game: 88 (1.87)
• Andre Kelly -- Blocks: 248 (15), Blocks per game: 205 (1.00), Double Doubles: 209 (2), Rebounds (defensive) per game: 166 (5.07), Rebounds per game: 251 (6.5)
• Miles Norris -- Blocks: 283 (14), Blocks per game: 261 (0.93), Double Doubles: 209 (2), Minutes per game: 278 (32:06), Rebounds (offensive) per game: 221 (2.20), Rebounds per game: 287 (6.3)
• Josh Pierre-Louis -- Steals: 213 (25), Steals per game: 104 (1.79)

Prediction
Obviously, Riverside is a lot stronger with Pullin in the lineup.  However, if he were to play he might not be able to play his normal type of "take-over-the-game" game.  UCR likes to spread the floor and play through their big men in the high post, but the Highlanders are not as strong inside as we've become accustomed to.  I'm predicting an Andre Kelly breakout.  UCSB 70, UC Riverside 61

Official Site:  https://gohighlanders.com/sports/mens-basketball
Hey Guys!:  https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/bigwest ... tball-f12/
How to Watch:  https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ ... 194a7a90ff
Live stats:  http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=428857

Gaucho Men Drive to Another Road Basketball Victory

https://www.noozhawk.com/gaucho-men-drive-to-another-road-basketball-victory/?utm_source=hive&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hive_email_id_163516&h_sid=0bbd7be59a-c318d5d68ba04b1c28c8fc84&h_slt=eyJoYXNoIjoiYmFhMWFhOTM5NDlkYjExIiwiaGl2ZV91c2VyX2lkIjo2ODI0NDc3OH0%3D

Gauchos Fend Off Roadrunners Thanks to Choice Block, Clutch Free Throws

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301121w1xc6

Men's Basketball Earns Ninth-Straight Victory In Win Over Roadrunners

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/202301121bnpn8

UCSB Hangs On for Blue-Green Rivalry Win

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/w-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230107xu1hfs

Gauchos Rally From Low-Scoring First Half To Defeat Mustangs

https://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2022-23/releases/20230107sslae2

Gaucho Men Finish Strong Again For Eighth-Straight Basketball Win

https://www.noozhawk.com/gaucho-men-finish-strong-again-for-eighth-straight-basketball-win/

UCSB vs CSU-SLO Game Preview, by gauchodan

UCSB at Cal Poly
Saturday, January 7, 2022, 1:00 pm PST
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
 
Quick Bite
The Gauchos (11-2, 2-0) come back from a bye in the Big West schedule with a matinee at Blue-Green rival Cal Poly.  UCSB has yet to have a Big West game start at the classic time of 7 pm PST.  UCSB has won 7 straight games, including four away from home.  Looking back on the winning streak, it seems that every game was close until the Gauchos pulled away late.  It doesn't hurt that UCSB has Ajay Mitchell on its side.  Mitchell goes into another gear in the last five minutes and basically says, "no, we are not losing this game."  The reigning conference Player of the Week has scored 20 points in 4 straight games.

The Mustangs (7-8, 1-2) have already matched their win total from last season, although they just lost to lowly CSU Bakersfield.  Cal Poly has some nice pieces.  Alimamy Koroma is a formidable senior forward who is nearing 1,000 career points.  Chance Hunter is a grad transfer who once played at Long Beach State and senior guard Trevon Taylor is a frequent double-digit scorer and the team's leading rebounder.  The Mustangs allow just 63.3 points per game.

UCSB-Cal Poly History
UCSB leads the series 79-35.
The most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's program history, UCSB has won 9 straight against the Mustangs and 16 of the last 17 matchups.  Cal Poly's last victory against the Gauchos was an 80-79 home decision (Jan. 4, 2018) in which the Mustangs overturned a 21-point, first-half deficit . UCSB leads the Division I (45-14) series.

The Arena
Mott Athletics Center
Capacity: 3,032
Mott is one of the older facilities in the conference, but it's a fun place to watch a basketball game.  It has seating on both sides and at each end and can be one of the louder buildings on the West Coast.  The gym was named after Robert A. Mott (at the time referred to as "Mott Gym") on September 24, 1988.  Mott had been a physical education faculty member and department head at Cal Poly between 1946-1978.

Head Coach
John Smith
overall/Cal Poly: 31-78 (.284)
Smith is in his 4th season as head coach at Poly.  He can be considered part of the Bob Williams coaching tree, as he was an assistant for 6 seasons under Dedrique Taylor at Cal State Fullerton.  He briefly played for Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV and later won a California state championship at Riverside City CC, just like Tarkanian did 43 seasons prior.

Cal Poly Roster
Alimamy Koroma #15 SR F, 6-8 220, Freetown, Sierra Leone -- 11.3 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Trevon Taylor #2 SR G, 6-6 197, Chesapeake, VA -- 9.9 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast
Chance Hunter #31 SR G, 6-6 190, Inglewood, CA -- 8.4 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 0.5 Ast
Brantly Stevenson #4 JR F, 6-4 185, Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- 8.1 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Kobe Sanders #3 JR G, 6-6 175, San Diego, CA -- 7.3 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.5 Ast
Nick Fleming #12 SR G, 6-1 165, Atlanta, GA -- 4.4 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Camren Pierce #1 JR G, 5-10 175, Rancho Cucamonga, CA -- 4.7 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 2.3 Ast
Bryan Penn-Johnson #23 JR C, 7-0 260, Long Beach, CA -- 3.2 Pts, 1.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Aidan Prukop #11 SO G, 6-4 180, Ladera Ranch, CA -- 2.8 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Julien Franklin #5 SO G, 6-7 200, Brea, CA -- 2.3 Pts, 2.7 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Cole Haller #21 FR F, 6-7 185, Bellevue, WA -- 1.4 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Isaac Spears #10 FR G, 6-4 170, Las Vegas, NV -- 3.3 Pts, 0.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Hayden Jory #0 SO G, 5-11 170, Lompoc, CA -- 1.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Aaron Price #22 FR F, 6-8 195, Las Vegas, NV -- 1.7 Pts, 1.7 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Nick Carlson #13 JR G, 6-0 155, La Mesa, CA -- 0.5 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Matur Dhal #35 SO C, 6-11 195, Tempe, AZ -- 2.0 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.0 Astt

UCSB Roster
Ajay Mitchell #13 SO G, 6-4 180, Sainte Marie Namur (Belgium) -- 16.6 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 4.6 Ast
Miles Norris #5 SR F, 6-10 220, San Diego, CA -- 12.7 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 1.6 Ast
Josh Pierre-Louis #1 SR G, 6-4 185, Plainfield, NJ -- 10.5 Pts, 3.6 Reb, 2.5 Ast
Andre Kelly #2 SR F, 6-8 255, Stockton, CA -- 9.0 Pts, 6.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast
Calvin Wishart #10 SR G, 6-1 180, Delano, MN -- 7.2 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Ajare Sanni #3 SR G, 6-3 170, Houston, TX -- 7.2 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 0.9 Ast
Cole Anderson #4 SO G, 6-4 185, Fresno, CA -- 6.5 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.8 Ast
Jakov Kukic #14 JR F, 6-10 230, Split, Croatia -- 1.8 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Koat Keat Tong #00 FR F, 6-9 215, Bentiu, South Sudan -- 1.2 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 0.3 Ast
Matija Belic #32 FR G, 6-7 205, Belgrade, Serbia -- 0.5 Pts, 0.8 Reb, 0.1 Ast
Evans Kipruto #12 JR F, 6-8 250, Nairobi, Kenya -- 1.0 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Gage Gomez #50 JR G, 6-3 190, Arroyo Grande, CA -- 0.7 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.7 Ast
David Pickles #40 SO F, 6-10 235, Seattle, WA -- 1.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Ariel Bland #23 SO F, 6-7 215, Eden Prairie, MN -- 0.0 Pts, 1.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Henry Hartwell #51 FR G, 6-5 180, Oceanside, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast
Max Sheldon #53 SO G, 5-11 180, Santa Barbara, CA -- 0.0 Pts, 0.0 Reb, 0.0 Ast
 
Cal Poly National Ranking Outliers
Team
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 344 (0.66)
Assists per game: 348 (9.2)
Blocks per game: 305 (2.2)
Effective FG pct: 311 (.471)
Fastbreak Points: 300 (6.87)
Field Goal pct: 295 (.419)
Fouls per game: 313 (19.1)
Free Throw pct: 36 (.754)
Scoring Defense: 49 (63.3)
Scoring Offense: 341 (61.8)
Three-Point pct: 333 (.288)
Three Pointers per game: 323 (5.5)

UCSB National Ranking Outliers
Team
Field Goal pct: 35 (.483)
Rebound Margin: 29 (+6.5)
Scoring Defense: 56 (63.8)
Three Point attempts per game: 339 (16.3)
Three Pointers per game: 322 (5.5)
Winning percentage: 21 (.846)
Players
Ajay Mitchell -- Assists per game: 77 (4.6), Free Throw pct: 81 (.853), Free Throws: 96 (58), Steals per Game: 62 (2.00)

Prediction
Wow, Cal Poly's statistically bad at a lot of stuff.  And we finally found a team that makes as many 3's as we do per game.  They will take them, however.  They tried 30 of them last night in Bakersfield, making just 6.  Cal Poly may rank well in scoring defense at 63.3 ppg allowed but that may be a function of their slow pace (KPom tempo ranking = 321).  Just don't put them on the free throw line.  The Gauchos average scoring 66.6 points on the road vs. 81.3 points at home and are not the fastest team either (KPom tempo = 281), so they may need a patented Ajay final 5 surge to put this game away.  UCSB 65, Cal Poly 53

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