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BIG WEST
For years the UC Irvine Anteaters’ basketball team has been the hard luck story of the Big West conference. Despite being a member of the league since 1978 (back when it was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference), UCI had never made the NCAA tournament. Back-to-back conference regular season championships in 2001 and 2002 resulted in a pair of NIT bids when the team got upset in the conference tournament. Three years ago, the Anteaters fell to Pacific in the Big West championship game. Two years ago, they won the regular season title but got upset in the semifinals. And for these reasons, when the Anteaters earned the 3 seed in last year’s tournament, we pretty much wrote them off. When they knocked off second-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals and got a matchup with 5th-seeded Hawai’i in the Big West title game, we just knew it would be heartbreak again. And yet, for the first time in school history, UCI broke through, defeating Hawai’i 67-58 and getting a ticket to the Big Dance. The team received a 13 seed from the committee and played Louisville tough in the Round of 64, losing by only 2 points. The Anteaters return their big man this year, 7-6 300 pound Mamadou Ndiaye, and have a great shot at earning a return trip.
While UC Irvine was dancing, UC Davis earned a bid to the NIT as the regular season champions in the Big West. UC Santa Barbara also received a postseason invite, playing in the CBI. Davis looks like it will be taking a step back this year with three key starters gone including Big West Player of the Year Corey Hawkins. UCSB should be in the hunt for the title though, and could be joined by several other schools including Cal Poly, Hawai’i and a team that has never been discussed among the Big West’s upper division, the UC Riverside Highlanders. In fact, UCR is the second choice in the conference this year, which would be noteworthy given that they have never finished higher than fourth and have only had one winning season in 14 years at the Division I level.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. UC Irvine – Mamadou Ndiaye’s 7-6 300 pound monster size is back (and he is only a junior). The addition of freshman Jonathan Galloway will help down low and a pair of veteran guards, Luke Nelson and Alex Young, help round out a roster with a great chance to return to the Dance.
2. UC Riverside – It may be surprising to pick the Highlanders this high, but they are led by a pair of seniors that both averaged over 15 points per game last season in forward Taylor Johns and guard Jaylen Bland. They also added size in the offseason, bringing in 7 footer Menno Dijkstra from the Netherlands.
3. Cal Poly – The Mustangs return their top five scorers from last season led by forward Brian Bennett and guard David Nwaba. The experience that this senior-laden team has will give them a great shot at the league crown.
4. UC Santa Barbara – The Gauchos return three starters that averaged in double figures as guards Michael Bryson and Gabe Vincent plus forward John Green lead the way. The problem is that the team will need to find a way to make up for the loss of Alan Williams who averaged a double-double last year.
5. Hawai’i – Head coach Gib Arnold was terminated on the eve of the season last year and Benjy Taylor took over leading the Rainbow Warriors to 22 victories and a Big West championship game appearance. It still remains a mystery why Taylor was not retained — but he wasn’t and Eran Ganot takes over this year. The good news is that five of the top seven players from last year’s team are back and more experienced, giving the team a shot at challenging in a league race that should be fun to watch all season.
6. Long Beach State – Dan Monson’s squad lost all five starters from last year’s 16-17 squad, but still should be somewhat competitive with the additions of Maryland transfer Nick Faust and USC transfer Roschon Prince.
7. Cal State Fullerton – Four starters are gone from last season’s 9 win squad. The good news is that Lanerryl Johnson averaged over 12 points per game last year and will step into a starting role this year. The Titans also add in Air Force transfer Tre Coggins who averaged over 16 points per game two years ago in Colorado Springs. Those two players alone should be enough to prevent things from getting any worse.
8. UC Davis – Corey Hawkins led the Aggies to the regular season title and an NIT berth last season. He is gone and the team must now rebuild without him, meaning that this year will see them take a major step backwards. Josh Fox was the team’s top sixth man last season and should become a leader as a starter this year.
9. Cal State Northridge – It is Reggie Theus’ third year in Northridge and therefore should be the year that his remake of the program begins to show through. Instead, the Matadors lost their top three starters and will be hard pressed to just match last season’s 9 victories.