CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK: DAY 1
UC-Santa Barbara at UC-Riverside, 11:00 PM Eastern, ESPN2
The Under the Radar Game of the Day focuses its attention on the Big West conference tonight as the first place UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos are on the road to take on the up-and-coming UC-Riverside Highlanders. UCSB enters tonight’s game at 16-3 overall and 12-2 in Big West play. The Gauchos dropped their first two conference games of the season, both at UC-Irvine, and have won 12 straight games since then, making them one of the hottest teams in the country. UCSB is led by JaQuori McLaughlin’s 15.9 points per game and Amadou Sow’s 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The Gauchos have the #1 offense and #2 defense in the Big West, according to KenPom, making them the current favorites to capture both the regular season and conference tournament titles this year.
UC-Riverside has been an amazing turnaround story this season. During the past offseason, the school actually considered shutting down the basketball program entirely due to funding issues. Their head coach from last season, David Patrick, packed his bags and headed for an assistant job at Arkansas, putting Mike Magpayo in control of the program. Coach Magpayo then proceeded to miss his very first game as head coach when his wife went into labor with the birth of their first child, and make history a few days later when the Highlanders upset Washington and he became the first ever head coach of Asian-American descent to win a D1 game. UCR is currently 10-6 overall and 7-4 in Big West play, tied in the loss column with UC-Irvine for second place. The Highlanders are led by Arinze Chidom’s 13.6 points per game, and 11+ points per game from Zyon Pullin and Jock Perry. A win today or tomorrow when the two teams meet again, will continue to shape this year as arguably the best D1 season ever for the Highlanders’ program.
NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES
-Iowa played great against Michigan for a half! Unfortunately, it was only the first. Michigan totally blew their doors off in the second half. Michigan has won on the road at Ohio State, and blown out top ten Iowa this past week. That’s a good week!
-Ohio State followed up their exciting loss to Michigan with an exciting loss to Michigan State last night. Ohio State, despite two straight losses, could still end up on the #1 line if they get back to their old form. This was much more of a big win for Michigan State, who now looks to be solidly inside the bubble, than it was a damaging loss for the Buckeyes.
-Colorado blew out USC 80-62. Colorado is starting to trend up and USC appears to now be in a bit of a tailspin. We still think they are a lock, but they are beginning to slide down the seedlist some.
-San Diego State got a huge win against Boise State last night. it was an overtime thriller and perhaps one of the most important win of the year for the Aztecs. I have been beating them up for their flimsy profile, but after last night I’m in on them being a likely tournament team. It took me a while, but I’m there now!
-PURDUE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Despite a lousy overall record, Penn State is capable of playing like a tournament caliber team. Purdue is continuing to climb the seedlist and has gotten better as the season has progressed, but Penn State is capable of beating them at home if Purdue overlooks them.
-DRAKE AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley). Drake will get a bit of a challenge on the road today, especially with them being a little short handed, but it’s still a winnable game and I think they are very close to landing in a situation to where they are safely inside the bubble.
-RICHMOND AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). Richmond is in the discussion, and can play their way inside the bubble, but they’ll need a strong finish. Every game should have a sense of urgency to it, and that certainly includes this one tonight.
-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley). Loyola is definitely inside the bubble right now and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve.
-NEVADA AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). Utah State still has work to do, but they still have a path to landing inside the bubble if they can finish really strong and pick up some nice wins in the conference tournament.