Long Beach State, off to its best start since the 1996-97 season, battles No. 8 West Virginia in the opening round of the 76 Classic on Thanksgiving Day at the Anaheim Convention Center. The 49ers are aiming to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since February of 1994.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Eugene Phelps, Long Beach State
Long Beach State’s decorated freshmen class of Larry Anderson, T.J. Robinson and Casper Ware helped the 49ers reach the 15-win mark in 2008-09 and were selected to the Big West All-Freshman Team. The fourth player from that freshman class is now making a key contribution to the 2009-10 edition of the 49er roster. Forward Eugene Phelps, a reserve who averaged 14.0 minutes per game last year, has stepped into the starting lineup and provided immediate dividends. He pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds at Notre Dame, and scored a career-high 15 points at Green Bay. In three games last week, he averaged a double-double of 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds.
MORE NOTABLES
Titans Pull Off Upset In Pauley Pavilion
ESPN’s 24 consecutive hours of live college hoops programming could not have gotten off to a better start than with Cal State Fullerton’s 68-65 double overtime triumph against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion last Monday. The Titans won for the first time in 10 tries against the Bruins and snapped UCLA’s 37-game winning streak against unranked non-conference opponents at home.
Power Outage Disrupts Pacific Game
Pacific’s non-conference game at Northern Arizona last Thursday was suspended due to a power outage in the Flagstaff area. The Tigers were trailing by two points with 8:50 remaining in the second half when the lights when out. There is no word on whether the game will be resumed at a later date. Stats from the game are not official.
Excelling Against The WCC
When Pacific is not having games suspended due to power outages, the Tigers are winning - at the expense of the West Coast Conference. Pacific, off to a 3-0 start, has won all three games against WCC foes Pepperdine, San Diego and Santa Clara. The Tigers defeated the Toreros and Broncos at home last week. Pacific has two more games remaining against the WCC this season - a Dec. 18 game at Saint Mary’s and a Dec. 21 rematch at Santa Clara.
Long Beach State Participates In Loaded 76 Classic
The third annual 76 Classic, an eight-team bracketed college basketball event at the Anaheim Convention Center, features Big West member Long Beach State in the 2009 field after UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton participated in the initial two events, respectively. LBSU’s 3-1 start is its best since the 1996-97 season, but the 49ers will be solely tested against a star-studded field which includes No. 8 West Virginia, No. 19 Clemson, No. 12 Butler and No. 22 Minnesota. The 49ers meet West Virginia in the first game of the three-day tournament on Thanksgiving Day at 11:00 a.m. on ESPNU. They then face either Clemson or Texas A&M on day two. UCLA and Portland also comprise part of the tournament field.
Other Thanksgiving Tournaments On Tap
The 76 Classic is the marquee tournament involving a Big West school this week, but conference members are participating in other turkey week shindigs. UC Irvine began play in the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic in Richmond, Ky. on Monday, losing by 10 points to Texas-San Antonio. The Anteaters complete tournament play against host Eastern Kentucky and Fairleigh Dickinson. Cal State Northridge, in the consolation round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Preseason NIT, fell in a heartbreaking 68-67 affair to host Western Kentucky on Monday evening. The Matadors wrap up play versus Coastal Carolina on Tuesday. Pacific continues play in the month-long West Coast Classic, hosting San Diego State on Wednesday with hopes of starting a season 4-0 for the first time since 1998-99.
Long Beach State Favorite To Win 2009-10 Title
A 24-member media voting panel tabbed Long Beach State as the favorite to win the 2009-10 Big West men’s basketball regular season title. The 49ers earned 17 first-place votes and 209 points. UC Santa Barbara captured six first-place nods and 178 points to finish second, while defending Big West regular season and tournament champion Cal State Northridge was third with 130 points. UC Riverside came in fourth place with 127 points and Pacific, which received the remaining first-place vote, had 126 points for fifth. Rounding out the poll was UC Davis, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and Cal Poly.
Gauchos Aiming For 4-0 Start
UC Santa Barbara won its third straight game to open the 2009-10 season, defeating San Francisco 76-65 on Monday evening. Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally combined for 45 of UCSB’s 76 points. The Gauchos look to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 2006-07 when they travel to Loyola Marymount on Saturday. That game marks Orlando Johnson’s return to Gersten Pavilion, where he played his freshman season in 2007-08 with the Lions. In three games with UCSB, Johnson is averaging a league-leading 21.0 points per game.
Highlanders At It Again In Close Ones
A main reason for UC Riverside winning a school Division I record 17 games in 2008-09 was its ability to perform well in close games. The Highlanders were 9-1 last season in games decided by five points or less. UCR succeeded in its first “close” game of 2009-10 with a 70-66 victory against San Jose State at home on Sunday.
Coaching Milestones On The Horizon
A pair of head coaches are poised to enter the top five in all time victories while a member of the Big West coaching fraternity. Pat Douglass, in his 13th year at the helm of UC Irvine, is currently No. 6 all-time with 185 victories. He is the all-time winningest coach at UCI. He needs 10 wins to surpass Fresno State’s Boyd Grant (1978-86) in the No. 5 spot with 194 wins. A 17-win season for Douglass would make him just the fifth coach to reach the 200-win plateau.
UC Santa Barbara’s Bob Williams enters his 12th season on the Central Coast campus just four wins behind Douglass in the record book. He is 182-146 with the Gauchos. Williams has posted two 20-win seasons (2001-02, 2007-08) during his tenure, so the 21 wins he needs to collect 200 for his career is within reach.
ALL-TIME VICTORY LEADERS - BIG WEST TENURE
Rk. Coach, School No.
1. Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU & UNLV 405
2. Bob Thomason, Pacific 367
3. Neil McCarthy, New Mexico State 248
4. Jerry Pimm, UC Santa Barbara 222
5. Boyd Grant, Fresno State 194
6. Pat Douglass, UC Irvine 185
7. Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara 182
8. Stew Morrill, Utah State 167
9. Bill Mulligan, UC Irvine 163
10. Rod Tueller, Utah State 158
Bold denotes active Big West head coach
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