Twelve men's basketball games are on the ledger this week, but all will be played within the first three days as Big West teams head into the holiday break. Long Beach State travels to No. 3 Kentucky for its fourth battle against a top 25 opponent. Cal State Fullerton competes in the lone tournament of the week at the Basketball Travelers Tournament in Logan, Utah.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State
Robinson is putting up Big West Player of the Year caliber numbers through the first 10 games of the 2009-10 season. In the Big West rankings, Robinson is No. 1 in rebounding (10.0 rpg), No. 2 in scoring (16.5 ppg) and No. 3 in field goal percentage (.602). The sophomore forward leads all Big West players with six double-doubles, including four of those in the last five contests. He has notched double-doubles against Clemson, UCLA, Texas and Utah State in that span. Robinson’s three games with 20 points or more also is tied for second among all Big West players.
MORE NOTABLES
Big West Stellar On Home Courts
Big West schools own a superb 27-8 combined record in home games this season. The home court success contributes heavily to the league’s overall 42-41 non-conference record. Four teams are unbeaten on their home court, led by UC Riverside’s 5-0 mark. In fact, the Highlanders have won nine straight home games dating back to last season.
Westernly Wins Rolling In
The stretch run for picking up vital non-conference victories has begun as Big West play commences in only 12 days. The Big West has experienced success against teams from two conferences it commonly plays against - the West Coast and Western Athletic. The Big West is a combined 16-7 against those two leagues. There are opportunities for more success this week with three games against WCC teams on Monday - Pacific at Santa Clara, Pepperdine at UC Irvine and Long Beach State at Loyola Marymount. Cal State Fullerton travels to Utah State of the Western Athletic Conference on Tuesday.
Long Beach State Faces Fourth Top 25 Opponent
Long Beach State picked up a quality win last week when it dismantled preseason Western Athletic Conference favorite Utah State, 75-62. The 49ers have been prepping themselves for that sort of a win after having faced a grueling non-conference slate with opponents such as No. 8 West Virginia, No. 19 Clemson and No. 2 Texas. After playing at a much improved Loyola Marymount on Monday, the 49ers hop a plane and fly cross country to face No. 3 Kentucky on Wednesday. The Wildcats will be the fourth top 25 program - and third in the top 10 - that the 49ers will have played in the season’s first two months. And the fun doesn’t stop there as No. 7 Duke looms ahead for the 49ers on Tuesday, Dec. 29.
Well Rested Fullerton Faces Another Tourney Test
Cal State Fullerton is hoping for better outcomes in its second tournament of the non-conference slate. The Titans went 0-2 on a jaunt to Nacogdoches, Texas on Dec. 4-5 when they lost to Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin in the Etech Lumberjack Classic. However, a rash of illness inflicted some players on that trip. The Titans have had a long layoff of eight days for final exams heading into the Basketball Travelers Tournament in Logan, Utah, where they will play three opponents in three nights. CSF starts the tournament on Monday against Weber State, followed by host Utah State and Morehead State.
Hunter Captures Milestone
UC Irvine senior guard Michael Hunter became the 19th player in school history to score 1,000 career points when he scored 13 against San Jose State last Friday. He has 1,012 points entering Monday’s home game against Pepperdine. Hunter is also well established in the Anteater record books in three-pointers made (181, 3rd) and steals (130, 3rd).
Powell Standing On Doorstep Of 1,000 Points
UC Santa Barbara senior James Powell needs just 10 points to become the 23rd Gaucho in program history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau. He gets his chance Monday when the Gauchos play at Arizona State.
Tigers Feature Balanced Scoring Attack
Pacific leads the Big West in total number of non-conference victories (7) and winning percentage (.700). The Tigers are enjoying the success thanks to one of the longterm staples of head coach Bob Thomason’s program - balance. Junior forward Sam Willard leads the team with 11.2 points per game, which is the lowest leading scoring average of any team in the Big West. Four different Tigers have led in scoring through the first 10 games, and no player has scored more than 19 points in any game.
Gilling Rising Up The Three-Point Chart
Long Beach State senior guard Stephan Gilling leads the Big West in three-pointers made (38) and three-pointers per game (3.8). The next most prolific three-point marksman, Michael Hunter of UC Irvine, has made 25 this season. Gilling, in his second season as a 49er, already has vaulted up into a tie for eighth in career three-point makes with 121. He only needs to make seven more to move into sixth on that list.
Aggies Looking To Stop Skid
A rash of injuries has left the UC Davis program with as few as eight players available to compete in some games, and the impact has been glaring. The Aggies have lost a season-high four games and five of their last six. The last three defeats have all come by double digits. The Aggies had lost second-leading scorer Joe Harden for two games due to an ankle injury, and also have been without key reserves Todd Lowenthal, Ryan Silva and Jacob Ranger.
Wise-ing Up
There has been no sophomore slump in sight for UC Irvine forward Eric Wise. After an initial breakout season in which he averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds to earn All-Big West Second Team and All-Freshman Team acclaim, Wise is enjoying another productive campaign. He is No. 10 in the Big West in scoring (13.1 ppg) and tied for No. 13 in rebounding (5.5 rpg). Wise has scored in double figures in eight straight games and in nine of 10 games this season. Perhaps even most impressive though is that Wise leads the Anteaters in assists with 34. His 3.4 assists per game rank sixth in the Big West.
Daniel Impressing For The 'Dors
Junior Lenny Daniel is excelling in his first season with Cal State Northridge - especially so in the last six games. Over that span, Daniel is averaging 14.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in addition to shooting 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field. The 6-7 forward has scored in double figures in all six games, including a 13-point effort against Drexel on Friday.
Wooldridge’s Contract Extended Through 2013-14
UC Riverside rewarded head coach Jim Wooldridge with a one-year contract extension through the 2013-14 season in response to Wooldridge’s successful rebuilding effort. After an initial 9-21 campaign in 2007-08, Wooldridge turned around the Highlanders in his second year. UCR posted a Division I program record for wins (17), Big West wins (8) and conference finish (t-4th). UCR has had a solid start to the 2009-10 season as well with a 6-4 record. The Highlanders have won all five of their home games, although Wooldridge was not on the bench for last Wednesday’s victory against Berry College due to a bad back.
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