Big West men's basketball teams tip off the conference portion of the 2009-10 on Saturday with four games, including preseason media favorite Long Beach State traveling to UC Riverside. Defending regular season champion Cal State Northridge opens at Pacific.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Eric Wise, UC Irvine
Wise erupted for a career-high 31 points against San Jose State on Monday, making 13 of 21 shots from the field. It was the 10th straight game he scored in double figures. The sophomore is continuing to produce after a freshman campaign in which he averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. In 2009-10, Wise is No. 5 in the Big West in scoring (15.4 ppg), No. 13 in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (.458). Wise has 33 double-digit scoring efforts in 43 career games.
MORE NOTABLES
Race For The Title Begins On Saturday
The battle for the Big West regular season championship begins on Saturday with four games on the ledger. Cal State Northridge, which shared the title in 2007-08 and captured the outright crown in 2008-09, aims to finish this season atop the league standings for the third straight year. The Matadors would join select company if they are successful in their bid, as only three other schools have accomplished the feat. Former Big West member UNLV (1982-92) won 10 straight titles, Long Beach State (1969-77) ran off eight straight, and most recently, Pacific had a three-year reign from 2003-06. CSUN’s first conference test will be against Pacific as the two teams tip off from the Spanos Center on Saturday evening.
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.
Pacific Takes Best Record Into League Play
Pacific is the Big West’s winningest team heading into the conference schedule. The Tigers are 7-5 overall and lead all Big West teams in wins and winning percentage (.583). However, Pacific struggled in the latter half of its non-conference slate, losing four of its last five games. The Tigers earned some solid wins early on against the likes of San Diego, San Diego State and Nevada, but dropped three straight road games versus Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara and Oklahoma State to close out the 2009 portion of their schedule.
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.
Powell Latest To Surpass 1,000 Point Mark
UC Santa Barbara guard James Powell’s second three-pointer in the first half of Monday’s game versus Furman vaulted the senior above the 1,000 point plateau for his career, giving him 1,001. He became the 23rd Gaucho to accomplish the feat. He enters UCSB’s game on Saturday against UC Irvine with 1,007 career points. UCI’s Michael Hunter just surpassed 1,000 points recently and is the league’s active career leader with 1,047 points.
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 189 victories. He is the all-time winningest coach at UCI. He needs six wins to surpass Fresno State’s Boyd Grant (1978-86) in the No. 5 spot. 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 184-151 with the Gauchos. Williams has posted two 20-win seasons (2001-02, 2007-08) during his tenure.
ALL-TIME VICTORY LEADERS - BIG WEST TENURE
Rk. Coach, School No.
1. Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU & UNLV 405
2. Bob Thomason, Pacific 371
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 189
7. Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara 184
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
Johnson Excelling In First Season As A Gaucho
Sophomore Orlando Johnson is providing the sort of star production UC Santa Barbara expected of him when he transferred from Loyola Marymount. After sitting out the 2008-09 season per NCAA transfer rules, Johnson suited up as a Gaucho for the first time this season. He has posted double-digit scoring totals in all 10 games, including two 20-point performances. His 16.6 points per game ranks No. 2 in the Big West in scoring, while Johnson is No. 10 in rebounding (5.9 rpg).
Robinson A Double-Double Machine
Long Beach State sophomore forward T.J. Robinson leads the Big West with eight double-doubles. He is averaging a double-double with 16.2 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, ranking third and first in the Big West in those categories, respectively. Robinson had 13 points and 15 rebounds at No. 3 Kentucky on Dec. 23. Against then-No.19 Clemson on Nov. 27, Robinson reeled off 25 points and 15 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in nine straight games.
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 is a perfect 5-0 at home this season and has won nine straight at the Student Recreation Center dating back to last season. However, the Highlanders have struggled in road games at 1-6.
Follow Your Team On BigWest.TV
The Big West Conference and the CBS College Sports Network are partnering to bring you exclusive coverage of Big West sports, press conferences, interviews, and features to your home via the Internet! Now in its fifth year, BigWest.TV covers every home and conference contest in men’s basketball as well as women’s basketball and volleyball. Also covered are select contests in men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, softball, and Big West Conference Championships. A monthly subscription of $9.95 or an annual subscription of $79.95 delivers exclusive coverage to you. If you can’t make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!