In a week's span, three different teams have occupied first place in the men's basketball standings. Pacific is the current leader at 3-1. The Tigers host Cal State Fullerton and UC Davis this week, with Saturday's game against the Aggies live on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
David Hanson, Cal Poly
Hanson is taking on an increased role off the bench for Cal Poly, and his production has improved drastically as result. He has scored in double figures in three of the last four games after doing so in only two of the first 12. Hanson posted a career-high 22 points in 23 minutes to lead the Mustangs to a 90-79 win at Long Beach State on Saturday. He hit 10 of 16 shots and added eight rebounds against the 49ers. Hanson also scored 15 and 16 points versus Pacific and UC Davis, respectively. He is now averaging a season-high 7.8 points per game.
MORE NOTABLES
Pacific Takes Over Top Spot
Three teams have held first place in the Big West standings in the matter of a week. The latest school to occupy the top perch is Pacific. The Tigers are 3-1 in league play following their 64-51 win against UC Irvine on Saturday. On Jan. 11, UC Santa Barbara was atop the standings with a 3-1 record, but fell into second place after splitting games against Long Beach State and UC Riverside. The Gauchos are now 4-2 in Big West games. On Thursday, Cal State Fullerton briefly snatched away first place, moving to 3-1 following a home victory against Cal Poly. However, the Titans lost two nights later to Cal State Northridge to move into a three-way tie for third at 3-2 with UC Davis and Cal Poly.
Topsy Turvy
Preseason polls apparently mean nothing in the wild world of Big West men’s basketball. Three weeks of league play have revealed that there are no gimmees. Consider that preseason favorite Long Beach State lost by 11 points at home to Cal Poly, a team that was picked to finish last among nine teams by the media. UC Riverside, selected to finish fourth overall, toppled LBSU in the Big West opener. But the Highlanders have proceeded to lose four straight and currently sit in last place at 1-4. Meanwhile, the 49ers showed a glimpse of the talent that earned them top billing when they walloped UC Santa Barbara by 20 points on Thursday. The Gauchos were selected to finish second in the poll. And UCSB handed Pacific, the Big West’s latest resident of first place, its only conference defeat on Jan. 10 in a wild 68-67 finish. Stay tuned and do not blink as more reshuffling could be occurring in the near future.
Seatbelts Please
The first three weeks of league competition have revealed a tendency for games going down to the wire. Of the 23 games that have been played, nine have been decided by four points or less. It must be noted though that last week’s games featured only one such “close” game, a 79-77 UC Davis win against UC Irvine. Five other games were won by double digits.
CLOSE OUTCOMES IN BIG WEST PLAY
Through Jan. 17 • 23 total games played
Teams Result Margin
Cal State Fullerton@UC Davis UCD, 67-63 4 points
Long Beach State@UC Riverside UCR, 69-67 2 points
UC Santa Barbara@UC Irvine UCI, 57-55 2 points
UC Santa Barbara@UC Riverside UCSB, 57-53 4 points
UC Irvine@Cal State Northridge UCI, 65-62 3 points
UC Irvine@Long Beach State LBSU, 55-53 2 points
UC Davis@Cal Poly CP, 72-69 3 points
Pacific@UC Santa Barbara UCSB, 68-67 1 point
UC Irvine@UC Davis UCD, 79-77 2 points
Lights, Camera, Action
The Big West will showcase two games on television on Saturday. Northern California foes UC Davis and Pacific will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU at the Spanos Center. FSN Prime Ticket will broadcast the UC Riverside at UC Irvine game at 8:00 p.m.
Extra Incentive
UC Davis aims to end a 48-game losing streak against Pacific when the two teams battle this Saturday. The skid dates back to the 1940-41 season. The Aggies lost three times to the Tigers last season, including a 67-60 defeat in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals.
Double-Digit Streaks Intact
UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson is the only Big West player to have participated in and reached double figures in scoring in all of his team’s games this season. The sophomore is the Big West’s No. 4 scorer with 16.6 points per game. Coincidentally, the league’s leading scorer - UC Davis junior Mark Payne at 17.6 ppg - has scored double-digit points in all 14 games he has played. Payne also missed three contests due to injury. He returned to action on Thursday against UC Irvine and scored 23 points, making a career-high 14 free throws.
No More Undefeated Home Teams
Both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State lost for the first time in their facilities last week, ensuring that there will be no undefeated Big West home teams this season. The Titans entered their game against Cal State Northridge 6-0 in Titan Gym, but lost 78-72 to the Matadors. The 49ers were 5-0 at the Walter Pyramid, but suffered their first blemish in a 90-79 defeat to Cal Poly. CSF, LBSU and Pacific (7-1) have only one home loss this season.
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 191 victories. He is the all-time winningest coach at UCI. He needs four 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 188-153 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 374
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 191
7. Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara 188
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
Monson Eyeing 200th Career Victory
Long Beach State’s Dan Monson will earn his 200th career victory as a collegiate head coach in the event the 49ers defeat UC Irvine on Thursday. Monson is 199-173 in 12-plus seasons at Gonzaga, Minnesota and LBSU.
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!