UC Santa Barbara and Pacific are battling it out for the men's basketball regular season title and Big West Tournament No. 1 seed. Tournament seeding positions are also on the line as the final week of regular season play begins.
NOTEWORTHY
Keep An Eye On
Eric Wise, UC Irvine
Wise is tied with UC Riverside’s Kyle Austin for the Big West lead with 11 games of 20 points or more. The sophomore forward has scored 20 points or more in three straight and four of his last five games. Wise came up with one of his biggest performances of the season on Saturday when he recorded 21 points and a season-high tying 13 rebounds in the Anteaters’ victory over Cal State Northridge. It was virtually a must-win game for UCI, which is fighting to make next week’s Big West Tournament.
MORE NOTABLES
Regular Season Still Title On The Line
With one week to go, the regular season Big West title comes down to UC Santa Barbara and Pacific. The Gauchos (17-9, 11-4) and Tigers (18-10, 10-4) could finish as co-champions or either school could win the title outright depending on this week’s outcomes. UCSB plays only one game this week, and it’s an early one, as the Gauchos host UC Irvine on Wednesday. If the Gauchos win, they will force Pacific to capture road victories against Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge to forge a co-championship.
Tie? Well Then Who’s The No. 1 Seed?
In the event that UC Santa Barbara and Pacific tie at either 12-4 or 11-5, the Gauchos earn the Big West Tournament No. 1 seed based on sweeping the season series against the Tigers. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results against the tied teams.
Teams Jockey For Seeding Position
The Big West Tournament format creates an atmosphere for what looks to be an exciting final week of regular season games. The format rewards teams finishing at or near the top of the conference standings. Seeds No. 1 and No. 2 receive an automatic bye into the semifinals, while seeds No. 3 and No. 4 get a free pass to the quarterfinals. The final four seeds play each other in the tournament’s first round and must win four games in four nights to emerge champion. Cal State Fullerton (8-6), UC Davis (7-7), Long Beach State (7-8) and Cal Poly (7-8) are on the doorstep to becoming either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, but will likely need tiebreakers to work in their favor. The Titans can clinch a quarterfinal bye with one win in their final two games, but could drop out of the top four with two losses.
Title Talk
The Gauchos are aiming for their first outright Big West regular season title since the 2002-03 season. UC Santa Barbara shared the regular season crown with Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge at 12-4 in 2007-08, earning a selection to the National Invitation Tournament. The last NCAA Tournament appearance for UCSB occurred in 2002 when the Gauchos captured the Big West Tournament as a No. 3 seed. Pacific is searching for its first regular season title since the 2005-06 season, which culminated a three-year run atop the league standings.
Invitations Are Limited
Ultimately, someone is going to get left out of the Big West Tournament field. Eight of the nine teams advance to the four-day event at the Anaheim Convention Center. The three schools in the most danger of not making the field are Cal State Northridge (10-19, 5-9), UC Irvine (13-16, 5-9) and UC Riverside (12-16, 5-10). Tiebreakers most likely, but not necessarily, will determine their fortunes or misfortunes. In regular season matchups, UCI swept CSUN, CSUN swept UCR and UCR swept UCI, so in any two-way tiebreaker the team who swept is favored. In the event of a three-way tie, all three teams are 2-2 against each other in the primary tiebreaker. The next tiebreaker looks at which of the tied teams had the best record against the top seed, which will either be UCSB or PAC.
Make That A Double-Double
Long Beach State’s T.J. Robinson is among the nation’s best in regards to notching a double-double. The sophomore earned his Big West leading 17th double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds at UC Davis last Wednesday. Robinson has gone no more than three straight games without a double-double, and that occurred early on versus Notre Dame, Green Bay and West Virginia.
NCAA DOUBLE-DOUBLE RANKINGS
No. Player, Team No.
1. Artsiom Parakhouski, Radford 24
2. Kenneth Faried, Morehead State 21
3. Daniel Emerson, Mercer 20
4. Kevin Thompson, Morgan State 19
5. Ryan Rossiter, Siena 18
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky 18
Omar Samhan, Saint Mary’s 18
Damian Saunders, Duquesne 18
9. T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State 17
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State 17
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest 17
Chris Gaston, Fordham 17
UCSB Attempts To Pull Off A First At Home
UC Santa Barbara is 7-0 in Big West home games this season. The Gauchos are the only remaining undefeated home team in league play. UCSB’s final Big West home game is against UC Irvine on Wednesday. The Gauchos would finish a league home slate undefeated for the first time in school history with a win.
Hunter Nearing UCI Threes Record
UC Irvine senior Michael Hunter is closing in on the school’s career record for made three-pointers. The guard is currently No. 2 with 226 career threes, trailing only Ross Schraeder, who drained 233 from 2002-06.
Douglass, Williams Tied For Fifth On Victories Chart
UC Irvine’s Pat Douglass and UC Santa Barbara’s Bob Williams are tied for fifth in career victories as a head coach in the Big West. Both mentors own 196 victories at their schools.
ALL-TIME VICTORY LEADERS - BIG WEST TENURE
Rk. Coach, School No.
1. Jerry Tarkanian, LBSU & UNLV 405
2. Bob Thomason, Pacific 382
3. Neil McCarthy, New Mexico State 248
4. Jerry Pimm, UC Santa Barbara 222
5. Pat Douglass, UC Irvine 196
Bob Williams, UC Santa Barbara 196
7. Boyd Grant, Fresno State 194
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
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 you exclusive coverage. If you can’t make it to the gym or the field, you can still catch all the action on BigWest.TV!
Big West Tournament Moves To Honda Center In 2011
Honda Center announced a five-year partnership with the Big West Conference to host its annual Big West Tournament beginning in 2011. The two have teamed up to host NCAA men’s basketball regionals in 1998, 2001 and 2003, and the men’s first and second rounds in 2008.