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This Week in the Big West - February 21-27, 2011
2/21/2011
TWO WEEKS remain until the 2011 ampm Big West Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament at Honda Center! Huge games on tap in both men's and women's hoops this week, including three televised men's games this Saturday. Baseball finally got off to a wet start last weekend and also feature a televised game this Saturday. Softball, golf, tennis and water polo are hitting their strides as the spring moves on.
Baseball
The 12th-ranked Cal State Fullerton Titans travel to the Long Star state this weekend to battle third-ranked TCU. The Horned Frogs were the nations preseason favorite but dropped a few spots after going 2-1 in their opening series versus Kansas. Last year, TCU won the weekend series with Fulelrton, 2-1, at Goodwin Field.
For the second straight week, Long Beach State is battling a Top 25 team. The 49ers went 1-2 in a nonconference three-game series versus nationally-ranked Cal State Fullerton. Both losses were by one run. This weekend Long Beach State continues its 11-game homestand with a showdown against No. 17 Arizona at Blair Field. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25.
For the sixth year in a row, select games l be broadcast by the institutions on BigWest.TV, the conference's video streaming initiative in partnership with CBS College Sports.
Baseball Weekly Release #2
Men's Basketball
Three televised match-ups highlight the schedule Saturday, with games on ESPN2, ESPNU and Fox Sports West Saturday. But a huge Thursday kick-starts the week, with three critical games, topped by league-leaders Long Beach State and Cal Poly meeting at the Pyramid. A win by the 49ers gives them the outright regular-season title and assures them a postseason berth. Also on Thursday, UC Santa Barbara is at Cal State Northridge with both teams tied for fourth in the standings, while UC Davis travels to UC Irvine to battle for the final Big West Tournament spot.
For the sixth year in a row, all home and conference games will be broadcast by the institutions on BigWest.TV, the conference's video streaming initiative in partnership with CBS College Sports.
Men's Basketball Weekly Release #16
Women's Basketball
Two weeks remain and the race for the 2010-11 Big West Championship has heated up. Cal Poly (10-3), who has dominated the conference for most of the season, dropped a pair of contests giving second-place UC Santa Barbara an opportunity to come within one game of the lead. The Gauchos did just that as they downed Cal State Fullerton, 73-70, to improve to 9-4 in the league. UC Riverside and UC Davis are knotted in third place with a 7-5 record and are mathematically still in the hunt for the title.
Three of the top four teams in the league are playing at home this weekend. League-leading Cal Poly and central coast partner UC Santa Barbara will remain at the beach this weekend as they entrain Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton. UC Davis and UC Riverside are set to break the third-place tie on Thursday when they battle at The Pavilion. The Aggies continue their home stand Saturday versus UC Irvine, while the HIghlanders travel to Pacific.
For the sixth year in a row, all home and conference games will be broadcast by the institutions on BigWest.TV, the conference's video streaming initiative in partnership with CBS College Sports.
Women's Basketball Weekly Release #15
Golf
Long Beach State will be busy this week, with the men hosting the Battle at the Beach and the women hosting the Gold Rush on Monday and Tuesday. The 49er men will be joined by the UC Davis Aggies in Newport Coast, CA while Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside are also participating in the Gold Rush in Yorba Linda, CA. Meanwhile the UC Irvine women will also be in action Monday and Tuesday at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
Golf February News & Notes
Softball
A pair of home tournaments are on the softball docket this week as UC Riverside and Pacific will entertain clubs in their home stadiums. The Highlanders host the annual Amy S. Harrison Classic, while the Tigers will hold the Libby Matson Tournament.
For the sixth year in a row, select games l be broadcast by the institutions on BigWest.TV, the conference's video streaming initiative in partnership with CBS College Sports.
Softball Weekly Release #3
Tennis
The UC Davis women's tennis team is off to a 3-0 start in conference play and has won seven straight matches overall. Meanwhile, the UC Irvine men's tennis team is rolling along with a six-match winning streak.
UC Santa Barbara’s women and Pacific’s men are the newest Big West representatives to the Campbell/ITA rankings, released on Feb. 22. The Gauchos enter the rankings at No. 57 after a 5-1 start. The Tigers are ranked No. 74 on the men’s side. Pacific is coming off a win over then-No. 66 San Francisco last week. Familiar faces include the Long Beach State women ranked No. 54, UC Irvine men at No. 52 and UC Santa Barbara men at No. 65. Individually, Cal Poly’s Andre Dome and Alex Sonesson are No. 36 in men’s doubles, while the Cal State Northridge women’s duo of Brooke Doane and Jennifer Sher rank No. 78 in doubles. In men’s singles, Chris Kearney of UC Irvine is ranked No. 59.
The 2011 Big West Men's and Women's Tennis Championships are a scant three months away a Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, April 28 through May 2.
Tennis Weekly Release #6
Women's Water Polo
The nation's top eight teams and 15 of the top 20 women's water polo squads will compete at the prestigious UC Irvine Invitational this weekend. The 10th-ranked Anteaters square off against No. 7 San Diego State in an opening round match on Saturday.
UC Santa Barbara isthe host institution for the 2011 Big West Women's Water Polo Championships this spring, April 29 through May 2.
Women's Water Polo Weekly Release #6
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This Week in the Big West is the one-stop listing of the top matches taking place across the Big West Conference! Each week, This Week in the Big West will highlight the games that fans won’t want to miss and critical match-ups home or away in one location. Keep in touch with the happenings around the conference!
+ - Time change.
* - Game also carried on Fox Sports affiliates; click on link to check local listings.
** - Softball rankings from USA Today/NFCA & ESPN.com/USA Softball.
[1] - Cathedral City Classic (Palm Springs, CA).
[2] - Baseball at the Beach (Myrtle Beach, SC).
[3] - MLB Urban Invitational (Irvine/Los Angeles, CA).
[4] - Amy S. Harrison Classic (Riverside, CA).
[5] - Libby Matson Tournament (Stockton, CA).
[6] - Stanford Nike Invitational (Stanford, CA).
[7] - at Honolulu, HI.
[8] - Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate (Palm Desert, CA) - CP, UCSB participating.
[9] - UC Irvine Invitational (Irvine, CA) - CSUN, LBSU, UCI, UCSB participating.
[10] - The Rodeo (Santa Clara, CA).
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