Sitting at 4-5 entering Saturday's penultimate nonconference matchup with Abilene Christian, the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team begins its Big West slate in less than two weeks when it travels to UC Riverside on Dec. 29. Here's more on the entire Big West field, sorted by record as of Friday morning.
UC Santa Barbara (7-2, CSUB plays at home Jan. 11, away Jan. 21): The Gauchos haven’t played the most rigorous preseason schedule so far, and their NCAA NET ranking indexes them below UC Irvine, UC Davis, Hawaii and UC Riverside. Still, UCSB’s returning talent is undeniable, and Big West coaches picked the Gauchos to finish first. Key pieces like guards Ajay Mitchell and Josh Pierre-Louis and forward Miles Norris are back from last year’s team. New this season is Andre Kelly, who was already a standout in the Pac-12 for Cal prior to a season-ending injury last season and figures to play a big role.
UC Davis (7-3, away Jan. 7, home Jan. 26): The top offense in the conference so far resides in Davis, where junior guard Elijah Pepper has steadily upped his scoring average each year and now leads the Big West with 19.6 points per game, highlighted by a 32-point outing in a road loss at Loyola Marymount. The Aggies have three other double-digit scorers in Ty Johnson, Christian Anigwe and Robby Beasley III, who have all contributed to a league-best rebounding effort — plus, Johnson leads the Big West in steals and Anigwe is the conference’s top shotblocker. One early concern is turnovers, as the Aggies have committed at least 18 in five games already this year.
Hawaii (6-3, away Jan. 28, home Feb. 20): This year’s Hawaii team looks very similar to last year’s, led by the returning duo of Noel Coleman (whose strong 2021-22 campaign was derailed by injury) and Kamaka Hepa, but it’s not clear yet whether it’s taken a leap forward. In fact, the Rainbow Warriors suffered a 53-51 home loss on Nov. 30 to one of the newest Division I teams, Texas A&M-Commerce. They have, however, been one of the top defensive teams in the conference, particularly on the perimeter.
UC Irvine (7-4, home Dec. 31, away March 4): DJ Davis announced his presence to the Big West, and the nation, early this season by scoring 24 points, including six 3-pointers, as the Anteaters knocked off No. 21 Oregon back on Nov. 11. Davis has continued to dazzle as the Big West’s premier outside shooter, and Dawson Baker has added 13.6 points per game to form a top scoring duo. The departure of Collin Welp means that the post looks a lot different, with 7-foot German center Bent Leuchten holding it down.
UC Riverside (6-4, away Dec. 29, home Feb. 2): Don’t be fooled by its fifth-place positioning, as UCR’s record includes losses to teams like Colorado, Creighton and Oregon. Senior guard Zyon Pullin will pose an immense challenge to any team he plays against, and currently averages 19.5 points per game on a conference-high 54.2 percent shooting, No. 13 among guards nationwide. Sixth-year senior Flynn Cameron is shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc and serves as a nice complementary piece for Pullin.
Cal Poly (5-4, home Jan. 5, away Feb. 15): Last year’s last-place finisher is already approaching its win total from the 2021-22 campaign. Alimamy Koroma is still scoring in the post for the Mustangs, but they’ve seen greater production on the outside from returnees Brantly Stevenson and Trevon Taylor, plus the addition of grad transfer Chance Hunter. Stevenson posted 23 points and eight rebounds in a Nov. 28 win at Pacific that helped him earn Big West Player of the Week honors.
Cal State Fullerton (4-6, away Jan. 16, home Feb. 25): The Titans certainly have provided no shortage of entertainment this season, winning back-to-back double-overtime games against Vermont and Pacific and now taking five straight losses on an extended road trip. The 2021-22 NCAA qualifiers, now picked to finish seventh in preseason, appear dramatically different, even though their top scorers are familiar faces in returning guards Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Jalen Harris. Fullerton seems suspect in a few key areas so far, with the worst rebounding margin and opponent field goal percentage in the conference.
Long Beach State (4-6, home Feb. 11, away March 2): Last season the Beach started slow in nonconference play and ended up the No. 1 seed in the Big West. It’s hard to fault Long Beach State for losing to USC or UCLA. The Beach has certainly shown an ability to control possession, with Ivorian teammates Aboubacar Traore and Lassina Traore each averaging over eight rebounds per game, and the team leading the conference in steals. Joel Murray, who knocked CSUB out of the tournament in March, is averaging 14.4 points per game.
UC San Diego (4-6, home Jan. 14, away Feb. 4): As UC San Diego continues to transition to Division I, it has had a rocky start to 2022-23, recording the worst field goal percentage in the Big West and allowing the highest opponent shooting percentage despite a middling nonconference slate. The Tritons owe what success they’ve achieved thus far to returning scoring guard Bryce Pope, a volume shooter averaging 18.5 points per game. CSUB fans may remember his buzzer-beater in the Icardo Center in March.
CSUN (2-7, home Feb. 9, away Feb. 23): The Matadors, in Trent Johnson’s first year as permanent head coach, are building a nice three-pronged attack consisting of guards Atin Wright (last year’s breakout star), Dionte Bostick (a Murray State transfer) and De’Sean Allen-Eikens (formerly of North Dakota and New Orleans). They also commit the fewest turnovers of any team in the conference. But they’ve been very top-heavy. At Utah Tech on Nov. 12, Bostick dropped 31 points and the rest of the team combined for 32 as the Matadors fell 69-63. They’re still looking for their first win over a Division I opponent.
Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.
