SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (Jan. 7, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (11-2, 2-0 Big West), will be back in action after a week off as they take on the Mustangs of Cal Poly in the Blue-Green Rivalry. The Gauchos currently have a nine-game winning streak against the Mustangs that goes back to the 2017-18 season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos were home for a Big West contest against UC San Diego. Despite the Tritons taking the lead throughout the first half, the Gauchos were the ones to come out with the lead. Ajay Mitchell had his fourth straight game of scoring 20+ points to help push his team past UC San Diego.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly comes into this game after losing on the road to the Roadrunners of CSU Bakersfield. They are starting Big West play off 1-2, securing a win against CSUN at home while also losing to Hawai'i on the road.
When it comes to shooting free throws, the Mustangs have one of the best percentages in the country. They are No. 1 in The Big West and 37th in the NCAA in this category, shooting at an impressive 75.4 percent as a team from the charity stripe. The Mustangs also have one of the strongest benches in The Big West. Currently, they are second in the conference in points scored by players off the bench as they tally 20.87 per game.
Senior Koroma Alimamy leads the Mustangs in scoring, registering 169 points on the season while shooting at a 50.86 percent clip. Along with that, he is one of the top rebounders on the team, averaging 5.07 per game. He has played in all 15 games, starting in 14 of them. In that time, he also leads the team in blocks with 10.
Helping out his fellow senior is Trevor Taylor. He is the only Mustang to start in all 15 games for Cal Poly and is second on the team in points with 149. He leads the team in rebounds with 77, averaging out to 5.13 per game.
Junior Camren Pierce may not be the team's leading scorer, but he helps his team find success on offense. He currently leads the team in assists with 28 in just 12 games played. He currently averages 4.67 points per game.
Of the 17 players on the roster, nine of them are upperclassmen. Along with that, the Mustangs have six transfers coming from Oregon State, Montana State, Washington, Cal Baptist, Southern Utah and James Madison.
The Mustangs are coached by John Smith. He began his head coaching career with Cal Poly in 2019 and currently boasts an overall record of 25-72. Prior to his time in San Luis Obispo, Smith was the associate head coach at rival Big West institution Cal State Fullerton, where he led the recruiting efforts for the Titans.
WHEREABOUTS
The Gauchos will take the court in San Luis Obispo for a 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Jan. 7. For those in Southern California, the game will be available through Spectrum TV while those outside of Southern California will be able to watch through ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.
