LA JOLLA, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2023) – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (21-7, 12-5 Big West) are starting their last series of road games in the regular season as the Gauchos travel south to La Jolla to take on the UC San Diego Tritons. These two teams last played each other in The Thunderdome on New Year's Eve, when the Gauchos protected their home court with a score of 82-61.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos were in The Thunderdome as they took on Long Beach State as the two competed in the Battle for the Big West. Despite the Beach having the two-point advantage at halftime, it was UC Santa Barbara who came out of the game victorious as they took down Long Beach State 78-73.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego comes into this game after securing a big win over UC Irvine on the Anteaters' home court. The Tritons continue to battle in The Big West as they work on their reclassification as they have to sit out of The Big West Championships this season. They will not be eligible for any postseason accolades until the 2024-25 season.
Bryce Pope is the leading scorer for the Tritons and one of two players to start every game for UC San Diego this season. The junior guard has surpassed so many other guards in the conference, registering 517 points so far this season, averaging 18.46 points per game. Pope received his 1,000th career point in the team's win over the Anteaters as he now sits at 1,006 career points as a junior.
Also playing well for the Tritons are Roddie Anderson III and Francis Nwaokorie. The freshman guard and sophomore forward each turned up the heat all season long. They both average more than 12 points a game, with Anderson III appearing in all 29 games this season. Currently, Anderson averages 12.79 points per game while fellow underclassmen Nwaokorie puts up an average of 12.61 a game.
Nwaokorie is also the team's leading rebounder. He has grabbed 195 so far this season as he averages 6.96 a game. On the other hand, Anderson III is the main person to distribute the ball on offense. He leads the team in assists with 102, which is 27 more than the next closest player.
Only one Triton has started in all 29 games for UC San Diego, and that is Jace Roquemore. The junior guard is one of the team's leaders in steals with 33 while he shoots at a 46 percent clip.
Head Coach Eric Olen has been at the helm of the program for the last 10 seasons as he is working with the program during the University's reclassification. He currently has an overall record of 189-101 with seven seasons in Division II and three seasons in Division I.
WHEREABOUTS
Tipoff for this Big West game will be at 7 p.m. at the Lion Tree Arena. For those who can't make it to La Jolla, the game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsdtritons.com.
