SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (14-12) are back for another week of Big West play. They will play their first of two matches on Thursday, Feb. 29 at home in The Thunderdome before making their way to Fullerton to take on the Titans of Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, March 2. The Gauchos are currently in eighth place in The Big West standings, sitting above both of these teams.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos only played one game last week as they took on the UC Irvine Anteaters on ESPNU. Despite the second-half rally, UC Santa Barbara could not dig themselves out of the hole they were in following the first 20 minutes, resulting in a 69-81 loss to the Anteaters.
MANAGING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly has had a tough run in Big West play. Over the last five seasons, the Mustangs only had eight conference wins. This season, they have yet to win a Big West game.
Kobe Sanders is a phenomenal shooter as he ranks fourth in The Big West in points, averaging 18.4 a game. This is a total of 461 on the season, with next closest Mustang coming in at 265 points. Sanders also leads the team in assists as he currently has 78 on the season.
Jarred Hyder doesn't only record the most minutes in The Big West, but he is one of the best three-point shooters in the conference as well. He currently ranks fourth in the conference when it comes to made three pointers, registering 1.8 per game.
On defense, Cal Poly is led by Quentin Jones and Joel Armotrading. The two have 124 and 123 rebounds, respectively, while Jones also leads the team in steals with 44. Armotrading also helps the team out on blocks as he currently leads the team in this category with 33.
TAMING THE TITANS
Cal State Fullerton has had some rough weeks in Big West play. They are currently 1-6 in their last seven contests, only grabbing a win against Cal Poly. Their last winning streak began after taking down the Gauchos in The Thunderdome earlier this season.
The Titans have one of the strongest benches in The Big West. They are currently third in the conference in bench points as their team averages 24 points a game from their reserves.
The offense is led by Dominic Brewton and Max Jones. The two guards are the only Titans to average double-digit points as Brewton is cranking out approximately 15.5 points per game while Jones is tallying 15.3 per game. Along with that, these two also lead the team in assists as Brewton secured 63 and Jones contributed 46. As if that wasn't enough, the duo also leads the team in steals as they each have 41 on the season.
Grayson Carper has been helping the team on the boards throughout the season. He is second on the team in this stat category with 123 and is also second on the team in blocks with 14. Brewton is the team's leading rebounder with 126.
WHEREABOUTS
The first game of the week will begin at 7 p.m. in The Thunderdome this Thursday, Feb. 29. For those who can't make it to Santa Barbara, they can watch at home on ESPN+. It will be a quick turnaround for the team as they make the trip to play the Titans on Saturday in Fullerton beginning at 6 p.m. This game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
