SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (13-8) return to The Thunderdome for two Big West games against the UC Irvine Anteaters and the CSUN Matadors. The homestand will kick off with the Anteaters, who the Gauchos have yet to face this season, on Thursday, Feb. 8. Then, UC Santa Barbara will have a quick turnaround as they take on CSUN, who they defeated in the Premier Credit Union Arena 97-69 earlier this season, on Saturday, Feb. 10.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos were on the road in Bakersfield as they took on the Roadrunners. It was a pretty even battle between the two teams throughout most of the game as neither team could gain more than a five-point lead. That was until the final four minutes of the second half when UC Santa Barbara picked up the pace. The Gauchos ended the game on top, securing a 70-59 win over the Roadrunners. Josh Pierre-Louis put up 20 points and seven rebounds while Yohan Traore added on 14 points while going 10-for-10 from the charity stripe.  
 
ANTAGONIZING THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine has had a great season. Currently, the Anteaters are on a four-game winning streak, taking down Long Beach State, CSUN, Cal Poly and Hawai'i. The only loss they endured so far this season was against UC Davis with a score of 52-54.
 
The Anteaters are one of the best defending teams in the country. They are 18th in the NCAA when it comes to stopping their opponents' offense, resulting in their competitors shooting at an average of 39.7 percent from the field.
 
There are three Anteaters that are averaging double-digit points, and they are Justin Hohn, Andre Henry and Derin Saran. Hohn leads the team averaging 13.3 a game. Saran is close behind, averaging 10.8 a game, while Henry is contributing approximately 10.1 per game.
 
Pierre Crockrell II has been dishing out the ball the most on his team. He currently has 141 assists on the season, almost 100 more than the next closest Anteater. This number is good enough to put him in 14th in the NCAA in this stat category.
 
MANAGING THE MATADORS
CSUN started the season hot before hitting a wall. The Matadors were on a five-game losing streak started by the Gauchos before taking on UC Riverside, who they defeated on their home court 76-70. Before they come to The Thunderdome, the Matadors will be in San Luis Obispo taking on the Cal Poly Mustangs.
 
The Matadors are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to rebounding. They currently rank seventh in the NCAA in this category, grabbing an average of 41.6 per game. Along with that, they are 18th in the country when it comes to fastbreak points, securing about 15.1 per game.
 
Their offense is led by De'Sean Allen-Eikens. The senior guard currently has 396 points on the season, which comes out to approximately 18 points per game. He is the fourth-highest point scorer in The Big West behind Elijah Pepper of UC Davis, Ajay Mitchell of UC Santa Barbara and Kobe Sanders of Cal Poly.
 
On defense, Keonte Jones is the biggest asset for the Matadors. He leads the team in rebounds and steals, securing 165 rebounds and 41 steals so far this season.
 
WHEREABOUTS
Both of these games will take place in The Thunderdome. The Gauchos' Thursday night matchup against the Anteaters will begin at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+. Saturday's game against CSUN is a community affair as the Gauchos welcome back Gaucho great Gabe Vincent. This game will also begin at 7 p.m. with a live stream available through ESPN+.