SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (11-5, 3-2 Big West) returns to The Thunderdome this week riding a four-game winning streak as they host UC Riverside (10-7, 3-2 Big West) and UC Davis (9-8, 3-3 Big West).
LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara won both conference games last week to climb in The Big West standings as they currently sit in a tie for third. On Thursday, the Gauchos dominated from start to finish to pick up a 78-66 win over Cal State Bakersfield. Following the game the Gauchos traveled up the 101 to take on Cal Poly Saturday night. In front of a packed Mott Athletics Center, the Gauchos took down the Mustangs thanks to a Stephan Swenson three-point buzzer beater.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
UC Riverside enters the week with a 10-7 overall record and 3-2, tied with the Gauchos, in Big West action. Last week, the Highlanders dropped both conference games, first at UC Irvine (81-57) and then against Hawai'i (83-76). The Highlanders swept the season series last season and have won four of the last five matchups against the Gauchos.
Offensively UC Riverside ranks eighth in The Big West in points per game and ninth in scoring defense. Despite ranking near the bottom of the conference in scoring, Redshirt-Sophomore Barrington Hargress ranks second in The Big West and 24th nationally in points per game, scoring just over 19 per contest. Kaleb Smith and and Isaiah Moses also sport a double-digit points average with 11.5 and 11.3 respectively.
UC Santa Barbara will need to box out on the defensive end of the ball with the Highlanders averaging over 12 offensive rebounds per game and nearly 38 total boards per contest. That ranks UCR 56th and 88th nationally in their respective stats.
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Prior to their meeting with the Gauchos, UC Davis will travel to Cal Poly Thursday night to take on the Mustangs. They come into the week with a 9-8 overall record and sit 3-3 in conference play. This will be the second meeting this season between the Aggies and Gauchos, Davis won the first contest 71-60 back on Dec. 7.
Similar to UC Riverside, UC Davis ranks near the bottom in both scoring offense and scoring defense in The Big West. Despite ranking low in points per game, UC Davis' TY Johnson ranks first in the conference and 11th nationally in points per game averaging 20.4 per contest. Johnson has scored 20 or more points nine times, including 23 against the Gauchos in their first meeting. The Gauchos will also need to keep an eye on him on the defensive side of the ball. He ranks 6th in Division I in total steals with 47 and seventh nationally in steals per game.
UC Davis likes to get to the free throw line, they are one of the best in the country and making free throws and getting to the line. They average nearly 25 free throw attempts a game and make roughly 18 of those. The Gauchos will need to do a good job defensively not to foul.
FOLLOW ALONG
Both Gaucho games can be streamed through ESPN+ with additional coverage for those who have Spectrum Sportsnet. UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16 and the Gauchos and Aggies will tip off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18. Live stats will also be available for both games through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.
