SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (9-5, 1-2 Big West) returns home for the first time in 2025 as they host Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Following that contest, the Gauchos will play the first leg of the Blue-Green Rivalry series as they travel to Cal Poly on Saturday, Jan. 11.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos return stateside after picking up a 64-61 win over Hawai'i last Thursday. Santa Barbara was led by
Stephan Swenson, who after a one-game hiatus, returned and tied his season-high in points (21) and assists (7). His performance helped the Gauchos earn their first Big West win of the season.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield comes into the contest with an 8-8 overall record and a 2-2 record in Big West action. The Roadrunners, after starting conference 0-2, bounced back this last week and picked up wins over UC Davis and Long Beach State. Over the two games the Roadrunners averaged 77.5 points while limiting their opposition to 64.5 per contest.
Offensively, the 'Runners are led by junior guard, Jemel Jones. Through 16 games played he is averaging 16.4 points per game while shooting the ball at over 48 percent from the floor. Over the last two games, Jones has been even more impressive, averaging 19 points on over 50 percent shooting. Two other players to keep an eye on are Corey Stephenson and Marvin McGhee III who average 12.8 and 12.0 points, respectively. Both are a threat on the boards as well as Stephenson averages just under seven rebounds per contest and McGhee III grabbing over four per game.
With
Joe Pasternack at the helm of UC Santa Barbara basketball, the Gauchos are a perfect 7-0 against the Roadrunners since the 2017-18 season. Furthermore, Santa Barbara is 9-1 all-time with their last loss coming on Nov. 19, 2016, at Bakersfield.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Prior to hosting the Gauchos, Cal Poly will travel south to take on UC San Diego on Thursday, Jan. 9. Coming into the week the Mustangs are 6-10 overall and 0-4 in Big West play. Despite being winless in conference play, the Mustangs gave UC Irvine, The Big West Preseason favorite, everything they had as they fell in overtime to the Anteaters.
The Mustangs boast a potent offense with four players averaging in double figures and are averaging 82.4 points per game. Their scoring offense ranks 46th nationally and rank even higher in three pointers per game making almost 11 per contest. Owen Koonce is leading the scoring offensively for the Mustangs, who posts 17.9 points a contest. Cal Poly has three other double-digit scorers in Jarred Hyder (15.1), Isaac Jessup (12.8) and Mac Riniker (10.2).
The Gauchos have won 14 straight games against the Mustangs and 19 of the last 20. Under Coach Pasternack the Gauchos are 14-1 against Cal Poly and have allowed them to score more than 70 points just three times. The Mustangs last win against the Gauchos came on Jan. 4, 2018 in San Luis Obispo.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Bakersfield will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9. Inside The Thunderdome. On Saturday, the Gauchos and Mustangs will begin at 5 p.m. in Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, California. Both games will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.
