SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's Basketball team (18-10, 10-7 Big West) sets their sights on Cal Poly (11-17, 5-11 Big West) and CSUN (20-7, 12-4 Big West) this week. The Gauchos enter the week just one game back of a top-four spot, which would earn them at least a first-round bye in The Big West Championships.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos had one of their best defensive performances of the season last time out as they held Long Beach State to just 56 points in the contest. UC Santa Barbara did just enough to walk away with the victory, their second straight after beating Cal State Fullerton by 30 just two days prior.
 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Cal Poly enters the week just a half-game out of the last spot in The Big West Championships. The Mustangs are coming off an overtime upset over UC Riverside, which stopped a two-game skid for Cal Poly.

Offensively, the Mustangs like to get up and down the floor quickly. Cal Poly is currently averaging 80.5 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting and making nearly 11 three-pointers per game. According to KenPom.com the Mustangs rank as the second fasts team in adjusted tempo, averaging just under 75 possessions per 40 minutes. The Mustangs are led by Owen Koonce, who is averaging just under 17 points per game. He is one of four student-athletes averaging in double figures. Their potent offense also includes Jarred Hyder, who scores 13.7 points per game, along with Isaac Jessup and Peter Badelj, who combine for 21 points per contest.

The Mustangs have already won more Big West games this year than the last two years combined. They have taken down Long Beach State, the reigning Big West Champions, CSU Bakersfield, Hawai'i and Cal State Fullerton, and their overtime win against UC Riverside.
 
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN enters the week as one of three teams in The Big West to reach 20 or more wins. The Matadors are currently 20-7 overall and 12-4 in The Big West. CSUN currently sits in sole possession of third place in the standings and just one game back of a top-two seed.
 
The last time the two sides met, CSUN defeated the Gauchos 78-71. The Matadors just recently started receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Mid Major Top 25 Standings. They are one of three teams to receive recognition in the poll joining UC Irvine and UC San Diego.
 
Like the Mustangs, CSUN looks to score quickly also averaging just north of 80 points per game and rank 13th in adjusted tempo according to Ken Pom. They rank 41^st nationally in points per game and 40^th in scoring margin. They rank top 30 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounds per game so the Gauchos will need to block their men out and keep them off the boards. They rank fifth in Division I in rebound margin. Marcus Adams Jr., Scotty Washington and Keonte Jones combine for 54 percent of the teams scoring, while Jones and Adams Jr. also are the top two rebounders for the Matadors.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly will tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 in The Thunderdome. Be sure to get there early as a capacity crowd is expected. Following the Game on Thursday, Santa Barbara will travel to Northridge to take on CSUN on Saturday, March 1. The Gauchos and Matadors will tip off at 5 p.m. Both games will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.