SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball team hit the road to face the Roadrunners at the Icardo Center before returning home to take on the Wahine.
PROMOTIONS
During Saturday's game against Hawai'i, the Gauchos will be giving away UC Santa Barbara-branded Hawaiian shirts. Come early to snag yours; the shirts will be available while supplies last!
LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos look to put an end to their losing streak after dropping their third consecutive game Thursday night against UC Davis. The team surrendered its halftime lead and fell 93-86 despite an impressive offensive showing. The Blue and Gold shot 50 percent from beyond the arc. Miro Little led the way on both ends of the floor, finishing with 20 points and four rebounds. CJ Shaw and Aidan Mahaney each scored more than 15 points, while Colin Smith contributed seven rebounds.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
Cal State Bakersfield comes into the matchup against the Gauchos after suffering a narrow loss to Long Beach State. The Roadrunners currently sit 10th in the Big West Conference with a 2–4 league record and are 8–10 overall. Mike Scott enters the season as the acting head coach after spending the previous eight years as an assistant, bringing a new voice to the program.
Offensively, the Roadrunners average 73.3 points per game and pull down 35.8 rebounds per contest. Cal State Bakersfield averages 5.1 made three-pointers per game, shooting 30.0 percent from beyond the arc. On the defensive end, the Roadrunners make their mark by ranking 25th in the nation in blocks, averaging 5.2 per game.
Leading the team is Dailin Smith, one of only two players in the conference to record three 30-plus point performances this season. CJ Hardy also poses a scoring threat after notching a career-high 25 points against the Gauchos on Jan. 9 last year. Anchoring the defense is Ronald Jessamy, who ranks 15th nationally with 39 blocks on the season.
SCOUTING THE WAHINE
Before making their way to Santa Barbara, Hawai'i will take on Cal Poly Thursday night. The Wahine currently sit in second place in The Big West with a 12-3 overall record and 4-1 Big West record. The Wahine have won eight of their last 10 games coming into the week.
The Wahine offense is averaging nearly 80 points per game while holding opponents to under 65 per contest. Hawai'i's defense and scoring margin both rank first in The Big West. The offense is led by a trio of scorers in Isaac Johnson (12.9 ppg), Harry Rouhliadeff (11.8 ppg) and Dre Bullock (11.7 ppg).
Hawai'i's defense ranks as one of the best in the nation. UH currently ranks 23rd in Ken Pom in defensive efficiency and second in effective field goal percentage defense. Additionally, they do not allow teams to get a lot of second chance opportunities.
FOLLOW ALONG
The Gauchos and Roadrunners will tip off at 6:30 p.m in Bakersfield on Thursday, Jan. 15. Following that contest, UC Santa Barbara and Hawai'i will tip off at 6 p.m. in The Thunderdome on Saturday, Jan. 17. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available.
