SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball team is back in Gaucho territory this week for a Thursday game versus the UC Davis Aggies. 

LAST TIME OUT
UC Santa Barbara dropped both games last week, first to Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 1 and then to CSUN on Jan. 3. The Gauchos now look to bounce back after an 0-2 start in 2026. A bright spot for the Gauchos last week was CJ Shaw, who averaged 19.0 points, including his third 20-point outing against CSUN on Saturday. Zion Sensley continued to be a spark, averaging 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds between the two contests. Sensley currently ranks in the top 100 in the country in defensive rebounds per game and total rebounds.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES
UC Davis is 8-6 on the season after its 81-79 loss against Cal State Bakersfield and they now sit at 1-2 in Big West play. The Aggies are coached by Jim Les, who is in his fifteenth season with the team, and has led the team to its best records as a Division I program, including its first Big West Conference championship. Les entered this season with 364 career wins. 

The Aggies average 80.4 points per game, standing fifth in the Big West. Davis shoots 35.4 percent from beyond the arc and makes 8.6 threes per game. Davis also averages 33.1 rebounds per game.

Junior guard Connor Sevilla leads the team in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. His current season high is 26 points during a game against North Dakota State on Nov. 5. Forward Niko Rocak leads the team in rebounds, and guard Brayden Fagbemi leads the team in assists. 

FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis will tip off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will have live stats available.