SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara men's basketball team returns to The Thunderdome on Thursday, before making the long trip to Hawai'i on Saturday. The Gauchos are a half game ahead of CSUN in The Big West standings and sit a half game back of Hawai'i.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
After defeating UC Riverside last Thursday, the Gauchos continued on the road, but fell to Cal Poly. Despite the loss, the Gauchos remained just a half-game back of first place thanks to CSUN defeating Hawai'i on the same day.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN enters the week riding a five-game winning streak and winners of seven of their last 10 games. Most recently, the Matadors defeated conference leaders Hawai'i 84-60 on Saturday. Over their five-game winning streak, CSUN is averaging 88.8 points per game.
The CSUN offense leads the league in scoring in conference games, averaging 83 per game. Per Ken Pom, the Matadors play at the fifth-fastest pace in the country. Larry Hughes II leads the team and ranks second in The Big West, averaging 19 points per game. In conference games, he is averaging 19.7 per game, which also ranks second in The Big West.
The Matadors also have two players who rank top three in rebounds per game. Joshua O'Garro leads the conference, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game, while Mahmoud Fofana ranks third, averaging 8.6. Both players help CSUN lead the league in rebounds per game and rank second in rebounding margin.
SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
The Gauchos got the best of the Rainbow Warriors in the teams' first meeting at The Thunderdome. Since then, Hawai'i is 5-2, averaging 81.9 points per game. The Rainbow Warriors are currently tied for first place in The Big West standings with UC Irvine.
Four players average in double-figures for the Warriors and senior Isaac Johnson leads the way, averaging 13.4 per game. The Hawai'i offense is deep, ranking 73
rd nationally in bench points per game, getting nearly 27 points from their bench. Additionally, the Rainbow Warriors rank top 30 in free throw attempts per game and free throws made per game.
The Hawai'i defense is also one of the best nationally. The Warriors rank 34
th nationally in field goal percentage defense and 35
th in scoring defense. Their three-point percentage defense is also elite, ranking fifth nationally, allowing teams to shoot just 27.8 percent from beyond the arc. Hawai'i's defense ranks 36
th in defensive rating per Ken Pom as well.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara's game against CSUN will tip off at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available. The Gauchos' game against the Rainbow Warriors will tip off at 7 p.m. Pacific Time and be broadcast nationally on ESPNU with live stats available.
