Yep - we're a much better fit for the NIT. Our RPI is large enough so I doubt if we'd be able to host a game, but hey, that would be nice. Assuming people are actually allowed to attend sporting events. <shudder>

I'm concerned that Ags were absolutely hammered on the boards. In the previous meeting with CSUN they substantially out-rebounded the Matadors. Did anyone watch or listen to the game? What was going on that gave CSUN so many second chance points? We did manage to do well on the turn-over front. We won but having a better game to go into the tournament would be a good thing.

Riverside really played hard-nosed defense against Hawai'i. Coupled with the Rainbow Warrior's inability to hit from the outside...a loss. We took 'em down to the wire in Hawai'i. We'll have to bring our A game from now on. If we're to have any chance at a #2 seed we have to win tonight. Lose tonight and #5 looks all to possible.

The first rounds will be held in the evenings of March 10 & 11 at the Pyramid at Long Beach State. Then there's a day off while the men play at the Honda Center. The women will play at the Honda Center on the 13th & 14th.

It's a fun trip down to watch the Big West Championships. We've done it multiple years. But, alas, not this year. The staff at the Honda Center are first rate. Disneyland isn't that far away if you fill up on basketball.

The drive from the area around the Honda Center to watch the women play in the evenings for the first few days is UGLY since it's at drive time.

Watching the women come back against Hawai'i last year was an amazing experience.

This year both men's and women's big west tournaments will be incredibly competitive (except for those who have to play UC Irvine).

Go Ags!

Here are some photos of the Senior Day game including pre & post-game events

UC Riverside vs UC Davis women's basketball & senior day photo gallery

Here are some photos from Saturday's Long Beach @ UC Davis game:

Photos from CSU Long Beach at UC Davis basketball game

They did do video streaming in the 68-69 season using a trailer in the parking lot for production. The campus TV department did the production. Not ESPN but maybe better than most Big West TV since we had three cameras. It was black and white of course. At least it was the game against SF State and maybe Tahoe Paradise? Sac State?

The gym totally rocked. The floor is so great, well sprung. No shin splints. Bossy Cow Cow was a major cheer - used once at a crucial moment in the game. And the band did the Hex. Song girls dressed in denim and gingham.

At the end of games the Maverick All Male Marching Band would go down into the locker room, marching through the various rooms to end up in the main locker room. I think they ended with "Sons of California".

Ham was definitely intense even then, No clip-board was allowed in his hands. He almost never went after the officials. There were a couple of times when he was concerned the officiating would end up with an injured player, but mostly he was coaching. After games you'd find him walking out on the sidewalks well after midnight going over the game in his head.

The front court of Stonebarger and Baranco with Johnson and Tommy Cups forwards was really special. Two future doctors and a judge out there on court. Tom Woods, who would go on to coach Humboldt State could come in along with Al Steed and Tom Larkin. Wood was a great passer but not as athletic as Gordy.

The worst moment of the Jim Les era happened in Hawai'i a few years ago when the players and the fans acted out, the crowd along the Aggie baseline throwing stuff onto the court. (hint: don't give rowdy students free throwable items when they enter the arena.) Jim took the team off the court without shaking hands at the end of the game. The Hawai'i bench that year had choreography for plays that really pushed the boundaries of sportsmanship.

But the worst I've experienced goes waayyy back to the Bob Hamilton lead team playing in Las Vegas at the NCAA Div II regionals. It was Las Vegas, UCD, SF State and UC Irvine. We drew Las Vegas. The crowd was incredibly rowdy. They brought wood blocks to clap together. In the tense last moments of the game some of those blocks were hurled onto the court. NOT GOOD. Definitely threatening. I think it affected the last moments of the game. That was an amazing season.

We listened to Greg Wong's play-by-play while watching the game. It's a bit tricky because the streamed audio from KDVS is about 23 seconds ahead of the video stream. Fortunately there's an app for that! Wong's commentary when viewed against the video was spot on. I'm impressed and hope he lands a quality play-by-play gig for baseball this year.

the teams fly commercial to all big west venues save the coast trip where they bus. I assume they’ll fly to a San Diego and bus to Bakersfield next year. The women took a bus to Stanford for NCAA and, I assume whenever they play there.

Thanks for looking and for your kind words.

I think that’s not correct. Jen told us the fly out early on Friday. There are no afternoon flights out of Sacramento to Honolulu.

Here are some shots from the Irvine at UCD women's game

UC Irvine at UC Davis women's basketball game gallery

As always feel free to share.

Here are some photos from the game.

CSUN at UC Davis men photo gallery

This was a huge game for the Ags. It looks like Jim Les has found the style of play that match his players. The intensity is clearly at a different level.

Meanwhile Cal Poly and Fullerton are starting the third OT.

Big West might not be the highest ranked conference but we sure are entertaining!

That was, indeed, Armstead sitting in the stands near the Band.

Here are some snaps from the game

Gallery of images from UCSB vs UCD Men's game

Here are some photos from the game. The gallery is mis-identified because of a brain-freeze on my part. But it's still Cal Poly at UCD womens

Gallery of Cal Poly at UCD women's game

Heidegger single-handedly kept the Gouchos in the game. I just took it on himself and was amazing. Wide open, guarded, popping up with incredible speed off a pass - he sank 'em all. Very impressive. I'm glad he was restrained in the first half!

Physical game, increasingly so as the half progressed. Go Ags