I'm not going to be able to watch live, since the game runs right through our dinner time, but I'll catch it about an hour later.

Fullerton 62, Hawai`i 60. Tough loss, as all OT losses are. Large Hawai`i crowd, as usual for a Big West tournament. If we get [ast UCR, we'll be playing the Fullerton game that got cancelled.

#1 seed UC Irvine rolls over CSU Bakersfield 75-51, more than doubling the spread.

For what it's worth, Southeast Missouri State, whom the Aggies beat back in Milwaukee last November won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and is one of the 10 schools which have clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. They are one of 4 schools who have qualified and who have a lower NCAA Net Rating than UCD, 144. SEMO St., 244

Gauchos need to be on alert and I think they'll be ready so Cal Poly probably loses on Thursday.

It's a shame that Pepper was not the player of the year, but it's hard t give that award to a player on a 6th place team, whereas UCSB's Mitchell played for the 1st place team and was deserving of the honor. Also, thought Anigwe should have been on the second team. I wonder why they pick 6 players for the first team and only 5 for the second.
https://bigwest.org/news/2023/3/6/the-big-west-unveils-2022-23-mens-basketball-all-conference-team-major-awards-and-specialty-awards.aspx

Both Olson and Thomas are in the UCD Hall of Fame. Mark Olson was in the dorm the same time as I was and I got to know him a little. Even played some 2-on-2 against him and won, although I wasn't guarding him.

We're certainly a bunch of old codgers!

Lien was after my time, 1978-79 and I think Hickey was still the venue back then, but I don't know when the Rec Hall was opened. I think I saw my first game there in 1980. I don't know how many seats Hickey held, but my rough guess would be 1100. There were 7 rows of bleachers on all four sides and you could squeeze about 50 per row on the long sides and maybe 25 at the ends.

I heard that game on KDVS and I do remember thinking how unfair it was that it was effectively a home game for UNLV. I don't remember the score being that close, though and wonder if we were a lot further behind most of the game.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Cal Poly upsets Long Beach, who will still be reeling from their loss to the Aggies. Also, the Mustangs are a lot better than their 1-18 record indicates.

The win over the Beach reminded me of a game I went to in March 1969 against SF State. We were tired for the lead in the Far West Conference and the Golden Gators had already beaten us at Davis. I seem to recall that their gym was packed with Aggie fans and the old CAAMMB. The teams were evenly matched and it went into double OT. At the end of the second OT, Bob Johnson, a 6-5 forward picked up a loose ball with second left and calmly hit a 10 foot J to win the game and a lead for the title. Unfortunately, the Ags got upset the very next night at Hayward and the league sent both schools to Las Vegas for the first round of the NCAA Division 2 playoffs. I believe we lost to UNLV. That was the most exciting game I have ever seen live.

Remember when we were concerned about this squad's inability to hit free throws? In this game they hit for 82.5% (thanks mostly to Johnson and Pepper). It felt like The Beach was matching them, but they only hit 55.6%. That was the difference down the stretch.

I'm speechless

If only one of the Ags shots had fallen earlier, but I'll take OT. Both Traores have 4 fouls.

If only

Looks like they got a Pepper-Upper

Ags slumping all of a sudden. They gotta pick it back up.

The Beach is 3rd in the nation in rebounds per game, behind only UAB and Alabama, but Ags were out-rebounding them at the half 22-17!

Pepper scoreless, but Anigwe taking up the slack with 11. Ty looking good except for one blown dunk.