Whatever the cause, it's happened only over the past three games that the Ags have done worse in the second half, not coincidentally in Big West games. Against Cal Poly and UCSB, the Ags came back from a tie and down by one in both those games. Makes me wonder if opposing coaches in the league are doing something since then. If so, I hope Coach Les can figure it our because I sure can't.

Fatigue could explain the lack of shooting efficiency in the second half, but then why was Sevilla not affected? Anyone who has played the game knows how much more tiring it is to play defense than offense, but these guys should be in shape for the kind of defensive intensity such defense requires. If both Lose and Mani were sick, I wonder if there are others who have a touch of some kind of virus that is affecting them? The only other explanation is that some of them need better conditioning.

Games of Jan. 9:

UC San Diego (home, 14-2/4-0) 95, Cal Poly (6-11/0-5) 68
UC Irvine (14-2/4-0) 77, CSUN (home, 11-5/3-2) 67
Hawai’i (10-5/2-2) 83, UC Riverside (home, 10-7/3-2) 76
UC Santa Barbara (home, 10-5/2-2) 78, CSU Bakersfield (8-9/2-3) 66

Tritons and Anteaters still looking very tough. Look at how UCI handled the same CSUN team that beat the Aggies last week.

I like the new logo for the Hamilton Court discussions.

A win is a win but I can't be encouraged by it. If not for Sevilla shooting, to state the obvious, this would have been a loss. I can't remember seeing a poorer shooting demonstration by two teams. Without Conner's 4 of 10, they combined for 2 of 33 shooting from 3, that's 6% folks. On the bright (?) side, the Ags are now 3-0 at home in the Big West.

Titans have almost as many points on free throws as on field goals. Ags have twice as many turnovers as assists.

Looks like I was able to watch the best part of the half, but missed Sevilla's 3 3s.

I missed the first 12.5 minutes. Looks like a low scoring game. Has it been good defense or just poor shooting?

The game has started, but ESPN+ is not showing anything yet. Does anyone else have it?

It's hard to believe that CSU will be able to host a game tonight with all the fires in that area, but there is no news about it and I am sure that a basketball game is not a priority nor should it be in the middle of this terrible conflagration. They're going ahead with the game.

A very telling stat was points in the paint. CSUN had 40 to our 12! I had a sense from the very start that the Ags were letting the Matadors get too many layups and not even on fast breaks (where he difference was only 12 to 11). And to take BlueGold's point, a lot of those intertior scores were by Jones and Fofana, both 6'6".

Hard to tell how well Borra would have been this season, but I was never impressed with him in the past. His athleticism was limited and he was slow. Quicker big men took advantage of him. Last season was his best but he still only averaged 12.6 minutes a game. For his height he was not a great rebounder or rim protector. He had more fouls than rebounds. Ade Adebayo, at 6'5" and lack of offense, was much more effective in the front-court alongside Nico. It's likely he would have been better this season but how much we'll never know.

Games of Jan. 4:

UC San Diego (13-2/3-0) 90, CSU Fullerton (home, 5-11/0-3) 51
UC Irvine (home, 10-2/1-0) 81, UC Riverside (10-6/1-3) 57
CSU Bakersfield (home, 8-8/2-2) 80, Long Beach State (6-10/2-2) 65
Hawai’i (home, 9-5/1-2) 68, Cal Poly (6-10/0-4) 55

It's kind of a chicken and egg problem because more assists also improves shooting percentages.

Looking back at the last half dozen years or so of solid point guard play, I see that the Ags usually average 12 assists per game for the whole season. This year it's 10.8 not that far below. Maybe Coach Les doesn't stress assists that much or maybe TY just isn't that great about distributing the ball. It would be good to see him penetrate and kick the ball out more often.

He did play for a grand total of 2 poorly played minutes.

Giving credit to the Matadors, they're a lot better this year. Their defense was very good. Adams is a great addition, noting that he was 5 for 9 from the arc and had 28 points. Also, Keonte Jones ripped down 20 boards. When was the last time that happened against us? On the other hand, the Ags continue to struggle from the floor and I note that their assist to turnover ratio in their last two games is 16:28. BlueGold was right about not covering the 8.5 spread. Dr. Mike was right about not being able to win shooting under 30%. Coach Les has to figure out how to right the ship before it sinks.

I'd like to see TY pull up for a short J instead of trying to force a shot inside, even if he draws a foul. He's only 6 for 9 from the free throw line in this game.

Nicole? Did you mean Nico Rocak?

Aggies down 34-25 at the half and it could have been worse. Seems like the guys are in a collective shooting slump these last two games. CSUN is playing solid defense, but that's no excuse for a 6/24 effort by UC Davis. Rocak, DeBruhl and Tamba have a total of 4 points between them and TY is 1 for 5. They can still turn this around. Focusing on Mani, I get the impression that his basketball IQ is not very high, as if lacks experience or something. He had 2 turnovers, foul and a goal-tending call on plays when he should have played smarter.