It’s very clear at this point that the Anteaters are the top team in the conference. They’ve garnered some Top 25 votes in the national polls and beat the main contender, UCSD, on the Triton’s home court. Coach Russell Turner has had the luxury of having four of his top five scorers from last year returning, notably center Bent Leuchten the 7 foot junior whom the Ags were able to hold in check last year, splitting with UCI and even taking them to overtime away from Davis thanks to Eli Pepper’s 26 points. This year, Leuchten not only leads the team in scoring, but is second in the Big West in rebounding with 9.0 rpg. He has a lot of help this year in the forms of Devin Tillis, Justin Hohn and Myles Che, all averaging in double figures.

UCI has slipped a bit, but still has an NCAA NET rank of 50. They lost their aura of invincibility with the loss to UC Riverside and struggled to beat a weak Long Beach State team on Thursday. Still, this game will be the Aggies biggest challenge in Big West play. An upset would be huge. The game will be available on ESPN+.