Because UCI are better on both side of the ball (especially their presence inside the paint) , and they are committed to win the title.

Is it too late to drop back down to DII?

Remember this is the second-best and most well-rounded team UCD has ever fielded in DI that we're watching here.

Yeah, looks like UCI wants it. Im cutting my losses and going to the gym :).

Must have read the Sac Bee press clippings a little too much.....

We need to win Thurs and Fri and hope someone take out Irvine.

It doesn't matter if you are not focus and committed to play from the beginning. UCI can bench all their starters and still win this one by at least 15

I don't think Les should be fired but he needs to go back to the drawing board with how he coaches this team. We're always going to get some help in the Pavilion which is one of the better arenas in the conference and the longest mainland road trip for everyone else. But in order to win conference and win the tournament we have to be a road team.

True, true, I'm just venting. The thing I hate the most to see is other teams doing spectacular unguardable heroics, whether its our fault or luck or their skill or whatever.

Well, depending on what happens tonight and Thurs, Irvine could be staring at The Beach in the 2nd round who beat them at The Pyramid by 9. That's all I have.

Hard to judge when I can't see the game, but from the Stats it looks like the Anteaters got hot and wanted it more. They've outrebounded us 40-30, gotten more fouls and turned the ball over more in addition to hitting 13 of 23 treys with 4 minutes to go. If they play them in the tournament it could be totally different. I can't pin this one on Coach Les.

it is good for you not being able to watch it or you may think of not watching them going forward. I was thinking of going to Anaheim to watch the tournament but it looks like they may be out in the first round

This is a game they have to forget about come BWT time. With a projected game against Poly (worst possible first round matchup for the Ags) there can be no hang over...

79-49 final score.

Well, mercifully, this one is over. Wow, what a terrible time to play their worst game of the season. POY honors for Moneke or Lemar probably went out the window too. Luke Nelson was spectacular for UCI.

I've followed this team closely this year and I've really enjoyed attending all of the home games. Quite frankly, I feel that this team actually overachieved considering the overall talent of the team. We simply are not up to the overall level of talent and depth than the teams that are perennially at the top of the league are.

BTW, Coach Les was very gracious in his post-game interview and gave credit to how well UCI played. He was disappointed, as I'm sure the players are, that his team didn't play better.

We get another chance to win a game next Thursday. Nothing to do now but put this fiasco behind us and move on.

His message is probably that no one believes they can win even though they are the two seed and they have to go in with that guerilla warfare mindset. Us against them, one game at a time.

Yes, 6th, it will take a Herculean effort to win 3 games in 3 days but I've seen this team bounce back from playing very poorly in one game to playing well in the next. I just hope we got this stinker completely out of our system.

Les is admittedly an intense competitor but I think he has actually mellowed a bit from his early years here. He still works the officials right up to the edge of a T but he doesn't bark as much at his players anymore. He's constantly active on the sideline and he is focused like a laser on the game but, for the most part, he's giving instruction and not criticism. I'm glad that he isn't the kind of coach that throw's his team under the bus after a poor game.

Everyone should be rooting for a Cal Poly win and a CSUN loss. If that happens we face CSUN in the first round and not Cal Poly.

So...that didn't happen.

:s *Sigh*

Well, if it's gonna happen...might as well make it as difficult a road as possible.

The Beach beat Hawaii, so if all goes chalk it will be Irvine-Long Beach on Friday. Hmmm.

Nothing to add really as far as game observations go.

Frankly, however, I'm not fazed. Yep...we stunk. BUT...UCI was out of their minds. Nelson hit an NBA distance+ 3 with LJ in his jersey that banked in (uncalled glass, btw). Remember the CSUN game where we were like 75+% from the field and like 80% from beyond the arc. When one team is that hot and the other is that cold...it happens. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Unless it's the Aggies that are white hot; then it's awesome!

I wouldn't be at all surprised if our men touched down last night and headed straight for the gym. Not the coaches, the players. Whether ironing out shooting, or talking/walking through defensive rotation assignments, etc. I'd be willing to bet there was some activity in Hickey late last night.

GO AGS!!!! BEAT POLY!