Game will again be on ESPN3. UCSB has a NET Ranking of 56, UCD, 227. Gauchos ranking puts them on the bubble for the NCAA tournament so there is a very small chance that if they don't win the Big West tournament they could get an at large berth. I don't think the Big West has ever had two teams in the big dance.
There were a few years when UOP and UNLV were good when the BW got an at-large bid in addition to the conference champ, I think, but yeah, one-bid conference for the most part.
We played them tough in the second game and should have won. First game was no contest. Need to clean things up from yesterday to have a chance. We’re not the most talented team, but we have some tough dudes who can rise to the occasion on both ends.
As always, this game will come down to defense. If we play tough team defense and keep the score in the sixties or so, we have a realistic chance. If the score starts to creep up to the mid to upper 70’s, I’m not sure we have the fire power to stick with them. Stay out of foul trouble, especially Koehler and Anigwe, and keep our turnovers to a minimum. And rebound.
Listening to Coach Les talk about the start of the CSUB game, it was interesting to hear that the team was kind of dazzled at the start, since most of them had never played in the Big West Tournament before nor had they faced the Roadrunners. Now that they have one game under their belt and they know the team they're facing, they should be in better shape. The trouble is the talent that the Gauchos have. If they are to beat them the Ags need to play a perfect game and a key will be to minimize turnovers and generally play smart. I also hope they can make more 3s than they've been making lately.
The Gauchos are definitely the most talented team in the league. They have players who can create an open shot from the perimeter on their own and drain step back 3's from distance. They also have athleticism in the paint. They're a well-rounded team with depth.
Defense without getting into foul trouble and taking care of the ball will be paramount. I think we have to keep the game low scoring. We can't keep up in a shootout.
We're playing tough defense but the fouls are starting to add up. Amadou Sow is a load...tough to defend him without fouling and he's a good FT shooter to boot...
We have no answer for the talent of their bigs which isn't completely unexpected but our offense was terrible...no rhythm or flow, forced shots...some of that is due to good D by SB but most of it is just poor execution and an inability to hit shots by the Ags.
they seem to be putting slot of pressure on Manjon and Pepper, they are not getting any space. We had some success with pick and roll inside, but that’s dried up
They are 8-9 from the line, we haven’t shot a FT. Have to get more aggressive going to the hoop
Ags have 0 pts. from the foul line, that accounts for 8 of the 12 point difference at the half. Sow and McLaughlin are pretty tough to stop without giving them free throws.
That's a good point and a good defensive strategy by SB. They know that we don't match up well with their bigs so it makes sense to lock down on Manjon and Pepper.
They are pushing it inside so I get a disparity in fouls, but this is a little crazy. They don’t call any contact outside the key. Fuller got smacked on the fast break and got nothing. Probably why he set the hard moving pick right after