MBB: California Polytechnic (7-12, 1-6) at UC Davis (11-8, 4-3) Sat., Jan. 21, 3:00 pm
  • Toke69
    325
    UC Davis will have a chance to start a new winning streak after a tough loss to UC Riverside as they host the Cal Poly Mustangs. Cal Poly is in what is shaping up to be a clear bottom five teams in the Big West with a combined record of 8-28. Cal Poly's only win to date is against fellow bottom fiver, Long Beach State. Including a recent loss to UCSD, they have lost 6 in a row. The Mustangs are reined in by a poor defense that ranks last in the Big West averaging 72.9 ppg. allowed. They are, however third in scoring, right behind UCI and UCD. They have very balanced scoring, with only two players, Alimamy Koroma and Tevin Taylor, barely in double figures. They use a lot of players, with ten of them averaging double minutes per game. They're also last in conference in rebounding, surprising because they have length (for anyone who has watched Last Chance U., 7'1" Bryan Penn-Johnson is there). The rivalry between the two schools is very old, with Cal Poly holding an edge of 36-30, but we've narrowed that advantage considerably since 2013 by winning 16 of the last 20 meetings and undefeated at home. This game should be no different. Game on ESPN+.
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  • DrMike
    742
    We’re 9.5 point favorites. Poly has been much improved this year even though their league record isn’t good. Took a good Riverside team to overtime
    DrMike Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    ↪DrMike
    I think this is a must win game for us today. We have to establish a tough, home court advantage and we can't afford to lose to teams that we "should" beat if we are going to be a contender. We'll put more fans in the seats also if we can string together a stretch of home court wins and then build upon the energy and momentum as the season winds down to crunch time in the weeks ahead.
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  • DrMike
    742
    ↪BlueGoldAg
    agree especially with road games v the Beach and Bakersfield looming. Both of those are winnable road games .
    DrMike Options
  • Toke69
    325
    This is getting ugly. It looks like the Aggies are disheartened and came out flat and sloppy. They need some kind of spark, because Cal Poly is playing out of their minds so far at both ends of the court, leading 19-7 with 7:42 left in the first half.
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    That was a brutal half for the Ags. Down 29-20. We shot 26% including 1-7 from 3 and 5-10 from the line. Pepper is playing with a left shoulder injury and is having difficulty raising his arm above his shoulder. I hope it’s not a rotator cuff injury.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • Toke69
    325
    You know we're in trouble when Adebayo is the leading scorer.
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  • SoCalAggie
    60
    Pepper is hurt and there is no life on offense without him. TY can score but makes it all on his back.

    Need 3 ball from Kane and B to fall.
    SoCalAggie Options
  • Toke69
    325
    After leaving 12 points at the free throw line and having their best player hobbled, it was unbelievable that they could go on a 15-0 run at the end to pull it out. All credit to T Y Johnson, who provided the spark. Great clutch steals and drives to the hoop. The game winner came over a 7-1 center. A loss wold have been a disaster, so it was huge that they could pull it out. Nice crowd too, That might've helped.
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    We just got home. Wow...what a finish for the Aggies! We were down 13 with 4:49 to go and managed to go on a frantic 15-0 run to win it over a very good Cal Poly team. TY Johnson was sensational in the final 3 minutes with 3 steals and some amazing layups driving the lane through traffic and Poly's 7'1 post.

    Pepper gutted out a shoulder injury he sustained in the first 3 minutes of the game. He's as competitive as they come. That shoulder may feel worse in the morning. I hope he heals up quickly. It was great to see Ade make some buckets too.

    Poly is a good basketball team. They are very long and athletic and their tenacious zone kept us bottled up for most of the game but the Ags simply would not quit and won it with a tenacious defense of their own in the final 5 minutes. Great win by the Ags and an excruciating loss for the Mustangs.
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  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    In other BW games today:

    Hawaii 67 Riverside 63
    Long Beach 112 San Diego 110 in 3 OT (Marcus Tsohonis had 46 points for the Beach)
    Fullerton at CSUN 7 pm
    Bakersfield at Santa Barbara 7 pm
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • DrMike
    742
    ↪BlueGoldAg
    I just got home and still trying to figure out how we won! That was fun. ARC was electric at the end
    DrMike Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    ↪DrMike
    It was a made for Hollywood rally in the last 5 minutes. I thought we were headed for a 15-20 point loss when they had us down 13 with under 5 to go. So much fun for sure!
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
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  • Toke69
    325
    What I can't figure out after seeing the game is why Cal Poly is 1-7 in conference play?
    Toke69 Options
  • Toke69
    325
    Question for those who are lucky enough to attend the home games: Does the band still play Ragtime Cowboy Joe and Hot Time in the Old Town?
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    ↪Toke69
    I agree. They're certainly better than their record. They controlled the game today for 35 minutes. Very tough loss for Poly.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • AggieFinn2
    88
    ↪Toke69
    I don't think I heard them but then again I've only been to 1 game so maybe they just didn't this time.

    The band is better than I thought they'd be. I kind of expected a bunch of kids in stuffy band uniforms playing songs about clowns and ice cream after the university took over.
    AggieFinn2 Options
  • DrMike
    742
    1800 in attendence, best crowd of the year. Poly is way better than the past couple years. We were out of sorts after Pepper went out. Even the FTs went back to past bad levels. Happy to get out with a win.

    Someone asked about the band - I wish they were a bit more active during the breaks but they do cheer a lot and have a good time
    DrMike Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    ↪DrMike
    The number of band members that show up at the BB games has really shrunk though. There were just a few saxophones, a drum, a clarinet and a couple of tubas at the Riverside game. There used to be 40 or 50 not that long ago.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    CSUN 69 Fullerton 66 in OT (CSUN gets their first conference win of the season)
    UCSB 76 Bakersfield 58
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  • DrMike
    742
    ↪BlueGoldAg
    I thought I heard from someone in the department that the number of band members is limited. Not sure if that’s a reason. I like that they are there
    DrMike Options
  • Toke69
    325
    I did hear the alma mater. At least they still play that.
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    A tale of two different halves, the Aggies shot a blistering 59.26% from the field in the second half and were fueled by raised defense intensity which led to the Aggies dictating the pace of play. Getting out in transition has been an emphasis all season, and once the Aggies were able to string together some stops behind Johnson with his four steals, UC Davis capitalized on the 20 Mustang turnovers.

    Dominating the paint and getting downhill after creating a staggering seven turnovers in the final 4:49 of play, UC Davis was able to pull of the near impossible. Leading for only 46 seconds throughout the game, it was all the Aggie would need to find themselves back in the win column.

    https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2023/1/21/mens-basketball-aggies-pull-off-miraculous-comeback-against-cal-poly.aspx
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    Post-game quotes:

    TY Johnson:

    “We looked in each other’s eyes and said there was still a lot of time left,” said Johnson, a transfer from Loyola of Chicago.

    “It all starts with the bond we formed in the locker room. We believed we could do it. I give credit to my coaches and teammates for believing in me to take the last shot. A win like this can start a trickle and give us another win streak. Come March, we want to be able to get into the NCAA tournament and make miracles happen.”

    Jim Les:

    “TY was spectacular,” offered UCD head coach Jim Les without fear of contradiction.

    “This team has a refuse-to-lose attitude, and we knew near the end we just had to put the ball in the hands of number two (Johnson) and let him do the rest.”

    “We got really animated at the end,” Les added. “We got after it and made some plays. We needed to get it back one possession at a time. You’re going to have nights where everything isn’t falling, and you have to give Cal Poly credit for making some tough shots.

    “I’m really happy for this group and this is a game we can look back on if we get in a similar situation down the road.”

    https://www.aggiesportstalk.com/discussion/2048/mbb-california-polytechnic-7-12-1-6-at-uc-davis-11-8-4-3-sat-jan-21-300-pm
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • DrMike
    742
    ↪Toke69
    they also play songs out in front of the ARC after the game - that’s a great send off after an exciting win!
    DrMike Options
  • Oldbanduhalum
    599
    ↪Toke69
    I haven’t heard ragtime in years. They still play hot time after turnovers at football games but haven’t heard it anywhere else.
    Oldbanduhalum Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    The current standings are exactly how I would rank the MBB teams at this point in the season:

    1. UC Santa Barbara 7-1 16-3
    2. UC Irvine 6-1 13-6
    3. UC Riverside 7-2 14-7
    4. Hawai'i 6-2 15-5
    5. UC Davis 5-3 12-8
    6. Long Beach State 4-4 10-10
    7. Cal State Fullerton 4-5 10-11
    8. UC San Diego 2-6 7-13
    9. CSU Bakersfield 2-6 6-13
    10. Cal Poly 1-7 7-13
    11. CSUN 1-8 4-16
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • DrMike
    742
    ↪BlueGoldAg
    Gauchos seem like they’ve had easiest schedule of the leaders. 5 wins v Bako (2), Poly, CSUN and UCSD. Another set of big games on the road for us coming up. No resting in the Big West
    DrMike Options
  • Oldbanduhalum
    599
    Re-watched the last five minutes and the comeback all started with two Rocak steals on entry passes to their big man. Really can’t overstate how big this walk-on transfer has been for the Ags.
    Oldbanduhalum Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.2k
    ↪DrMike
    Good point, Mike. They can be formidable from what I've seen of them so far. They have some high level D1 talent that can be explosive on offense. They'll be hard to contain but strong defensive teams like us are probably the best suited to give them problems.

    ↪Oldbanduhalum
    Les has a good eye players that have overlooked talent. Anigwe is a prime example and look at how he has developed since coming here.
    BlueGoldAg Options
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