So we need to root for the Anteaters on Saturday then hope that the Aggies can at least split their last two road games (or that the Beach loses to both UCI and UCSB). If Pepper is back on track, I'm optimistic.
Unfortunately, one Beach win and one UCD loss could happen at the same time. Meanwhile, CSULB plays a still struggling UCSB at home while the Ags have to travel to both San Diego and Long Beach. If I were a betting man, I'd say the odds are long on us getting the 2 seed. On the other hand, if the Ags bring their A game I wouldn't be surprised to see a SoCal sweep.
Irvine has clinched the #1 seed but there's a lot of possibilities for the remaining seeding depending on the outcomes in the final two games. Here's the schedule for the final week:
Irvine (15-3):
Th - Cal Poly
Sa - @ Fullerton
San Diego (14-4):
Th - Davis
Sa - Cal Poly
Aggies (12-6):
Th - @ San Diego
Sa - @ Long Beach
Long Beach (10-8):
Th - Santa Barbara
Sa - Aggies
Hawai'i (9-9):
Wed - CSUN
Sa - Bakersfield
CSUN (9-10):
Wed - @ Hawai'i
Santa Barbara (8-10):
Th - @ Long Beach
Sa - Riverside
Riverside (8-10):
Th - Fullerton
Sa - @ Santa Barbara
Poly will have lost 38 consecutive Big West games. I wonder what the Division 1 record is for any school in any conference in that regard? I couldn't find it on the internet, only that Towson State has the longest overall losing streak: 41.
I watched a bit of the Irvine game - they are really good. The are deeper than any other team, and have a variety of ways to score. Add in the fact that they play tough and smart, and it’s clear why they are at the top of the league. Still surprising that we beat them AND barely lost down there.
We really need to be the biggest Gaucho fans around tomorrow night, just in case the Ags can't pull the upset in San Diego. That 3:00 tip off Saturday will coincide with my drive up to Davis for the Spring Game -> radio broadcast might be too much of a distraction when I'm driving the backroads through Antioch/Rio Vista/Dixon!
The last 5 games both the Gauchos and beach are are 2-3. The Gauchos beat beach at home 85-76 in January. This time around they’ll be playing in LB. It looks to me that beach will have a slight edge.