Mid game last night the announcers said he needed 100. We’ll need to make a run in the playoffs for him to make it.

he has at most 3 games, unless the post season bid comes to us. I doubt he’ll play big minutes on Saturday, and going off for 25 or more in the BWC tournament game.

He’s 91 back after last night

If the Ags lose in, say, the finals to UCI, who will get to be in the NIT if they don't get the NCAA bid, then it seems to me that the Ags might get an NIT slot, but I don't know much about how the NIT makes it decisions. If that happens, Pepper would get 4 more games. If none of the above, I wonder if the school would accept a bid from the CBI or the College Insider tournaments to give Eli a shot at breaking the record. (Yeah, it seems like cheating, but he's already played a whole lot more games than any of the other scoring leaders. It's like Caitlin Clark beating out Pete Maravich while playing in something like 40 more games, plus having the 3 point shot.)

With 17 points today, Pepper now needs 75 to break the record. If the Ags only have two more games, it seems very unlikely since his career high is 32 (I think). If they can get one national tournament game, he would then need to average 25, which is not implausible.

Pepper wins Big West Player of the Year.

https://bigwest.org/news/2024/3/12/mens-basketball-2023-24-all-big-west-teams-and-award-winners-revealed.aspx

Amazing! Congrats to Elijah and well deserved

Awesome news! He most absolutely deserved it. He's one of the greatest Aggies ever to wear the uniform!

Pepper started all 31 games and averaged a league-leading 20.5 points per game during the regular season to lead UC Davis to a third-place finish in The Big West with 14-6 conference record (19-12 overall). The senior guard also topped the league in three-pointers made per game (3.0) and free throw percentage (.923), and had 19 instances of scoring 20 points or more. Pepper is currently 75 points of becoming The Big West’s all-time leading scorer (Lucious Harris, LBSU, 2,312 points, 1989-93). The Selah, Wash. product joins the likes of TJ Shorts II (2017-18) and Corey Hawkins (2014-15) as Aggies who have won the conference’s top individual award.

https://bigwest.org/news/2024/3/12/mens-basketball-2023-24-all-big-west-teams-and-award-winners-revealed.aspx

He’s been so much fun to watch throughout his career. Great player, hard worker and great teammate!

...and Les says he's even a greater person than a great basketball player...

There was that 3 game period where Pepper was held to single digit scoring. If it weren't for that drought period he would have probably become the highest scorer in Big West history. He still has a chance but it's probably a long shot...

I wonder if he has a shot at the NBA, succeeding where both Corey and Chima couldn't. If the key is hustle, a high basketball IQ and being a team player he's got it. I just hope he's not pre-judged as being too small for forward and too slow for a guard.

I'm hoping for the best for him. The NBA is probably a long shot but he certainly has the work ethic and I think he's got potential to become even better.

Chima did make the roster of the Sacramento Kings last year and, since I live in Sacramento, I was really excited about that but it didn't last long. They sent him to the G League in Stockton, I believe, or maybe it was Modesto? Anyway, he quit that pretty quickly and said it didn't make sense to him to stay and play in small arenas with small crowds who didn't really care about the team when he could play as a pro in Australia where the crowds packed the arenas and cared about the teams. I hope he's doing well there.

Chima got into two games with the Kings, made one of two filed goals and zero for two from the foul line. He does hold the career scoring record for former UCD players in the NBA. I knew that but did not consider it a successful NBA career. I'm not dissing him. As good as he was, it shows how tough it is to make it in the NBA. Corey Hawkins got picked up by the Miami Heat but never played a single game. The question is whether Pepper can make it, even as a backup.

Looks like they switched the rules this year on the NIT so they're not guaranteeing spots to any conferences besides the big 6. So in he past, if you were the regular season champ but didn't win the conference tournament, you were guaranteed a spot in the NIT. So I'm guessing it's unlikely we get a spot in the NIT unfortunately, which stinks.

Since the NIT bid would go to UCI if the Anteaters don't win the Big West tournament, the Ags had no shot at it but now even Irvine won't make it. Money makes the stupid difference once again, so I still hope Pepper can get a third game in the NCAAs or, failing that, one of the pay to play (money again) postseason tourneys.

Do the post season tourneys count towards the record?

Yes. Seems unfair doesn't it? Not true for pro sports.

A good scenario for Pepper to beat the record is to get in the March Madness and win the #16 vs. #16 play-in game.

With 25 tonight, Eli needs 50 more to set the Big West record for scoring, but he'll need one more game after tomorrow to have a chance. Unless, of course, he scores 50 tomorrow. :smile:

Unless, of course, he scores 50 tomorrow. — Toke69

Wouldn't that be something...

Memory dicey. The BW has a play-in game?

We need 2 more Ws to dance?

I should probably say, "First Four" for the first four #16 seeds in the March Madness bracketology. It's unlikely UCD will be in the First Four since five teams clearly have significantly worse NET ratings than UCD's NET ratings.

I hate the play in games. If you made the tourney you made the tourney…

I actually thought the play-in for us last time was perfect. Only TV game and a chance to get a W. Better than playing a 1 seed along with 3 other televised games

Totally agree. I hope we get slotted in the play-in round if we win the Big West Tournament. At least we'd have a chance to win a game.

I like them, but I think they should be the #7 SEC team vs the #6 B1G, not any of the small school AQs.

I've always though that the NCAA basketball tournament should be like football: with two levels of Division 1. In basketball the mid-major teams have no chance to win the title and very rarely even make it to the final four. Even Steph Curry's Davidson team only got to the elite eight. It's exciting to root for them when they do, but it would be more exciting for them to have a chance at a national championship.

With 21 tonight, Pepper is now 29 short of the record, so he'll probably not break the record even with another game. NIT very unlikely and CBI maybe not worth the money.

I wouldn't mind having a mid-major championship. Everyone loves the occasional Cinderella story but they are few and far between. Now with big money entering into the college game, the tournament is going to become even more top heavy with the power programs with deep pockets dominating the tournament year after year. Heck, even the NIT has bought into the TV money grab so even fewer smaller programs will be invited to play in it. Big money is ruining major college sports.

"Big money is ruining major college sports." You can say that again!