MBB: Long Beach State (6-10, 2-2) at UC Davis (9-7, 3-2) Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2:00 pm
  • Toke69
    375
    Big West Banter had the Beach finishing last in the Big West. Not a bad guess since the school fired Dan Monson even though they beat the Aggies last year to win the conference tournament. Maybe it was because of Monson’s firing or maybe it’s just a sign of the times, but none of the Long Beach State roster came back for this season leaving new coach Chris Acker a chance at his first head coaching job. He’s done a credible job at one point getting his men to reel off five straight victories including two against Fullerton and Hawai`i, plus one over Pepperdine. But that came on the heels of a nine game losing streak.

    The key addition to the Beach is Devin Askew a 6’5” guard who transferred from Cal and is averaging 17.8 ppg. Another force is 6’ 10” forward Austin Johnson (5.3 rpg) whose height will give the Aggies problems. Their outside gunner would seem to be Kam Martin who is making 46.9% of his 3-point attempts. Defense is moderately weak as they are 181st in the nation allowing 71.1 ppg., comparable to the Ags 71.3 ppg. UCD’s offense however, is much better so the Ags should win this one at home and continue to be undefeated at Davis. Game will be on ESPN+
    Toke69 Options
  • Toke69
    375
    I like the new logo for the Hamilton Court discussions.
    Toke69 Options
  • DrMike
    802
    I’m hoping we get off to a fast start tomorrow. It seems like we have several turnovers and rarely more than 2 points at the first media timeout. Let’s get out of the gate fast and don’t look back.
    DrMike Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    ↪DrMike
    That would be nice for a change! I like our chances at home. LB will be tough on the boards. We can't give them a ton of second chance points and it would sure be great if we could shoot 40%+ from 3.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • movielover
    568
    I saw on ESPN+ that long-time coach and calculus professor Dr. Kouba was at the game sporting his Division II National Championship ring and watch.

    It would be fun to see Kouba compete w Les and Nosek in a legends shooting contest. Kouba was a gym rat in Rec Hall for decades.
    movielover Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    From The Big West Banter by Gauchodan:

    2:00 PM: Long Beach State at UC Davis, ESPN+, Live Stats

    The Beach (6-10, 2-2) won its two games of Bold Week, kicking off a 5-game winning streak. But Long Beach went 0-2 last week to fall back to the middle of the pack. LBSU averaged 77.4 points per game in December but has failed to top 65 points since. On the flip side, the Beach gave up 65.4 points per game in December and 78.0 ppg since.

    The Aggies (9-7, 3-2) are 6-1 and 3-0 in conference at home. UC Davis will play 6 of its next 7 on the road, so getting a win today will be important. The Aggies have struggled to score, averaging just 58.5 points per game and 33% shooting from the field in their last 4 games vs. Division I competition. Connor Sevilla has been an increasingly important part of the UCD offense, averaging 12.3 points in his last 4 games and making 7 three pointers.

    https://bigwestbanter.substack.com/p/sold-out-showdown-in-la-jolla?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3137908&post_id=154578292&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=31ratq&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    It looks like Vegas has us as 4.5-5.5 point favorites at the moment.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • DrMike
    802
    ↪BlueGoldAg
    this is a big matchup with all the road games looming.

    The last Saturday BWC home matinee (albeit a little later start) was UCSB which was one of our really solid games.
    DrMike Options
  • Toke69
    375
    We can only hope that the Ags will find the range from outside. Their collective shooting slump has to end sometime, no? Possibly not, but the thing about basketball that makes it both exciting and frustrating (to play or to watch) is how streaky outside shooting can be. Even Steph Curry has bad days. We'll soon find out if someone besides Sevilla can bring it.
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    Mani is back today.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • Toke69
    375
    I was glad to hear Scott Marsh and Bob Williams mention John Frost, who I watched in his senior year at UCD. He was the best pure shooters I saw in my seven years in Davis and he still ranks #12 after TY passed him today.
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  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    32-31 LB at the half. I hope we can keep the game within reach and have a chance to win near the end. The size and athleticism of LB make it really difficult to score inside…7’1 and two at 6’10.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • Toke69
    375
    Looks like the Ags second half woes continue.
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  • Toke69
    375
    Long Beach State is a lot better than advertised. Devin Askew should be playing for a power 5 team. It would seem that their coach has brought them along very well from the earlier part of their season. They might challenge the top teams down the road. On the other hand, it's hard to believe that they can sustain a 64.7% three-point shooting average. Still, the Ags did not lose only because of that. The Beach had a 24-12 point advantage on points off of turnovers, but the big problem again was the Ags went cold from outside in the second half.
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  • movielover
    568
    Ags shoot 35%, lose by 11. Ty Johnson 18 at the line, but only 6 of 15 from the floor.
    movielover Options
  • abridge
    131
    This was not a happy game to watch. Mid 2nd half there was some ugly stuff going on in the middle on the Aggie end of the court. I can understand why Les got the "T."

    Now watching the end of the UCI at UCSD game. Whew - both teams look pretty darn great. Turner came up with a great defense against the Tritons who can't shoot well from outside tonight.
    abridge Options
  • DrMike
    802
    It never felt like we had more than 3 legit scoring threats on the floor at any time. Both Rocek and Tamba really look shellshocked when they get the ball inside, so defenses can extend hard up through the arc, collapse quick and either get a block or turnover.

    One aspect of Askew’s game that might be overlooked was his defense. It looked like he focused on Sevilla and really shut him down.

    They were feeling it from beyond the arc, nailed FT’s and made big shots when we would get to within 2 possessions. Rough day
    DrMike Options
  • Toke69
    375
    ↪abridge
    Watching the telecast, I felt that the refs were missing a lot of stuff that the Beach players were doing including traveling and a couple of egregious personal fouls. They didn't cost us the game but it sure added insult to injury. Of course, I was swayed by what Scott was saying, but I don't think he was wrong.
    Toke69 Options
  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    Turner came up with a great defense against the Tritons who can't shoot well from outside tonight. — abridge

    UCSD shoots a good percentage as a team: 46% overall and they were averaging 11 threes per game which was 14th in the nation. Tyler McGhie is their top 3 point shooter and he was averaging 4 made per game. Turner dialed up a box and one zone and they had a player glued to McGhie the whole game and shut him down. McGhie was averaging 17.4 ppg and Irvine held him to 4. Great defensive strategy by Turner.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • DrMike
    802
    Another recent MIA is Lose. 2 minutes Thursday, and one defensive possession before the half. He was an energy guy last year with an occasional electrifying dunk; very quiet this year.

    Mani was dressed but he moved with zero energy during warmups.

    Stood with grandkids post game to get high fives from the players. Very dejected looking group.
    DrMike Options
  • ccuop99
    2
    Long Beach seems to be a thorn in the Aggies' side.

    I used to be part of the old Board, and I still follow UCD and Big West basketball very closely despite being a Pacific alum/fan. I've always had mad respect for Coach Les and the Aggie program and I was around for the first 3 years of the Gary Stewart Era and the last 3 of the Brian Fogel Era.

    Good luck the rest of the way!
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  • BlueGoldAg
    1.3k
    ↪ccuop99
    Welcome back, ccuop99. I hope you'll stay around and join in our conversations about Aggie sports. There a lot of exciting things in the works for the future of Aggie Athletics and the activity in our forum has gone way up this year. By the way, I think Pacific and the Ags should be playing each other every year in basketball too.
    BlueGoldAg Options
  • ccuop99
    2
    Hey there! Awesome to hear. The Aggie football team had a big year and I followed pretty closely. No football @ UOP (I was a frosh for the final season in 1995 -- RIP Pacific Football) so I enjoyed keeping up with UCD football and I'm friends w/ a few alums/former players.

    I live in San Diego and when Pacific hired a new men's basketball coach, I decided to go to the home opener on the 1st Monday in November. I flew to Sac on Saturday morning so I could catch the Aggies football game vs. Northern Colorado @ 1 p.m. and my good pal, Chris Saur scooped me up and we went to the game. That was a blast because I'd never been to the "new" stadium. Went to many games @ The Toom, specifically during the J.T. O'Sullivan years, but this was a first for me. We had a great time, the Ags romped and we hit the old watering holes after for a victory lap for the 5th Quarter.

    Jim Les is one heckuva coach. As long as the Ags aren't playing my Tigers, I always root for them. I was crushed when they lost to The Beach in the conference final last year. The league is pretty good at the top this year, so the Ags have work to do, but keep the faith.
    ccuop99 Options
  • SochorField
    230
    ↪ccuop99
    I remember you from the old board. Welcome back!
    SochorField Options
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