Ryan ChartrandMissed the regular season? Haven’t the slightest clue who’s who heading into the men’s basketball Big West Conference Tournament? Here’s a quick rundown for the uninformed reader. First, here’s some basics you need to know:
The Favorite: Long Beach State
Hottest Team on the Block: Cal Poly
The Darkhorse: Any team not seeded in the top four – there’s plenty of parity in the Big West, but the top four teams have set themselves apart from the rest of the conference.
Note: As of press time Wednesday night, UC Irvine held off UC Riverside 53-52 to advance to play UC Santa Barbara in a semifinal game at 8:30 tonight; Cal State Northridge and Pacific were yet to tip off.
No. 1 Long Beach State (22-7, 12-2 Big West)
Leading scorers: Aaron Nixon 20.4 ppg, Kejuan Johnson 18.1 ppg
The skinny: The 49ers can flat-out score the basketball. During Big West play, they averaged 86.4 points per game. Two big reasons for the 49ers’ success are Nixon and Johnson, who both like to feast off perimeter scoring. The tandem combines for roughly six 3s per game. Nixon is the best clutch shooter in the conference. He hit a game-winner with less than one second to play at UC Santa Barbara earlier this season and connected on a 3-pointer from deep in the corner to beat UC Irvine in the conference tournament semifinals last year.
Odds to win it all: 2-1
No. 2 Cal Poly (18-10, 9-5)
Leading scorer: Derek Stockalper 14.1 ppg
The skinny: Cal Poly is the hottest team in the Big West entering the tournament. The Mustangs have won 12 of their last 14 and seven straight. Much of the turnaround can be attributed to phenomenal shooting from beyond the arc. The Mustangs are ninth in Division I in 3-pointers per game (9.4). Any team that is capable of dropping 15 3s on a given night is dangerous. The Mustangs are also about the deepest team in the field.
Odds to win it all: 5-1
No. 3 Cal State Fullerton (19-9, 9-5)
Leading scorer: Bobby Brown 20.6 ppg, Scott Cutley 15.3 ppg
The skinny: Cal State Fullerton’s success clearly rests on the performance of its NBA-bound point guard, Bobby Brown. Brown was second in the Big West in scoring and led the conference in assists per game (5.9). The downside is his carelessness with the ball. Despite leading the conference in assists, he had an assist-turnover ratio of 1.73. He turns the ball over three times a game, a scary statistic for any field general. Nonetheless, Brown is the biggest offensive threat in the conference and will be tough to stop.
Odds to win it all: 7-1
No. 4 UC Santa Barbara (18-10, 9-5)
Leading scorer: Alex Harris 20.9 ppg, Chris Devine 12.8 ppg
The skinny: The big question for the Gauchos is which team will show up – the team that lost to Long Beach State 101-65 or the team that nearly took the 49ers into overtime. The Gauchos have seen many ups and downs this season. From losing to UC Davis to topping No. 25 UNLV, the Gauchos have been a very hit or miss team. The Gauchos actually played better on the road (10-4) than at home (8-6) this season, so maybe a trip to Anaheim for the tournament will help UC Santa Barbara find its “A” game.
Odds to win it all: 12-1
No. 5 UC Irvine (13-17, 6-8)
Leading scorer: Patrick Sanders 11.9 ppg
The skinny: The Anteaters are second in the Big West in scoring defense (69.6) and will need to call upon a tremendous effort on the defensive side of the ball in order to make a run in this tournament. Control the tempo and keep games in the 50s or 60s and the Anteaters might have a shot to win a few.
Odds to win it all: 25-1
No. 6 Cal State Northridge (14-16, 5-9)
Leading scorer: Jonathan Heard 12.5 ppg
The skinny: Northridge relies on turnovers to win games. The Matadors are athletic and can cause havoc with their variety of trapping defenses. With 7.64 per game, the Matadors lead the Big West in steals per game. Unfortunately their biggest strength is also a gaping weakness on the other side of the ball – the Matadors turn it over 16.5 times per game.
Odds to win it all: 35-1
No. 7 Pacific (11-18, 5-9)
Leading scorer: Anthony Brown 13.1 ppg
The skinny: After heading to the NCAA Tournament for three straight years, the Tigers’ reign has finally ended, or so it seems. Short of a miracle, a Pacific run in the tournament seems unlikely. Sophomore forward Anthony Brown (6-foot-7) shows promise as a big-time player in the future, but he doesn’t have much support around him.
Odds to win it all: 50-1
No. 8 UC Riverside (7-23, 1-13)
Leading scorer: Larry Cunningham 14.7 ppg
The skinny: The Highlanders’ only conference win was an anomaly against Cal State Fullerton. But hey, they did beat UC Davis twice – a feat that several other Big West teams can’t claim.
Odds to win it all: 99.9-1