Big West Conference Notebook
by Marcus Vanderberg
Big West team finally comes through
Finally, after a week filled with near-upsets, leave it to Cal State Fullerton to actually pull one off.
The Titans went into Firestone Fieldhouse and knocked off the Pepperdine Waves 78-74.
Earlier in the week, Cal State Northridge, UC Riverside, and the University of the Pacific all had opportunities to knock off the USC, Arizona State and Duke, respectively.
The Big West has struggled in non-conference play, with just two teams holding records above .500. Some teams, such as Long Beach State, have flat out been embarrassed as the 49ers were defeated by 30 points in their season opener at San Diego State. Others, like the Highlanders, have been competitive in games with Loyola Marymount and Washington but have been unable to put away teams.
Once again, Utah State is off to a great start at 3-0, including a road victory over Weber State.
Gauchos struggle once again in non-conference play
Life without Branduinn Fullove (foot injury) and Nick Jones (8 game suspension) has been miserable for UC Santa Barbara. After defeating Hawaii 57-51 in their season opener, the Gauchos were unable to pick up a victory in the University of Montana Doubletree Holiday Classic, losing to Saint Mary’s and Southeast Missouri State. Luckily for the Gauchos, they return to the Thunderdome for a three-game home stand, hosting Pepperdine, Westmont College and San Diego.
Triumph Trio … and not much else
When Matadors head coach Bobby Braswell said his team lacked depth, he wasn’t kidding. With the bench struggling, a trio of juniors has carried the load for CSUN. Forward Chris Davis and guards Davin White and Ian Boylan all are averaging more than 15 points a game. Davis and White are tied for second in the Big West in scoring with 18 points a contest and Boylan is sixth at 15.3 per game.
Anteaters on the road again
After opening the season in the BCA Classic in Cincinnati, UC Irvine returned home for one game, a 72-59 loss to Stanford, before packing their duffle bags and hitting the road again. UCI will head to the hostile Haas Pavilion to take on a California team that already lost on its home court to a Big West team – Cal Poly. The Anteaters will then take part in the McCaffrey Classic, hosted by Fresno State. On Friday UCI will take on Princeton and the following night, Arkansas-Monticello.
Big West Player of the Year Watch
Because it’s never too early to guess the Big West Player of the Year …
Pape Sow – Cal State Fullerton (19.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 60.4 field goal percentage)
Chris Davis – Cal State Northridge (18.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 55.6 field goal percentage)
Mark Brown – Utah State (13.0 points, 6.33 assists, 3.17 assist/turnover ratio)
Davin White – Cal State Northridge (18.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds)
Casey Cook – UC Santa Barbara (15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 11-11 free throw line)
Big West Player of the Week
Mark Brown – Utah State
Brown had 20 points and 13 assists, both career-highs in the Aggies’ victory over Illinois State.
Cal Poly Mustangs (2-1)
The Mustangs will be the third of five teams to take on LMU when they hook up Wednesday. Junior transfer Nick Enzweiler has been a pleasant surprise to Cal Poly, averaging 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists and was selected as Big West Player of the Week for 11/24.
Cal Poly has struggled with its three point shooting the previous two games including a 4-25 performance against San Jose State. The Mustangs are shooting just 17 percent (8-47) from three point range in that span.
Cal State Fullerton Titans (1-3)
Titans head coach Bob Burton picked up his first Division I victory Monday night against the Pepperdine Waves. CSF got off to a three game skid including dropping its home opener to Sacramento State in overtime 78-71. After a slow start, freshman Bobby Brown has taken off, scoring 22 points including five three-pointers. Brown took the majority of the playing time at the point guard position from senior Zakee Smith who has been atrocious. Smith is averaging just 0.5 points in four games.
Pape Sow is continuing to prove to his critics that he is a NBA prospect, averaging 19.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Cal State Northridge Matadors (1-2)
After committing 23 turnovers against LMU, the Matadors came back in their next game and gave the USC Trojans a serious scare. Rallying from a 15 point deficit with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, CSUN had a chance to take the lead but junior Davin White missed two crucial free throws and USC held on 75-69. White has lived up to the hype, averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. The bench could use the services of Etogwara Onyengecha, who could become eligible in time for its December 19th game against the University of Utah.
Long Beach State 49ers (0-2)
Good news 49ers fans – Long Beach State should have no problem with their next opponent, Cal State Stanislaus … or will they? The Warriors (355) are actually ranked higher than the 49ers (409) in the Massey rankings, which rank all NCAA teams. On a positive note, LBSU shot a blistering 68 percent (17-25) in the second half of their loss against Portland. The 49ers could use the help of transfer Anthony Coleman, who is expected to be eligible by the end of the month.
UC Irvine Anteaters (2-2)
Senior Stanislav Zuzak has got off to a great start leading the Anteaters in scoring with 14 points a contest. In four games, Zuzak is shooting 55 percent (10-18) from three-point range. Head coach Pat Douglass’ lineup of three guards has struggled. Sophomore Mike Efevberha is shooting 28 percent from the field while Ross Schraeder has been overmatched on the defensive end, fouling out in two of UCI’s first four games.
The Anteaters will play three games over a four-day stretch before getting nearly two weeks off for finals.
UC Riverside Highlanders (0-3)
Junior Vili Morton appears to finally be healthy after scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds against Arizona State. Morton struggled in his first two games, playing limited minutes off the bench. Nate Carter is proving that he’s not affected by the sophomore slump, leading the team in scoring at 15.7 per game. Senior Kevin Butler has enjoyed his new position at small forward, scoring 15 points a game. The Highlanders losing skid is expected to continue as they go to Pauley Pavilion to play UCLA.
UC Santa Barbara (1-2)
If Cal State Fullerton could defeat Pepperdine, that means the Gauchos could as well, right? Without seniors Branduinn Fullove and Nick Jones, it could be an uphill battle, even though it is at the Thunderdome. Forward Casey Cook has carried the load with Fullove and Jones out, leading the team in scoring (15.0) and rebounding (8.0). UCSB is next to last in the conference in scoring (60.0) but is first in scoring defense (63.3).
Idaho Vandals (1-3)
The verdict is still out on the Vandals who won their season opener against Elon but have dropped three in a row. Each game came on the road and Idaho allowed more than 70 points in those games. On a good note, the Vandals will finally have their home opener on Saturday when they host in-state rival Boise State. Leonard Perry is not afraid to go to his bench, with 11 players averaging more than 10 minutes per game.
Pacific Tigers (2-2)
The Tigers held their own against the mighty Duke Blue Devils, playing a competitive first half before losing 82-69 in the first round of the Great Alaskan Shootout. After such a great effort against the Blue Devils, the Tigers followed it up with a loss to Canisius. Yes, Canisius. Senior Miah Davis averaged 18 points in the Great Alaskan Shootout including a 24-point performance against Duke.
UOP will host two teams from the Western Athletic Conference in Nevada and Fresno State before returning on the road for four contests.
Utah State (3-0)
For the 37th time in school history, the Aggies are off to a 3-0 start. Four USU players are averaging double figures, led by Spencer Nelson. The Aggies, known for having a great defense instead of a great offense, have been scoring at will. In the second half of their game against Illinois State, the Aggies shot 79.2 percent (19-24), but allowed 84 points in the game… a high number Stew Morill would not like to see again.
