UC-Irvine vs. UC-Santa Barbara: 2018-19 college basketball game preview

The Big West leaders face-off for the first time on Thursday when UC-Santa Barbara hosts UC-Irvine. Here is a preview of the big matchup.

TV Schedule: Thursday, January 31, 11:00 pm ET, ESPNU

Arena: The Thunderdome, Santa Barbara, California.

On Jan. 30, there is a big-time battle taking place in the Big West when the top two teams in the conference go head-to-head for the first time this season. The UC-Irvine Anteaters (17-5, 5-1) travel to Santa Barbara to take on the UCSB Gauchos (15-4, 4-1). These two teams have been on a collective roll as of late; the Anteaters are 6-1 in their last seven games and the Gauchos are 7-1 in their last eight. These two squads being atop the conference should be of little surprise to most. It is a good bet that the Big West Tournament title will go through one of these two teams, as one of the two has made the final in all but one season since 2010. Outside of postseason play, UC-Irvine/UCSB games are arguably the most important games on the Big West schedule.

Russell Turner’s Anteaters began their season by upsetting Texas A&M in their second game. They also garnered wins over a Texas-San Antonio team that has won nine of 11 and are tied for the lead in the Conference USA to go with victories over Saint Mary’s and Big Sky favorite Montana. In league play, they won their first two games before suffering their lone loss thus far to Long Beach State, 80-70. That game was a bit of an aberration for UCI, a normally good defensive team. They gave up 50 points in the second half in the loss and enter this one on a three-game winning streak.

As I said earlier, UC-Irvine is one of the better defensive teams in the country, allowing teams to score just 65 points per game. They have the 11th best field-goal percentage defense in the country at 38.8% and are also one of the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking 52nd or better in total rebounds per game (40.14), defensive rebounds (28), and offensive rebounds (12.14). In Big West play, they have allowed opponents to shoot just 41% from the field and their +8.8 rebound margin leads the conference by nearly four boards. Offensively, they average just 71 points per game and are led by their junior guards Max Hazzard and Evan Leonard, who are the team’s only double-digit scorers at 11.8 and 10.8, respectively. They are a team that goes nine deep with seven other players averaging at least 16 minutes, five points, and two assists.

Joe Pasternack’s Gauchos have lost just twice since nearly knocking off Washington on Dec. 2 and have lost in the Thunderdome just twice over the last two seasons. They finished the non-conference portion of their schedule at 11-3 with the aforementioned loss to Washington and road losses to North Dakota State and Omaha as their only blemishes. Their signature win came on Dec. 29 when they knocked off West Coast Conference darling San Francisco 73-71.

Like their opponents, the Gauchos are one of the better defensive teams in college basketball, allowing just 64.7 points per game. They are also 19th in turnovers per game, coughing it up just 10.8 times per game. They also allow opponents to shoot just 40.7% and they defend the three even better at just 29%. In league play, however, those numbers climb slightly to 45% and 32%, respectively. The Gauchos have four players that lead them offensively with senior 6-foot-6 swingman Ar’Mond Davis heading the pack with 14.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Sophomore guards Devearl Ramsey and JaQuori McLaughlin combine to net 23.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists. The other double-digit scorer has been a bit of a revelation; 6-foot-9 forward Amadou Sow leads the team in rebounding with 6.3 and adds 10.4 points.

Key Matchup

The key matchup for me in this one will be “senior vs. freshman” in the paint. Sow for the Gauchos will face off against the Anteaters’ 6-foot-10 senior forward Jonathan Galloway, who scores just 5.5 points but grabs 8.1 rebounds per game. With points potentially at a premium, the big men will play a crucial role in this one.

This game is bound to be a coin flip, but, in this one, the home team’s offensive depth should put them over the edge. The ability of McLaughlin and Ramsey to contribute in multiple statistical categories is enough to lead the Gauchos to a win by six points or less.