Big West Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

Key Players

Lamine Diane – CSUN

Every once in awhile mid-major teams are graced with a player who could easily make the jump to the high-major ranks without any criticism. CSUN forward Lamine Diane is one of those players. Averaging 25.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.0 blocks, Diane was the easy choice to win his second Big West Player of the Year in as many years. He and teammate Terrell Gomez are one of the best scoring duos in the country and could make things interesting even against high-major opponents.

Evan Leonard – UC Irvine

With such a balanced attack, it was difficult to pick just one player on the UC Irvine roster to spotlight, but senior Evan Leonard has elevated his game since conference play began. After taking somewhat of a step back as a junior, Leonard has filled the leadership role vacated by Max Hazzard and run with it. The Anteaters have the guys to step in if Leonard struggles, but his success will all but guarantee his team cuts down the nets.

Jaquori McLaughlin – UC Santa Barbara

The injury to Max Heidegger has created some doubt of the Gauchos’ ability to make a run at the auto-bid. Without the team’s top player, they will turn to former four-star recruit Jaquori McLaughlin to cash in on his initial hype. Since transferring from Oregon State, McLaughlin has seemed content to be the second or third option, but he will need to take the next step if the Gauchos want to do damage. Shooting over 40% from three and averaging 4.1 assists per game, McLaughlin has more than enough talent to fill the void left by Heidegger

Ezra Manjon – UC Davis

A year after Diane emerged as a freshman, UC Davis’ 5’11” freshman Ezra Manjon became one of the smallest players to win Big West Freshman of the Year honors. The Aggies’ starting point guard is not only one of the better distributors, but he can also attack the rim almost as well as any win in the conference. He may not be able to single-handedly win games, but he does more than most freshman of his size would ever dream of doing.

Jackson Rowe – CSU Fullerton

Few players have been as consistent over a four-year college career as Jackson Rowe has been since arriving in Fullerton. The Titans’ senior leader has averaged over 10 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists, and .8 blocks in every season he has played. This season, however, his three-point shot has come back, making him a dangerous factor among the conferences’ bottom seeded teams. One of four seniors in CSU Fullerton’s regular rotation, Rowe is the last of the fantastic trio that led the Titans to the NCAA Tournament two years ago.