Big West Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

By Connor Hope | Mar 11, 2020

LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Russell Turner of the UC Irvine Anteaters reacts to a call during the 2017 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament against the UC Irvine Anteaters at the Orleans Arena on November 24, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 22: Jonathan Galloway #5 and Evan Leonard #14 and Elston Jones #50 of the UC Irvine Anteaters (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Teams to Watch

Favorite: UC Irvine

The Anteaters enter the conference with a three-game lead in the standings, five players averaging over 9.5 points per game, and one of the conference’s best defenses. The loss in the team’s final game against CSUN should provide a new focus heading into the tournament, but it also exposed some of their vulnerabilities. With one of the top mid-major coaches in the country, in Russ Turner, UC Irvine should be heavy favorites to win. Even if one of their key contributors has a bad game, there is plenty of balance to make up for it.

Contenders: Cal State Northridge

Unless Max Heidegger’s injury isn’t as bad as his air cast made it appear, UC Santa Barbara is likely not a top contender anymore. That leaves, CSUN, a team with an elite talent in Lamine Diane, an excellent second option in Terrell Gomez, and a recent win over the Anteaters. They will be looking to speed up the games and get teams into barnburners. If they can control the tempo, the Matadors may be the best bet to win the auto-bid.

Dark Horse – UC Riverside

Unlike CSUN, the UC Riverside Highlanders like to slow the tempo of their games to a near crawl. On top of that, they shoot the three-ball relatively well and have one of the best field goal percentage defenses in the conference. If the Highlanders can control the tempo, unleash Dikymbe Martin and Dominick Pickett, they have a real shot at surprising some people.