NCAA Basketball: Analyzing the 4 new Division I teams for 2020-21 season
By Erik Mauro
UC San Diego Tritons
Like Texas, I’m sure California needed another Division I Basketball team, especially with San Diego State and San Diego already there! It doesn’t matter a whole lot, good for schools for taking the leap, it’s good in so many other ways.
The Tritons are coached by Eric Olen. The Tritons had become a power in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and at the D2 level. I’m not sure any of their conference mates were sad to see them go. They had won the conference regular season and tournament three out of the last four years, and the tournament the last four years. COVID-19 but a damper on a 30-1 season where the Tritons were a National Championship contender. That would have been a heck of a way to start the transition, huh?
Tyrell Roberts, Christian Oshita, and Scott Everman are the trifecta for the Tritons in scoring. Roberts scored 19.2 PPG while also leading the team in 3-point percentage. Oshita added 17.6 while leading the team in rebounds. Everman chipped in nearly 10 PPG. Chris Hansen added nearly 13 a game but he only appeared in 16 games with nine starts.
Roberts is the only player out of the group to return in 2020, but leading assist man Mikey Howell returns, as does top steals man Marek Sullivan. Roberts was also near the top of those categories as well. The foundation is there for a successful first year, but the competition level jumps up, as does the coaching. The Tritons should be up for the challenge and can give some teams fits in year 1, just like Bellarmine will.
Can Roberts still put up the gaudy numbers he did at the D2 level? Can Howell and Sullivan pitch in more in the scoring department? If they can, they could be a force at this level sooner than later.
UC San Diego will play in the Big West Conference.