Gaucho Basketball News

It was an up and down week for the Gauchos, where we saw them pull of a huge upset over #22 UNLV but then got demolished by #10 San Diego State.

Nunnally= Player of the Week

James Nunnally has won his 2nd Big West Player of the Week award after having a huge performance against UNLV and chipping in a solid game in a loss vs. San Diego State. On Wednesday vs. UNLV, Nunnally had 23 points and 7 rebounds. He made all 6 of his free throw attempts and 4 of them came in the final moments of the upset win. Versus SDSU, he had 15 points in the loss.

Player on the Rise

Greg Somogyi has been playing fantastic lately for the 'Chos. In the loss vs. San Diego State, he was a bright spot with 7 points and 8 rebounds.

Clutch Player of the Week

Justin Joyner easily wins this award. Even though you could say Nunnally or Orlando easily, JJ made two huge three pointers vs. UNLV which gave the Gauchos the lead for good.

Big West Breakdown

Right now, the race for the best team in the conference is close. UCSB has beaten Santa Clara and UNLV on the road. Pacific got wins vs. Nevada and UTEP. And finally, the resurgent Anteaters with their new coach are playing well with a 6-5 record. As of now, I would say UCSB is playing the best basketball but top to bottom, it is just as good as last year.

GO GAUCHOS!

Quotes from the UNLV/UCSB game

Here are some quotes from both teams after UCSB's 68-62 win over #22 UNLV.

Orlando Johnson (On the victory)

"This is a huge win. I wanted to get it in there heads. It was going to be a battle. We traveled too far to lose.

Coach Williams (On responding to the big win before)

"We've won at UNLV and at UCLA before. Those are tough venues. The big wins are in league championships and in the postseason. This was a big test for us tonight."

James Nunnally (On why he shoots his free throws from left side of the stripe)

"I went to the left side of the line in junior high school because my coach noticed I was missing them to the right. And I went 31-35 the rest of the season.

Coach Williams (On the UNLV Crowd)

"It's a huge win. This is the Mountain West. They are chanting Big West is Division II. We wanted to prove that we could compete with the #22 team in the nation."

And Bob, you guys did show those Runnin Rebels up.

Go Gauchos!

Note: More analysis will be available today on this historic win. Also, a preview for Saturdays colossal match-up vs. #10 San Diego State.

UCSB Mens Basketball vs. #22 UNLV

Vegas is supposed to be for partying right? Well UCSB has all the right excuses to hit the town because last night they defeated #22 UNLV 68-62. It was the biggest win on the road for the Gauchos since 2003 when they defeated UCLA. Not only was it huge, it extended the winning streak to three games.

James Nunnally, who had another great game with 23 points and 7 rebounds, said, "This was a very big win!" Well Mr. Nunnally, I think I know who they are adding to the Naismith watch!

At the 15:00 minute mark in the first half, the Gauchos were hanging in there on the wrong side of 10-9. They used a 14-3 run to take control and push the lead to 10, 23-13. They did this by James Nunnally, Orlando Johnson (12 points, 15 rebounds), and Jon Pastorek all hitting treys from deep. Dick Vitale thought, "They are a team of 3's men!" They ended the stretch by the Big Boy, Greg Somogyi, throwing it down right in the face!

They got it to 30-18 but the Runnin' Rebels closed the margin all the way and it was 30-30 at the half.

Coach Williams was happy the first half ended when it did because he thought they needed to talk some things over.

Then after a few buckets here and there, UNLV took a four point lead at 38-34 led by Chase Stanback (16 points, 8 rebounds) but UCSB's Justin Joyner, who had no points all season, nailed back to back three pointers to give the Gauchos the lead. Just might be two of Justin's biggest shots of his career.

Then UCSB pushed it to 48-39 behind a Kyle Boswell score and they held onto a fair sized lead for a long time. Then with 46 seconds to go, UNLV got it down to three at 64-61 but UCSB after that, UNLV stole the ball but missed a few shoots. Then Nunnally got the ball and sank to free throws to put this case to a close!

The Gauchos are now 5-3 and this season and this was their third straight win. The dynamic duo of Nunnally and Johnson had 35 points and 22 rebounds. Jaime Serna put in another solid effort with 12 points and surprisingly Justin Joyner had 8 points to seal the deal.

The Rebels fall to 9-2 and this was their second straight loss. Chase Stanback led them with 16 and Tre'Von Willis had 14.

The Gauchos are back in action Saturday versus another ranked team in #10 San Diego State. It will be on the Mtn. on television at 7:00 p.m.

GO GAUCHOS!

UCSB vs UNLV Preview

One of the biggest games for the Gauchos this season will be tomorrow vs. #22 UNLV in Las Vegas. The Rebels are 9-1 and are coming off a loss to the Gauchos while UCSB is 4-3 and had a week off this past week.

Matchup to Watch

Chase Stanback vs. UCSB Frontcourt

The long, athletic Stanback has been great for the Rebels this year. He is averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds a game. It will be interesting to see if the Gauchos can get a body on this kid and stop him from having a big game.

Important Stat

Free Throw Shooting: UNLV is shooting a sub-par, Gauchos of last year percentage of 68.5 %. The Gauchos on the other hand are shooting a phenomenal 79.4 %.

Player on the Rise

Kyle Boswell: Even though he is only averaging 3 points a game, the freshman has made a great impact. He has started the last two games and vs. LMU, he scored a nice 7 points. The freshman should see a large amount minutes vs. the Runnin' Rebels and could even start again.

UNLV Info

The Runnin' Rebels are lead by Chase Stanback (13p, 4r), Oscar Bellfield (13 p, 3r), and Tre'von Willis (11p, 3r). Their coach is Lon Kruger and leads them at a 9-1 record and a #22 ranking overall in the country.

The Rivalry

The schools have met 35 times with the Rebels winning 27 of those. The Gauchos however had their fair share of memorable moment such as in 1991 when the Gauchos defeated the #2 ranked UNLV at home 78-70. Then in 2006-2007, they defeated them on the road. Finally, in 2007-2008, "Big Game" James Powell nailed a three-pointer as the clock expired to give the Gauchos a huge upset win over the visitors from The Sin City.

Prediction

As Dick Vitale would say "upset city is coming baby!" I think the James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson are on a roll and cannot be stopped. The wing play will be key with both teams have talented wing players. In the end, the Gauchos get a HUGE win over the Runnin' Rebels and extend their winning streak to 3 overall and to 4 against the Gauchos. 'IT WILL BE AWESOME BABY!" Score: Gauchos:76 UNLV:72

GO GAUCHOS!

Gaucho News Update

There has been lots of new the past few days. A Gaucho has earned All-Big West recognition, a feature article on ESPN.com, and a new team in the Big West Conference. Lets get to the news.

James Nunnally named Big West Player of the Week

On Monday, the Big West said James Nunnally was the Big West Player of the Week. Last week, he averaged 31.5 points per game in wins over Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara. He also shot 76% from three point range.

Orlando Johnson on ESPN.com

On Tuesday, a feature article on ESPN.com was on Orlando Johnson. It talked about his family, his transferring to the Gauchos, and his future possibly in the NBA. It was written by Diamond Leung and Mr. Leung also interviewed Orlando.

Hawaii, Welcome to the California Conference

Yesterday, it was announced that the University of Hawaii would be joining the Big West Conference again in 2012. Hawaii left the conference in 1996 and are delighted to come back to the Big West!

GO GAUCHOS!

Upcoming Games:

12/15/10: at UNLV (9-0)

12/18/10: at San Diego State (9-0)

Note: Both teams are in the Top 25

UCSB Mens Basketball vs. Santa Clara

Wow. That "Nunnally for Naismith" chant has never made more sense. James Nunnally went off again as he scored a career high 34 points to lead the Gauchos to a 80-69 win over the Broncos of Santa Clara.

Nunnally, the San Jose native, was closed to his home so many family members came out and saw the best game of his Gaucho career. What a night to have them there!

The whole first half was very close with the Gauchos biggest lead at 6 until with about 2 minutes to go Santa Clara took the lead 31-30. Then the Gauchos closed out the half on a 10-4 run making the score 40-35.

Orlando Johnson, 16 points, and James Nunnally each made a pair of free throws to push the score to 44-35. Then the Gauchos never looked back as the lead stayed around 10 until the Broncos made one last "stampede" to cut the score to 4 with exactly 4 minutes to go. Then Jaime Serna threw down a slam and OJ nailed a three which put the nail in the coffin. They ran out the clock and the Gauchos got a win.

Jaime had a good game with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and WHOPPING 5 blocks. Also, Jordan Weiner chipped in 9 points while Will Brew had a nice showing of 6 points and 3 assists.

The leading scorer for the Broncos was Kevin Foster with 25. He had 19 in the first half so Coach Williams made some great adjustments and held him to 6 in the second half.

The Gauchos are back in action December 15 at UNLV and then December 18 at San Diego State. These are the Gauchos two biggest games of the year with both teams in the Top 25. If Nunnally keeps it going and OJ keeps doing what he is doing, as Dick Vitale would say, "It is gonna be upset city!"

Go Gauchos!

Key Stats:

Attendance: 2,037

3 Point Shots: UCSB-46.7 % SC-36.4%

Free Throws: UCSB-78.1 % SC-59.4%

Records: UCSB (4-3) SC (4-4)

Weird Coincidence: Santa Clara beat UCSB last year 79-68. That is one less than what the winner and loser scored this year. I thought that was kind of cool!

James "Nunnally for Naismith" Nunnally

UCSB Mens Basketball vs. Fresno State

Orlando Johnson went berserk versus the Bulldogs. He scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to propel the Gauchos to a 69-54 victory.

The Gauchos got off to a SMOKING start by going on a 13-0 run to start the game. It included Orlando Johnson with 2 assists and 7 points.

Then the Gauchos kept pulling away. They extended their lead at one point to 16 points but the boys from Fresno kept fighting to get it down to a 11 point deficit.

James Nunnally, who scored 12 points, opened the second half by missing a three. The Gauchos struggled in the first few minutes of the second half by not scoring until the 16:34 mark. During that time, the Bulldogs got it down to a 4 point margin.

Then Orlando took over. He would score 7 of the next 10 Gaucho points to push the lead to 46-35. The Gauchos got in cruise control after that and took over the game.

Jon Pastorek and Jaime Serna combined for 13 points while Justin Joyner led the team with 4 assists.

The Bulldogs were led by 15 points from their big man Greg Smith.

The Gauchos go on the road for their next three games as they have a tough road trip with Portland, San Diego State, and Santa Clara.

Go Gauchos!

Attendance: 3,577 (Great opening night attendance)

Class of 2011 Recruit T.J. Taylor

More of a Will Brew or Casper Ware?

Class of 2011 Recruit John Green

Gaucho Hoops signs four players for 2011

The UCSB Mens Basketball signed four players for its 2011 recruiting class. Coach Williams is very excited about the recruits. Here are the four players.

1. John Green, Oakland, CA, 6-5, 180
He averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists last year for Castlemont High School in Oakland. He is an active AAU baller and Coach Williams compares him to the likes of James Nunnally and Alex Harris.

2. T.J. Taylor, Oakland, CA, 5-9, 160
T.J. plays for Oakland High School and last year averaged 19 points and 6 assists per game. He was named to the All-Oakland Team and nailed 59 three pointers. Coach Williams praises his thre point shooting ability.

3. Alan Williams, Phoenix, AZ, 6-7, 240
Williams plays for North High School and averaged a double-double the classic way by scoring 13 and collecting 10 rebounds per game. This year he is an All-Phoenix and All-Arizona preseason selection.

4. Taran Brown, Gillette, Wyo., 6-8, 190
A lanky forward, Taran helped his school to a 27-1 record and a place in the state title game. With the beaches of SoCal awaiting him, Taran looks poised to keep his averages around 15 and 7 a game.

I will have videos of each recruit!

Go Gauchos!

ESPNU Bracketology, First Release

Everyone knows about Bracketology on ESPN.com by Joe Lunardi. He predicts the 65 NCAA Tournament teams and says which teams are on the "bubble." Well it was good new for the Gauchos. They start the season out as a #15 seed in Lunardi's bracket. They are in the East Newark Region and would play #2 seed Syracuse of the Big East. This is just another pre-season prestigious award that the Gauchos have received. We all know though that championships are not won in November.

Will Brew leads the charge for the Gauchos!

UCSB Mens Basketball vs. The Masters

And you thought they were amazing last year? Well Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally have not missed a beat. They combined for 43 points in a 68-54 exhibition win over The Masters.

It was a very surprising first half with the score only being 30-28. Then OJ and James said, "lets go get it done!" They started the half on a 22-6 run and never looked back. They got it back to 11 but the Gauchos put the lid on the coffin.

The "dynamic" duo of James Nunnally and Orlando Johnson saw James finish with 22 points and 10 rebounds and Orlando finish with 21 points and 5 rebounds. They also combined for 4 alley-oops and monster slams. They chose to be high risers today!

Lucas Devenny and Jon Pastorek had a combined 16 rebounds which contributed to the 50-26 rebounding advantage. The "Big Somog", Greg Somogoyi, had 8 points and 4 rebounds.

A new segment on these blog posts will be "Gaucho Analyisis" where I point out what the Gauchos need to do and where they improved.

Negatives: Not enough production from supporting cast. Where did they go? I thought it was 5 v 2 out there. Okay, Somogyi had a few buckets but Will Brew and Jaime Serna, please show up during the season.

Positives: Rebounding was fantastic. Last year, the Gauchos struggled to rebound down the stretch because of the small lineup. I think this year though with James Powell you will see more of Pastorek and Devenny playing at the 4 and 5 with Somogyi and Serna. You could obviously see the rebounding was out in abundance with the 50 to 26 advantage.

The Gauchos first regular season game is up in Eugene, Oregon at the BTI Invitational. There they will take on South Dakota State, Denver, and Oregon. The first game is vs. Denver on Friday at 4:30 pacific time.

Go Gauchos!

Gauchos Basketball Preview 1 of 5

Hello, it is five days till the exhibition versus the Masters. I cannot wait for Gaucho Basketball. In our first preview, I reveal who I believe will be at the cellar of the Big West, my Coach of the Year, a breakout player, the Gaucho starting lineup, and some other news.

Bottom of the Pack
Last year it was UC Riverside. They finished a game back of CSUN and UCI for the 8th and 7th seeds. This was a huge dissapointment in which many people thought they could be the breakout team.

My pick this year is UC Riverside. They lack the firepower without Kyle Austin to even compete in this league. I think Jim Woolridge has a year left at the helm of the program. 3-13 in league sounds about right.

The Golden One on the Sideline
Last year it was your favorite coach, Bob Williams of you know who. He led the Gauchos to a 20-10 record and a Big West Title. It was a good comeback season after a dissapointing 2008-2009.

My pick this year is Gary Stewart of UC Davis. I think UCD will be in the title hunt and I believe will finish high in the standings. They have Joe Harden and a healthy Mark Payne returning. I believe UCD also gets a postseason berth of some sort this year.

Gaucho out of Nowhere
Last year was a breakout year for many guys on the 'Chos. Orlando Johnson was the best player in the league in his 1st season and Will Brew ran the point like an upperclassmen. Also, Jordan Weiner improved his game and James Nunnally was the 2nd best scorer during conference play.

This year I think it is Chris Brew. We all know he has fantastic ability but didn't get many minutes in his freshman year. With James Powell the 6th man gone, Brew will step right in. He will be a high flying combo guard who can give lots of spark to this Gaucho team.

The Starting Five
Last year had many different lineups in non-conference play. In conference play, they got it right with Serna, Nunnally, OJ, Weiner, and Brew. This year will not look much different except one change.

I believe Will Brew will be the starting point guard. I think though they go a little bigger by playing OJ at the 2, Nunnally at the 3, Serna at the 4, and yes, Greg Somogyi at the 5. Somog showed much improvement late last year and I think is primed for double-double averages this season.

Other News
Publications such as Presidio Sports and Rush the Court have labeled Orlando Johnson as MVP, James Nunnally as All-Conference, and UCSB as the Big West Champs.
The Big West Media tabbed the Gauchos as the front runners for the conference crown.
Friday, 7 p.m., Thunderdome, vs. the Masters, UCSB Basketball 1st Game

GO GAUCHOS

UCSB Mens Soccer vs Cal Poly

Blue-Green Rivalry. Gauchos vs Mustangs. SB vs SLO. Its the good old Central Coast rivalry between UCSB and Cal Poly and the Gauchos won one to remember 2-1 a Harder Stadium.

The game was viewed by 6,057 fans on a brisk night in Santa Babara. The scoring was begun in the 50th minute when Super Sam Garza took the ball at midfield and fired an absolute cracker into the top corner of the goal. The tortillas were flying and the Gauchos were flying super high!

Then those hippies from SLO got on the board when Poly player Cameron Winters slid one past freshman goalie Eric Reyes for the equalizer in the 77th minute.

Then thunderstruck and it was pure chaos when Machael David passed a ball to Luis Silva who scored his first of the season in the 90th minute for the 2-1 win over the rivals.

The win improves the 'Chos to 6-3-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The Gauchos have now
been 10-0-1 in their last 11 bouts vs the Mustangs at home.

The Gauchos outshot the Mustangs 18-11 and had an outstanding 13 shots on target.

The win improves the Gauchos record in the Blue-Green Rivalry to 2-0 this season with 2 points on the board. The Gauchos next game is on Friday as they take on Duke in a national televised game on FSC.

Go Gauchos!

UCSB Mens Basketball News Update

There is a lot of buzz circulating around the UCSB Basketball team. First off, they have been predicted to win the Big West in four different preseason college basketball magazines. Also, the Gauchos will be on television six times during conference play.

Preseason Buzz

The Gauchos were predicted to be the Big West Champions by Lindy's, Sporting News, Athlon, and Blue Ribbon Year Book. Orlando Johnson was also the Preseason Player of the Year in all four and James Nunnally joined him on the Preseason 1st Team All-Big West.

Coach Williams said this gains a lot of attention for the program but they still have to go out on the court and perform to be the champion at the end of the season.

ESPN2, ESPNU, FS West, and FS Prime Ticket

The Gauchos will be on the tube this year and they will be on it the most of any Big West team during the season.

The first televised game is when the Long Beach State 49ers take on the Gauchos in The T-Dome on December 28th on ESPNU at 8:00 p.m. Then they have back to back TV games when they take on Pacific on ESPNU on February 3rd then they have UC Davis on FSPT on the 5th.

Then on the 26th of February 3 of the 4 games in the Big West that day will be on TV by either ESPN2, ESPNU, or FS West. They Long Beach State in the Pyramid and that will most likely be on ESPN2. Then there is the ESPNU Bracket Buster Game.

Go Gauchos!

All-American Orlando "Mr. MVP" Johnson

Big West Mens Basketball Preview #1 (Long Beach State)

Can you believe it is only one month till college basketball starts again? Well I am so excited and cannot wait for the Big West and the rest of the NCAA to get back into action.

Over this next month, here at UCSB Gauchos Blog we will be previewing the Big West, UCSB, and the NCAA. The first eight previews are on all of the Gaucho's Big West rivals. The first one is 2010 Big West Tournament runner-up (I still enjoy saying that) Long Beach State.

Long Beach State

The 49ers are coming off a disappointing season even though they came within five points of making the NCAA Tournament. They went 17-16 after a grueling non-conference schedule which included Duke, Texas, West Virginia, and Notre Dame. Then in conference play they were very inconsistent even though they had the best talent overall in the Big West with Casper "The Friendly Ghost" Ware, TJ "Mr. Double-Double" Robinson, and Larry "LAX" Anderson.

They got the #3 seed in the Big West Tournament and beat Cal Poly and then Pacific to reach the title game. Then they lost to UCSB 69-64 in the title game.

So this season they bring back most of their key players. They are losing three-point specialist Stephan Gilling and two big men up front. They bring in loads of talent this year with Jacob Thomas, Shelton Boykin, and Nick Shepherd. Thomas is the #32 shooting guard according to ESPN.com while Boykin is the #25 small forward.

The schedule this year doesn't get any easier this year. They have San Diego State (home), Paradise Jam Tournament, Washington (away), North Carolina (away), and Arizona State (away). Their first conference game is at UCSB on ESPNU.

It should be the Gauchos and the 49ers neck and neck this year for the Big West Championship!

Will Brew and Casper Ware will be two of the top point guards in the Big West!

Highlights from UCSB's record setting 2-0 win over UCLA

GO GAUCHOS!

UCSB Mens Soccer vs. UCLA Bruins

Soldout crowd. Ranked team vs. Ranked Team. Former National Champs. This had all the makings of an instant classic. It turned out to be gauchorific as the Gauchos got way back on track by beating the #7 UCLA Bruins 2-0 in front of 15,896 fans. That is the second all-time in the NCAA Mens Soccer attendance record. That was however the most fans ever at Harder Stadium for a soccer match.

Going into the game, the Gauchos had just won two in a row. They knew if they beat UCLA they would be back in the National Championship hunt. They got back in it in a big way.

After over an hour of a stalemate between the two UC schools, the Gauchos found the back of the net. After the ball bounced around in the box off of a corner kick, it found the feet of freshman superstar David Opoku who sent the tortillas flying and the people jumping with his goaaaaaalllll!

Then in the 90th minute, Luis Silva and Danny Barrera had a break away which then Silva passed to Barrera and the All-American slotted home the goal.

Tim Vom Steeg said it "never felt so good to win a game." Freshman David Opoku said "it was the best moment in my young career." Vom Steeg was so excited that before the game he had to tune into AM Channel 1610 for traffic updates because so many people were coming tonight.

The Gauchos after this emotional win get back into action September 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Cal State Foolerton.

This is the third win in the row for the Gauchos with all three coming on shutouts.

Go Gauchos!

Key Stats:
Attendance: 15,896
Shots: UCLA-8 UCSB-12
Fouls: UCLA-15 UCSB-15
Records: UCLA:4-2-1 UCSB:3-2-2

Lobo Classic Recap Men's Soccer

Finally, those are the Gauchos we know. With conference play soon and a tilt with UCLA around the corner, it was good for the Gauchos to have a good weekend. They beat #6 Harvard 2-0 and Buffalo in convincing fashion 4-0.

In the first game vs. the boys from Cambridge, they got on the board right before the half with a goal from junior Joe Eubanks who got it in after a cross from Sam Garza. Then David Opoku got past the Harvard goalie to make it 2-0 with only 3 minutes to go.

The Gauchos had 10 shots and 6 of them were on target. Senior 'keeper Sam Hayden got back to his old ways with a season-high 5 saves. He was named a College Soccer News Player of the Week!

In the second match of the weekend, the Gauchos came out swinging. They came to dance but Buffalo didn't even get "Off the Wall." You know you like the Michael Jackson reference.

Well they beat the Buffaloes 4-0 in a match where the Gauchos struck early. Tim Pontius put a rebounded shot in the back of the net. Then in the 27th minute Opoku scored another goal when he and Garza did a little back and forth action which resulted in a goal. Then Garza in the 68th got a ball from Opoku and put fired an absoulte firecracker past the goalie! With the game winding down and the Gauchos locked in for the win, UCSB made the Buff's cry when Christian Ramirez scored his first goal in a Gaucho uniform.

The Gauchos get back into action with a huge match vs. UCLA on September 24th at 7:00 p.m. The 'Chos will be looking for revenge after last years 2-1 NCAA Tournament loss.

Go Gauchos!

Tim Pontius scored a goal this weekend

UCSB Mens Basketball Schedule Released

Finally. The UCSB Mens Basketball team officially released its schedule today. The schedule features teams like Oregon, Portland, UNLV, and San Diego State. The Gauchos home schedule includes Fresno State, Loyola Marymount, ESPNU Bracketbuster, and Long Beach State.

The first game of the season is against The Masters on November 5th at The Thunderdome. Then they travel to Eugene, Oregon to play in the Oregon Tournament which includes South Dakota State, Denver University, Oregon, and your 2010 Big West Champion Gauchos!

Then the next six games are the heart of this non-conference schedule. Whent they get back from winning the Oregon Tournament, the Gauchos will play Fresno State in UCSB, then play Portland in their second trip to the state, and then at home versus the Lions of Loyola Marymount who gave the Gauchos a scare last year in a 89-84 Gaucho win!

Then the Gauchos get on the buses and planes for a HUMONGOUS three game road stretch. They first travel to Northern California to take on Santa Clara. The Gauchos will be looking for revenge after losing to Santa Clara at home last season. Then they take on two Mountain West NCAA Tournament participants as the UNLV-UCSB rivalry gets renewed in the Sin City and then the boys from SB try to win in San Diego vs San Diego State. The Gauchos lost a close one to the Aztecs last year in the T-Dome. The last time UCSB played UNLV, James Powell made a game winning three at the buzzer to give the Gauchos a 63-60 win over the Runnin Rebels.

Then two more non-conference cupcakes which are sandwiched around the BIG KAHUNA tilt which features the Big West RUNNER UPS, Long Beach State (What now Beach?!?!?) and the Big West CHAMPS.

That is the first of the sixteen Big West games for the 'Chos this season. Then they travel to farmer Joe country as they play the hippies from Davis and the team that has a pyshco coach, the Pacific Tigers.

Then the Champs return home to take on two fellow UC schools in Irvine and Riverside. UCSB swept both teams last year.

Then they travel to the heart of the OC as they take on Cal-State Fullerton and then the first of two Blue-Green Rivalry games versus the Cal Poly Lady Mustangs (You heard what I called you Cal Poly).

Then they take on Cal-State Northridge and Pacific at the T-Dome. After that homestand, they travel for three games as they will play UC Davis, UC Riverside, and UC Irvine in a seven day span.

Then they have a home conference game vs. the Titans of Fullerton and then a ESPNU Bracket Busters Game in Santa Barbara.

Then they finish the road season with Cal-State Northridge and Long Beach State. The Long Beach game is at the special time of 4:05 which means most likely the cameras will be at The Beach.

Then on Senior Day when we will honor Jordan Weiner, Justin Joyner, and Jon Pastorek they play the Lady Mustangs at The Thunderdome.

Prediction: This is early and I cannot really tell yet but I say we go 22-7 with wins over UNLV and Oregon. We will lose to San Diego State but then get the Big West #1 seed and get a 12 seed in the Big Dance!

Go Gauchos!