The No. 14 UCSB men’s basketball team will take on No. 3 Baylor University Bears Friday during the Gauchos’ first March Madness game in Denver.
The game will take place at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time/1:30 p.m. Eastern time and will air on TNT.
The UCSB men’s basketball team came out on top of The Big West, winning a share of the regular season title while bringing home The Big West Championship, punching its ticket to March Madness. Following the selection show, the Gauchos were seeded 14th in the South Region as they prepare for the third-seeded Baylor University Bears in the first round. This will be the seventh tournament appearance and 10th NCAA tournament game in the Gauchos’ history.
The last time the Gauchos made it to March Madness was during the 2020-21 season after UCSB won The Big West Championship. When competing in the first round, UC Santa Barbara dropped its game to Creighton 63-62. Most recently, the Gauchos took down reigning Big West Champions Cal State Fullerton 72-62, which punched the Gauchos’ ticket to the Big Dance this season.
— Kristen Keller, UCSB sports writer
