The UCSB Men’s Basketball team (27-7, 15-5 Big West) arrived in Denver to compete in March Madness for the eighth time in the program’s history, coming in as a No. 14 seed. The Gauchos will kick off the tournament today against the No. 3 Baylor University Bears out of the Big 12. The last time these two teams faced each other was on Dec. 5, 1970, when the Gauchos defeated the Bears 95-68.
“We’re excited to be here at the NCAA Tournament,” said UCSB Head Coach Joe Pasternack. “Winning The Big West Championships this past weekend was huge for our team. Whenever you practice starting in July, it’s all shooting for those three games in three days. To see the joy on our players’ faces when we won it; that was amazing. We are really looking forward to being here this week.”
The last time the Gauchos played in March Madness was in 2021, when the Gauchos took on Creighton in the opening round. UCSB almost pulled off the upset but unfortunately dropped the game 63-62.
UCSB last played in the Big West Championship game, when the Gauchos took on the reigning champs in Cal State Fullerton. It was as close of a matchup as it could be as the two teams exchanged the lead 16 times before UCSB kept control, not letting the Titans back into the game during the final minutes as the Gauchos became the 2023 Big West Champions.
With his stellar performance throughout the weekend, Ajay Mitchell wrapped up his sophomore campaign not only as The Big West Player of the Year, but also the Tournament MVP, while Miles Norris earned All-Tournament Team honors.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
– Baylor is coming off two straight losses to Iowa State, dropping the last regular season game at home to the Cyclones before dropping the first game of the Big 12 Championships to the same team. Over the last six games, the Bears hold a 2-4 record.
– This Big 12 team is one of the best in the country in multiple categories, with their best ranking coming in three-pointers per game. The Bears are 13th in the nation and No. 1 in the Big 12 in this category as they average 9.7 per game. Along with that, this Baylor team is phenomenal from the free throw line. They make an average of 16 free throws a game, which is good enough to rank 25th in the NCAA.
– The Bears are led by freshman guard Keyonte George. In his freshman season, he put up 490 points, averaging 15.81 points per game. He has started in 31 of the team’s 32 games while putting up numbers that were good enough to garner him Big 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 Second Team honors.
– Senior guard Adam Flagler has been instrumental for Baylor. He is second on the team in points, averaging 15.53 a game. The All-Big 12 First Team selection leads the team with 142 assists.
– LJ Cryer is one of the best in the country when it comes to three-point shooting. He’s ninth in the NCAA in three-point percentage, making 42.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. The All-Big 12 Third Team selection is also third on Baylor’s team in points, averaging 14.48 a game.
– Jalen Bridges crashes the boards the most. One of two players to start all 32 games for Baylor, the junior snatches 5.75 boards a game with a total of 184 this season.
– The Bears are coached by Scott Drew, who has been with the Bears since the 2003-04 season. Since taking over the program, he has accumulated a 419-232 record, which equates to a .644 winning percentage over 20 seasons.
The Gauchos will hit the floor against the Bears in the opening game of the day in Denver beginning at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Fans can watch the game live on TNT with a radio broadcast through the Varsity One app. Live stats will also be available through the NCAA.
Kristen Keller is the associate athletic director for communications and digital strategy at UCSB.
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