UCSB Assistant to Leave for San Francisco: UC Santa Barbara assistant coach Danny Yoshikawa is taking a similar position at San Francisco, where he will work under his childhood friend, recently appointed coach Rex Walters.
[5/01/08]
Midwest Region - First Round: No. 1 Kansas had no troubles handling No. 16 Portland State in an 85-61 first-round victory. The Jayhawks were led by junior guard Brandon Rush, who had 18 points and hit four three-pointers. Kansas was hot from the perimeter, hitting 12-of-25 three-pointers. The Vikings struggled to score against the Jayhawks' defense, shooting only 38.2 percent from the field. After building a 23-point halftime lead, Kansas cruised in the second half. The Jayhawks will play UNLV in the second round.
No. 3 Wisconsin didn't obliterate No. 14 Cal State Fullerton, but the Badgers slowly ground the Titans into submission in a 71-56 victory. Senior center Brian Butch had 14 points and nine rebounds, and the Badgers had 27 more rebounds than the Titans did to outwork Cal State Fullerton for the win. Wisconsin had nearly as many offensive rebounds as the Titans' had total rebounds. Junior guard Josh Akognon, a Washington State transfer, had 31 points for the Titans. The Badgers will play Kansas State next.
Michael Beasley and No. 11 Kansas State won the battle of freshmen phenoms against O.J. Mayo and No. 6 USC. The Wildcats also delivered the first upset of the NCAA Tournament with an 80-67 victory. Beasley finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds despite being saddled with three fouls during the second half. He picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of the game. Mayo played well for the Trojans, finishing with 20 points and five assists. The Trojans couldn't stop Kansas State on the glass as the Wildcats finished with 18 offensive rebounds.
No. 9 Kent State needed 20 minutes to get going on offense, and by the time the Golden Flashes started hitting shots, they were out of the game. Kent State matched an NCAA Tournament record for scoring futility in a half, putting up only 10 points while falling behind by 21 points to UNLV in the first half. The Runnin' Rebels shot better than 50 percent in the 71-58 win, and junior forward Joe Darger led UNLV with 18 points. [3/20/08]
Big West Conference Tournament Championship: No. 3 Cal State Fullerton returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years after beating No. 5 UC-Irvine 81-66 to win the Big West championship. Junior guard Josh Akognon led the Titans with 23 points, and senior swingman Scott Cutley added 22 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. The Titans shot 52.7 percent from the field. [3/15/08]
Big West Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 5 UC-Irvine suffocated No. 1 UC-Santa Barbara on defense and managed to win 55-50 despite committing 23 turnovers. The Anteaters held the Gauchos to 31.9 percent shooting from the field and 4-of-17 from three-point range. The Gauchos also missed opportunities at the free throw line, making only 16-of-29 attempts. Senior forward Darren Fells led UC-Irvine with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Big West Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 3 Cal State Fullerton won its third game of the season against No. 7 UC Riverside, 81-69, to move into the semifinals against No. 2 Cal State Northridge. Junior guard Josh Akognon led the Titans with 20 points. Senior guard Frank Robinson added 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Big West Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. 5 UC-Irvine shot 58.8 percent from the field en route to an easy 77-63 win against No. 8 Long Beach State. Senior center Darren Fells led UC-Irvine with 19 points and seven rebounds. The Anteaters will play No. 4 Pacific Thursday.
NCAA Punishes 49ers: The NCAA doled out punishment to Long Beach State for major infractions involving former coach Larry Reynolds and his staff. The 49ers will forfeit the 18 victories from the 2005-06 season, reduce their 13 scholarships to 12 through 2011, and limit their recruiting targets to incoming freshmen. During Reynolds' tenure, staff members openly recruited six junior college transfers who were not academically eligible. The staff members paid for the necessary courses and administrative functions to get the players in to Long Beach State. The university did not renew Reynolds' contract after it expired last season when it was clear that the program was under investigation. The 49ers won the Big West Conference championship last season and made an NCAA Tournament appearance. [3/06/08]
Cal Poly Rewards Coach With Extension: Cal Poly and coach Kevin Bromley have agreed to a contract extension that will last through the 2010 season. Bromley, who had one year remaining on his contract, led the Mustangs to a 19-11 season and a 9-5 record in Big West Conference play. It was the highest number of victories for Cal Poly at the Division I level. [6/24/07]
UC Riverside Hires Former Kansas State Coach: Jim Wooldridge, who has previously been the head coach of Kansas State, Central Missouri State, Texas State and Louisiana Tech, was hired as the head coach of UC Riverside. Wooldridge, who spent two season of Tim Floyd's staff when Floyd coached the Chicago Bulls, was 83-90 as the head coach of Kansas State and is 312-237 in 19 years as a college head coach. [5/9/07]
Former Minnesota Coach to Lead Long Beach: Long Beach State has named former Minnesota coach Dan Monson as its new coach. Former 49er coach Larry Reynolds did not get his contract renewed despite winning the Big West Conference and leading the team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Monson resigned from Minnesota in November after a rocky start. [4/11/07]
South Region - First Round: No. 2 Memphis didn't start to pull away from No. 15 North Texas until midway through the first half, but the Tigers eventually built a comfortable cushion and held on for a 73-58 victory. Sophomore Chris Douglas-Roberts had 16 points to lead the Tigers, who were inconsistent from the field, shooting 41 percent. Junior Keith Wooden matched Douglas-Roberts' 16 for North Texas, but he got less support from his Mean Green teammates.
No. 4 Virginia lit up No. 13 Albany to cruise to an 84-57 victory against No. 13 Albany. Senior J.R. Reynolds scored 28 points, and junior Sean Singletary added 23 points. The two guards shot 18-of-28 from the field and hit seven three-pointers to spark the Cavaliers' blowout. Senior Jamar Wilson was great for the Great Danes, leading the team with 25 points.
No. 5 Tennessee put up an NCAA Tournament-record 121 points in the first round against No. 12 Long Beach State in a 121-86 blowout. The two up-tempo squads met expectations by shooting at will. The Volunteers shot 58.7 percent from the field, including 51.9 percent from beyond the arc. Junior Chris Lofton led three Tennessee players to score at least 20 points with 25. Senior Kejuan Johnson led the 49ers with 24 points, but the team couldn't keep pace with the high-octane Volunteers.
No. 7 Nevada had to work overtime to beat No. 10 Creighton 77-71. Junior Marcellus Kemp had a monster game for the Wolf Pack with 27 points and 12 rebounds. He bested Bluejay senior Nate Funk, who had 23 points but was only 1-of-7 three-pointers. Senior Nick Fazekas added 17 points for Nevada before fouling out in overtime. The Wolf Pack scored at will in the extra session to move forward to a date with Memphis in the second round. [3/16/07]
Health Concerns Force Spencer to Step Aside: UC Riverside coach David Spencer, who has been on medical leave since November, announced that he is resigning because of health reasons. Associate coach Vonn Webb has led the Highlanders in Spencer's absence, and the school said it will move quickly to find a permanent replacement. Spencer got the Highlanders job in March 2005 after paying his dues as an assistant for more than 30 years. He worked at Nevada, Long Beach State and USC. [3/15/07]
Big West Conference Tournament Semifinals: No. 1 Long Beach State ended No. 5 UC-Irvine's run in the Big West Conference Tournament with a 77-63 victory. The Anteaters were playing their third game in as many days while the 49ers played their first. Senior Sterling Byrd led Long Beach State with 20 points. The 49ers will play No. 2 Cal Poly for the Big West championship. The Mustangs blasted No. 3 Cal State Fullerton 81-56, holding the Titans to 32.3 percent shooting, including just 19 percent from three-point range. Senior Derek Stockalper led Cal Poly with 18 points and nine rebounds. [3/09/07]
Big West Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. 5 UC - Irvine slipped past No. 8 UC - Riverside 53-52 in a wild finish. The Anteaters broke a 51-51 tie with Mark Kelley's basket with a minute remaining. The Highlanders made one free throw with 45 seconds to go to cut the lead to one. They had two chances to win in the final 10 seconds but couldn't connect on either shot. UC - Irvine advances to play No. 4 UC - Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals.
Long Beach State Reinstates Suspended Players: Kejuan Johnson and Mark Dawson were reinstated to the Long Beach State team after serving a three-game suspension. The players accepted payment for courses, which violates NCAA rules. Even without the suspended seniors, Long Beach State won its past two games and leads the Big West Conference. [2/08/07]
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Cal Poly Mustangs San Luis Obispo, California Coach: Kevin Bromley  UC Davis Aggies Davis, California Coach: Gary Stewart UC Irvine Anteaters Irvine, California Coach: Pat Douglass UC Riverside Highlanders Riverside, California Coach: Jim Wooldridge UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Santa Barbara, California Coach: Bob Williams CS Fullerton Titans Fullerton, California Coach: Bob Burton CS Northridge Matadors Northridge, California Coach: Bobby Braswell Long Beach State 49ers Long Beach, California Coach: Dan Monson Pacific Tigers Stockton, California Coach: Bob Thomason |
| More Info: Big West Official Site |
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The Big West looks to have three strong teams and a dark horse that recently ruled the conference for a few years. |
Familiar foes make it to the title game, with a little different result this time around. |
Josh Diggs previews the Big West, with Pacific once again leading the Aggies and Matadors to the dance. |
Matthew Lefebvre details the 2003-04 Big West season, with the clash of the titans - Utah State and Pacific. |
March 12th - Marcus Vanderberg previews the Big West Semifinals, with Utah State hosting Northridge and Pacific vs. Idaho. |
March 11th - Marcus Vanderberg recaps Northridge's mild upset over UC-Santa Barbara, and Idaho downs Riverside. |
March 10th - Marcus Vanderberg recaps Riversides triumph over Cal Poly, and Northridge downing Fullerton in a rematch. |
March 10th - Marcus Vanderberg previews the Big West First Round, with surprising UC Riverside, and a Northridge - Fullerton grudge match. |
March 1st - Marcus Vanderberg has the conference winding down with Utah State and Pacific vying for title. |
February 1st - Marcus Vanderberg has Utah State climing, Matadors suspended, and the CIA coverup of flying beverages. |
January 8th - Marcus Vanderberg is looking for the real Long Beach State, and UCR came up an inch short. |
December 27th - Marcus Vanderberg calls out the Pac-10, Long Beach State wins, and the new Matador is going to "Gecha". |
December 11th - Marcus Vanderberg says don't be cruel to Fullerton's Bobby Brown, though it's my prerogative. |
December 4th - Marcus Vanderberg finally has a squad downing a bigger rival, and the Gauchos are stuggling. |