When the Long Beach State men’s basketball team traveled to UC Irvine on Jan. 22, it received an 86-76 loss — the last of the season for the 49ers.
Top-seeded LBSU (20-10, 14-2 Big West Conference), winners of nine in a row, will open up postseason play Thursday against those same Anteaters in the conference tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for noon at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
No. 8 UCI (13-18, 6-10 Big West) may be the lowest seed to qualify for the tournament, but the team has created problems for The Beach.
“We’re playing an 8-seed that’s already beaten us, so I think that’s indicative that we know how vulnerable [we are],” LBSU head coach Dan Monson said.
Even in the 49ers’ victory over UCI at the Walter Pyramid, the Anteaters proved to be a difficult opponent.
UCI was able to build an early 15-point lead over the 49ers — and even held a 46-38 halftime lead — before LBSU mounted a second-half comeback to defeat the Anteaters, 86-78. It was the first single-digit win for The Beach in Big West play after three blowouts.
“We feel like we’re going to have a shot, but I’m sure Long Beach State feels like they have a great shot to beat us, too,” first-year UCI head coach Russell Turner said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
All five starters for 49ers received all-conference honors led by junior guard Casper Ware, who was named Big West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year to become the first player in conference history to win both honors.
“Why not go through somebody that beat us already, have a swagger and think they’re better than us — and prove that they’re not?” said Ware, who averaged 19.1 points, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 conference games.
The Anteaters have had problems since that victory over LBSU. They dropped eight of their last 11 games, and two of those wins came in double overtime.
Anteaters to watch
Senior and second-team All-Big West selection Darren Moore has led UCI all season long, averaging 17.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
Meanwhile, injuries have forced Irvine’s star forward Eric Wise to miss much of the season — including six conference games — due to a hamstring injury. He has been effective in 19 games played this year, averaging 15.9 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Turner said the Anteaters are at full strength heading into the Big West Tournament.
“Having my full team together is something that I’m happy about going into the tournament because we haven’t really had that for a lot of the season,” Turner said.
The road to the conference championship certainly won’t be easy for the 49ers. If they win Thursday against the Anteaters, then they might have to face the winner of the match-up between No. 4 Pacific and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara — should one of them be the lowest remaining seed in the second round.
UCSB beat LBSU for the Big West Championship last season to go to the NCAA Tournament, and The Beach defeated UOP by a combined two points in the two meetings this season.
“We know every game, if we let our guard down, we’re going to lose,” Monson said. “We know that we’re gonna have to win three games in a row, and play at our best level three straight days.”
A look at the rest of the field
No. 2 Cal Poly (15-14, 10-6 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 7 UC Riverside (Cal Poly won season series, 2-0)
Players to watch: First-team all-conference selection Shawn Lewis, second-team all-conference selection David Hanson, and co-Freshman of the Year Maliik Love
How they got here: The Mustangs are coming off one of their best seasons in school history, racking up their most conference wins in 19 years.
“We’re pleased with everything we’ve done so far — but right now everyone is 0-0,” Cal Poly head coach Joe Callero said. “It’s a new season.”
No. 3 Cal State Northridge (13-17, 9-7 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 6 Cal State Fullerton (CSUN won season series, 2-0)
Players to watch: First-team all-conference selection Lenny Daniel, and second-team all-conference selection Rashaun McLemore
How they got here: It’s been an up-and-down season for the Matadors. They’ve failed to string together any significant winning streaks, but also avoided dropping too many in a row as well.
“I just felt all along if you just get better every game, who knows where you’re going to finish,” CSUN head coach Bobby Braswell said.
No. 4 Pacific (16-14, 8-8 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (Split season series, 1-1)
Players to watch: First-team all-conference selection Sam Willard, and all-conference honorable mention Allen Huddleston
How they got here: Two one-point losses to LBSU prevented the Tigers from gaining any momentum during conference play. They dropped three straight to finish out the regular season.
“We felt we could play for a conference championship, and those two losses [to Long Beach] really stung us,” UOP head coach Bob Thomason said.
No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (15-13, 8-8 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 4 Pacific (Split season series, 1-1)
Players to watch: First-team all-conference selection Orlando Johnson, and all-conference honorable mention James Nunnally.
How they got here: The reigning Big West Tournament champion Gauchos have had a disappointing season to say the least. They were the clear-cut favorite to win the Big West coming into the season.
“I don’t mind being under the radar, but we’re disappointed in being the 5-seed,” UCSB head coach Bob Williams.
No. 6 Cal State Fullerton (11-19, 7-9 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 3 Cal State Northridge (CSUN won season series, 2-0)
Players to watch: All-conference honorable mention Jer’Vaughn Johnson, and Newcomer of the Year Andre Hardy.
How they got here: The Titans are one of only two teams to beat LBSU this season. Since then they have struggled, losing five straight before beating Pacific and UC Davis back-to-back to close out the season.
“I’m really proud of this group,” CSUF head coach Bob Burton said. “I’ve never seen a group of kids stay focused like they have.”
No. 7 UC Riverside (11-18, 6-10 Big West)
First-round opponent: No. 2 Cal Poly (Cal Poly won season series, 2-0)
Players to watch: Second-team all-conference selection Javon Borum
How they got here: The Highlanders have struggled to string wins together all season long, only posting back-to-back wins on two occasions.
“Unless you have one of those nights [against Cal Poly] where you’re hot all over the floor, it’s going to be a possession game,” UCR head coach Jim Wooldridge said. “And if you play well it’ll come down to the last two or three minutes.”
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