UCSB (-11) at Long Beach State - 7:30pm Pacific - Game 637-638

It is hard not to like this UCSB team.  They are very well coached, play solid defense, and for Big West standards are loaded with talent.  Four senior starters are back from last season but an impressive influx of new talent has taken this team to another level.  The teams top two returning scorers from last season, conference player of the year Branduinn Fullove (ankle, missed first 5 games) and athletic guard Nick Jones (suspension, missed first 8 games) have missed most of the season but the team is still 6-3 with all three losses coming in neutral court tournament games, one vs Kansas.  They own two "true" road wins at Hawaii and at UCLA. 

 

The team has not seen action since win over Alabama State 12 days ago in Nevada tournament.  That game marked the first action of the season for Jones (12 points in 22 minutes) and it is said to be the first time that Fullove (season high 23 points) has looked himself this season.  Good looking sophomore guard Cecil Brown (9.5ppg) was somewhat of a goto player with the absence of Jones and Fullove.  He sat out last game to rest a nagging ankle injury suffered vs UCLA.  With the added time off he will be ready to go.  Junior guard Joe See is an experienced transfer from Oregon State and along with returning starter senior point guard Jacoby Atako gives the Gachos a loaded backcourt.  Junior power forward Casey Cook bulked up noticeably in the offseason and has been a much bigger factor inside this season.  He earned conference player of the week honors after a big game vs UCLA.  Sophomore small forward Josh Davis (7.1ppg) is another player who has improved tremendously.  JC transfer Cameron Goettsche (7.1ppg, 5.4rpg) has stepped in and finally given the team a true center.

 

Long Beach has two wins on the season, a win over Cal State Stanislaus and a win over LMU.  I attended the LMU win and I can tell you it was not much.  The Lions were coming off a draining home loss to Virginia and lacked intensity from the outset.  They also played without their starting center and leading rebounder which ended up being a major factor as the 49ers grabbed 22 offensive boards in the 3 point win.  Long Beach lost their next game by 22 at Sacramento State and lost at home to Colgate on Tuesday.  Long Beach has lost to Minnesota by 30, San Diego State by 30, and Pepperdine by 14.  Those are the only three opponents they have faced who are comparable to UCSB.  The 49ers average 17.3 turnovers per game, have no legitimate consistent scoring threats, and their interior defense leaves a lot to be desired.

 

UCSB is clearly the superior team by far.  The Gauchos extremely deep bench should ensure a lopsided score.  This will be UCSB's first game with a full squad all season and they should be eager to play following 12 day lay off.  They will be all business in their Big West conference opener and will be seeking to make amends for a 1 point loss at the Pyramid last season.  That game was in midseason following a win at Irvine two nights before.  This time they play Long Beach first.  UCSB beat Long Beach later in the season by 24 in Santa Barbara.  Expect a similar result tonight.

 

UCSB  1 UNIT