1 UC San Diego vs. 5 UC Santa Barbara
What: Big West Tournament semifinals
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Lee’s Family Forum (5,567 capacity), Henderson, Nev.
On the air: ESPN+ / SiriusXM ch. 380
Records: UCSD is 28-4; UCSB is 21-12.
Tritons update: They received a bye to the semifinals after winning the Big West regular season championship in their first season of Big West and NCAA tournament eligibility. UCSD is riding a 13-game winning streak that includes 11 victories by double digits and five by at least 20 points. The streak began with a 77-63 home win over UCSB. It includes a pair of victories over Northridge (79-54 at home and 77-71 on the road). UCSD also swept the series with UCSB, beating the Gauchos 84-76 on the road. The Tritons are two wins away from matching the school record for victories. That was when the 2019-20 team went 30-1 before COVID-19 came along and the postseason was canceled. CBS’ Jerry Palm projects UCSD as a 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, matching the Tritons with five-seed Marquette in the opening round. That’s predicated on UCSD winning the Big West Tournament and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that comes with it. The conference hasn’t produced two NCAA tourney teams since 2005. Though the Tritons are No. 35 in the NET rankings and No. 39 in Kenpom, they are only 2-1 in Quad 1 wins (beating Utah State, UC Irvine). UCSD is strong defensively, ranking eighth in the nation in points allowed (62.0 per game). The Tritons also rank second in turnovers per game (8.8) and fifth in 3-pointers (10.9). Senior swingman Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, the Big West Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring (19.7 ppg), rebounding (5.3 rpg) and assists (3.4). The starting lineup includes three other players averaging in double figures — senior swingman Tyler McGhie (16.7), senior guard Hayden Gray (10.9) and junior forward Nordin Kapic (10.5).
Gauchos update: They beat Cal State Northridge 78-72 in Thursday night’s quarterfinals. UCSB has won the Big West Tournament five times, most recently in 2021 and 2023. UCSD forced 18 turnovers in the first meeting and 15 in the second meeting between the teams while committing just seven and eight turnovers, respectively. UCSB was 14-for-29 on 3-pointers in the first get-together, but only 5-for-23 the second time around. Graduate guard Stephan Swenson leads the Gauchos in scoring with 13 points a game. Senior forward Kenny Pohto and sophomore guard Jason Fontenet II can both score and rebound. USD transfer Deuce Turner also is averaging in double figures with 10.1 ppg. Swenson and senior guard Cole Anderson are the biggest 3-point threats, combining for half the team’s makes behind the arc.
Next up: The winner advances to Saturday’s final (6:40 p.m., ESPN2).
— KIRK KENNEY
