UC Santa Barbara: 2022-23 Big West Men's Basketball Champions

UC Santa Barbara punched its ticket to the Big Dance with a 72-62 victory over Cal State Fullerton for the Big West championship.

The Gauchos last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021, losing in the first round to No. 5 Creighton.

Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell led all scorers with 20 points for UC Santa Barbara. Three other players scored in double figures for the Gauchos.

UC Santa Barbara shared the regular-season title with UC Irvine, who Cal State Fullerton eliminated from the Big West Tournament on Friday.

UC Santa Barbara: 2021 Big West Men's Basketball Champions

LAS VEGAS -- — JaQuori McLaughlin scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half to help UC Santa Barbara beat UC Irvine 79-63 on Saturday night and win the Big West Conference Tournament.

The Gauchos have won 18 of their last 19 since losing back-to-back games against UCI on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28 to open conference play and earned their first berth into the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

McLaughlin hit two 3s and Robinson Idehen scored four points in a 10-0 run that gave the Gauchos their biggest lead at 59-44 with 8:22 to play. The Anteaters, who had their six-game win streak snapped, trailed by double figures the rest of the way.

Miles Norris added 19 points and Amadou Sow had 13 points and 11 rebounds for UCSB.

Collin Welp lead UCI (18-9) with 22 points and DJ Davis added 11.

UCSB, which led for 37 minutes, 31 seconds, committed a season-low tying seven turnovers and scored 18 points off 10 Anteaters miscues.

The Gauchos shot 56.7% from the field in the second half and made 29 of 58 overall.

UC Irvine won the regular season and conference tournament crowns to earn a No. 13 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Anteaters beat No. 4 seed Kansas State before losing to Oregon in the second round.

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So…who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, anyway?

It ain’t me, of course. The Big Bad Wolf I am referring to is UCSB men’s water polo coach Wolf Wigo. He thought he could come to our house, and huff, and puff, and blow it down. And the UCSB fans thought the same way. Fools! We bent, but didn’t break, and Gavin Arroyo’s guys took it to ‘em, 9-8.

Bring out the lime, Beach Nation, on November 11^th…a whitewash may be in order. I’m not scared of wolves…I’m a 49er, inshallah. I hunt wolves! I may have to pantomime a shotgun and pretend to point it at the Big Bad Wolf next meeting, if he complains that I am ruining his concentration. There are bigger things to worry about than suffering another heartbreaker. I leave it to you to figure it out, Gaucho[ke]s.

Now, we aren’t done yet with those punks from Goleta. Our women’s volleyball team isn’t feeling too happy after getting an assraping of the worst kind from the Mustangs of Cal Poly. But if they can’t successfully take their anger out on UC Santa Barbara down at the Thunderdome tonight, I won’t be done chewing Brian Gimmillaro up and spitting him out for his Central Coast futility, either, God forbid it happens.

EDIT: It didn't. The Beach swept 'em, 3-0. Our job's done here for today.

Regis Philbin! You said that “It’s time to stop the bleeding.” Well, when the Jews crucified Jesus (yes, it was the Jews, via the Romans, Caiaphas, the chief priests and those bloody Pharisees, the scumbags, not our sins, that crucified Jesus), they didn’t stop the bleeding. Why should it stop for Charlie Weis’s Fighting Irish football team? Michigan State took it to them, 31-14.

Next time, Mr. Philbin, two words: SHUT UP.

Now here is a brewing storyline that even the Wyrd sisters from Macbeth couldn’t have concocted even if they gave 1000% on it: the Seattle Mariners winning the rest of their games, while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lose the rest of their games.

In Seattle, they can call it “The Mariner Miracle.” In Anaheim, we should call it “The Curse of Jorge Campillo.” Seattle won, 3-2. One is still the “magic number.”

Haruhi Suzumiya, send help.