LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's basketball team soared to new heights in 2019-20, obliterating a number of program records along the way. The Tritons went 30-1 on their way to capturing another conference title and earning the No. 1 seed in the West Region for the pending NCAA tournament. But as much as this season will be remembered for what happened on the court, the question of what could have been will always linger with this year's group. On the eve of the West Regional at UC San Diego's RIMAC Arena, the entire NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic, also known as the novel coronavirus.
 
STRONG START
The season began in promising fashion for the Tritons as they picked up three wins in the state of Washington including a victory at Western Washington, an NCAA at-large selection. The Tritons bested nationally-ranked Point Loma in their home opener as the team continued to roll. In fact, UC San Diego won its first eight games of the season, marking the program's longest winning streak to start a season joining NCAA Division II for the 2000-01 season.
 
"We all knew kind of team we had before we started in terms of talent in the room," said UC San Diego head coach Eric Olen. "We played well on the road and showed we had an understanding of the importance of early season games in terms of potential NCAA possibilities down the road."
 
LINEUP CHANGE
On December 5, senior center Chris Hansen underwent surgery for a foot injury. Hansen had gotten off to a strong start for the Tritons, earning CCAA/GNAC Challenge tournament MVP recognition, CCAA Player of the Week accolades, and San Diego Sports Association Star of the Month honors.
 
That same night, the Tritons took the floor against Chico State, and lost for the first (and only) time.
 
With Hansen out for an extended period, junior forward Marek Sullivan was inserted into the starting lineup. Sullivan made the most of the opportunity, averaging 8.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 steals in 15 games as a starter while Hansen was injured, shooting 60%. For his efforts, Sullivan nabbed UCSDtritons.com Athlete of the Week recognition on Dec. 9 and again on Dec. 23.
 
That second honor came following one of UC San Diego's most important wins during the regular season: a 66-56 win at Cal Poly Pomona on Dec. 22.
 
"Losing Chris was a big blow, no question, but we got lucky with the schedule going into finals," Olen explained. "We had time to recalibrate following the loss. The response of our guys was important in terms of getting back to the confidence level we had before. The win at Pomona might've been our biggest of the season: one of the best teams in the league, on the road, and playing without Chris."
 
INSIDE ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP RUN
The Tritons had once again found their stride – and confidence – and they steamrolled through the regular season. Although challenged by a rigorous CCAA schedule – four conference teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament – UC San Diego reeled off a 21-1 record in conference play.
 
On Jan. 4 vs. Cal State East Bay, the Tritons had a rare sluggish start, down 16 in the first half. They rallied for an impressive win thanks to double-doubles from Sullivan and Mikey Howell. Sullivan's night will be remembered for a thunderous dunk that went viral, garnering more than two million views on social media.

MONSTER MAREK ?? pic.twitter.com/Ow7mcw6WC5

— Tritons Athletics (@UCSDtritons) January 5, 2020

 
As the starting point guard, Howell was as unselfish as they come. He set a UC San Diego single season record with 215 assists, recording 12 assists in a game on three occasions. He ranked in the top ten nationally in both assists per game (6.9) and assist-turnover ratio (3.0).
 
Two weeks after the East Bay scare, the Tritons hosted Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino – both ultimately NCAA tourney teams – at RIMAC Arena. UC San Diego started quickly in both games and had 20-point first half leads as the Tritons began to take control of the CCAA standings.
 
"The East Bay game was a great comeback win and an important defining moment," Olen recalled. "We knew that the Pomona-San Bernardino weekend was big for us in the league and also in the region. I'm proud of our effort given the stakes and we controlled those two start-to-finish."
 
As the calendar turned to February, the Tritons had an opportunity to avenge their lone loss as they traveled to Chico on Feb. 6 for the rematch. UC San Diego wasted little time proving it was ready, building an 18-point lead in the first half. Sophomore guard Tyrell Roberts, twice the CCAA Player of the Week in a three-week span, scored 30 points and senior forward Christian Oshita added 20 as the Tritons won their 14th straight.
 
Two weeks later, the Tritons clinched the CCAA regular season crown with a win at East Bay.
 
"Belief is powerful. They just always knew they were going to win," Olen recalled.
 
Amazingly, the Tritons were 16-0 outside of RIMAC Arena in 2019-20, including a perfect 14-0 mark in true road games.
 
CCAA ACCOLADES APLENTY
With the record-setting regular season, it's no surprise that the CCAA's regular season awards were painted blue and gold. Roberts was named the CCAA Most Valuable Player – UC San Diego's third in the last four seasons – and head coach Eric Olen was tabbed Coach of the Year. In addition, Oshita joined Roberts on the All-CCAA First Team, and Howell was named to the All-CCAA Second Team. Senior forward Scott Everman and Sullivan, a junior, garnered Honorable Mention recognition.
 
POSTSEASON PLAY
Earning the top seed in the CCAA postseason tournament, the Tritons earned the right to play the first round at home, downing Cal State LA on March 3. The conference's rotating tournament was scheduled for RIMAC Arena March 6-7, so UC San Diego's run for a league title was contested in its home arena.
 
In the semifinal game, Roberts hoisted the Tritons on his back, scoring a CCAA Tournament record 45 points in a come-from-behind win over East Bay. He knocked down the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining to lift the Tritons back to the championship game.

For the third straight season, UC San Diego met Cal Poly Pomona in the title game. The Tritons went on to the 14-point win – their fourth straight CCAA title – earning the right to cut the nets on their home floor.
 
Roberts was named the CCAA Tournament MVP thanks in part to his tournament-record 45 points in the semifinal win over East Bay. He was joined on the All-Tourney Team by Oshita and Sullivan.
 
"Once we had the league, it was a relief to get to [CCAA] tournament time," Olen explained. "We were playing for a chance to host the [NCAA West] Regional so there was still a lot to play for. We had such a phenomenal regular season in a four-bid league, every time out there was a challenge. To have won the conference tournament four times in a row is incredible. Many guys in that locker room never lost CCAA tournament game."
 

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A post shared by UC San Diego Men's Basketball (@ucsdmbb) on Mar 7, 2020 at 7:33pm PST

MAGICAL SEASON CUT SHORT
By this point, it was pretty clear that the fourth-ranked Tritons would be named host of the NCAA West Regional by virtue of being the top ranked team in the West Region. The eight-team regional was slated to begin on Friday, March 13. However, the rapid spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic made it clear that things would not proceed as planned. On March 12, less than 24 hours from the tournament's tip-off, the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships.
 
"It's difficult to comprehend, and we were in a unique situation given the backdrop of this unprecedented world event," Olen recalled. "Basketball in the global sense is insignificant, but it's such a big part of what we're doing. Every season is difficult and disappointing when it ends, but this was a different feeling not getting a chance to compete. We had a really special group that was capable of winning every night regardless of opponent. I thanked them for everything they did; they accomplished everything they could accomplish."
 
ROBERTS' RECORD SETTING SEASON
Roberts was named the West Region Player of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and an All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Sacramento native ranked eighth nationally in three-point field goals per game (3.58) and three-point field goal percentage (46.3%). Overall this season, Roberts led the CCAA in scoring, averaging 19.2 points per game. He established a new UC San Diego record for most three-point field goals in a season (111) and, in just his second season, became the fourth 1,000-point scorer on this year's roster, joining Hansen, Oshita, and Everman.
 
"Ty's ability to create and make tough shots covered up for a lot of our deficiencies", said Olen, who was named the NABC West District Coach of the Year. "He bailed us out of possessions when things don't go right and his development from an efficiency standpoint was really impressive."
 

The ???? continue to roll in for Tyrell Roberts! Today: @NABC1927 All-America!https://t.co/cpSG1TPYnv#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/9Wle7WPS3H

— UC San Diego Men's Hoops (@UCSDmbb) March 24, 2020

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Other notable accomplishments by this year's Tritons include:

• Most wins in a season in UC San Diego history
• Top two rebounders (Hansen, Oshita) in UC San Diego's Division II era
• The team led the nation in assist-turnover ratio (1.84)
• Roberts and Oshita had the two highest single season point totals and most field goals made in a season in team's Division II era
• Sullivan set UC San Diego Division II era single season records for field goal percentage and steals 

THANK YOU, SENIORS
This year's senior class – Everman, Hansen, Oshita, and Connor Peterson – departs as one of the most accomplished in program history. Many of them never lost a CCAA tournament game, and they closed the program's Division II era with four straight conference titles.
 
"The biggest thing from those guys was their commitment to the program, playing through injuries or surgeries," Olen said. "When you have a group of leaders that invested in what you're doing, it's really powerful."
 

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Thank you, seniors!

A post shared by UC San Diego Men's Basketball (@ucsdmbb) on Feb 15, 2020 at 11:01pm PST

DAWN OF A NEW ERA
UC San Diego completed its 20th and final year playing as an NCAA Division II team. In July of 2020, the entire athletics program will begin a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of the Big West Conference for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
UC San Diego will host the California Golden Bears at RIMAC Arena to open next season in the program's first Division I game. The showdown will take place on Nov. 10, 2020 in La Jolla.
 
Season tickets for UC San Diego's first season of NCAA Division I basketball are now on sale. Purchasing season tickets is the only way to ensure access to every Tritons home basketball game in 2020-21. Full season tickets start at just $79. For more information or to secure your seats, visit UCSDtritons.com/tickets.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
 
Follow The Tritons
For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDtritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@ucsdtritons), Instagram (@ucsdtritons) and Facebook (ucsdtritons).