LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego men's basketball team begins Big West Conference play for the first time as the Tritons (2-1, 0-0) travel to take on UC Santa Barbara (6-4, 2-2) for a pair of games starting Friday. Despite playing basketball for more than 50 years, the Tritons have yet to face UC Santa Barbara on the hardwood.
 
DETAILS
Games 4-5
UC San Diego (2-1, 0-0 Big West) at UC Santa Barbara (6-2, 2-2)
Friday-Saturday, January 15-16
5:00 p.m.
Thunderdome, Isla Vista, Calif.
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: --

UC SAN DIEGO AND COVID-19
UC San Diego's nationally renowned Return to Learn program was created to return to in-person teaching, learning, conducting pioneering research and serving our communities in the safest way possible. The program has three adaptive pillars that are central to our strategy to resume on-campus activity: risk mitigation, viral detection, and intervention.

For the latest information on UC San Diego and COVID-19, please visit the University's Return to Learn site.

ATTENDING THE GAMES
Per the current COVID-19 guidelines set by the state of California, the County of San Diego and the Big West Conference, fans are not permitted to attend home games in RIMAC Arena. For more information on UC San Diego ticket policies, visit UCSDTritons.com/tickets.
 
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at RIMAC Arena this season must notify a member of the Athletics Communication staff no later than 10 a.m. on gameday. All media members will need to complete a UC San Diego symptom screening form on the day of game prior to arriving on campus.
 
Following the conclusion of each game, a video highlight melt and video postgame interviews will be made available for media members to download.
 
ON THE MOVE
After 20 seasons playing as an NCAA Division II team, the entire athletics program has begun 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.
 
WE'LL TAKE THAT
Over their first three games, the Tritons have proven quite adept at taking the ball away. UC San Diego leads the Big West in steals per game, averaging 12.3 per contest – over four more than any other conference school. Redshirt senior guard Mikey Howell and junior forward Toni Rocak are tied for the top spot individually, each averaging four per game.
 
LOCKDOWN D
Though they've played just three games, the Tritons have proven to be tough on the defensive end. UC San Diego is allowing just 56.3 points per game, fewer than any other Big West school. Triton opposition has connected on just 27.7% of its three-point tries, also lowest in the conference.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego led for the first 25 minutes, but the Tritons couldn't hang on as visiting UC Irvine rallied for a 79-65 victory in the Tritons' first-ever Division I game on Jan. 9. Redshirt freshman guard Bryce Pope (21 points) and Rocak (20) led the way offensively.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UC San Diego Men's Basketball (@ucsdmbb)

NO SIGNS OF RUST
After a 290-day layoff, the Tritons finally returned to action on Dec. 22 and beat Saint Katherine, 77-51, in the season opener. It was the Tritons' first game since March 7. On that night, UC San Diego won its fourth straight CCAA Tournament title at RIMAC Arena. The Tritons beat Cal Poly Pomona, 76-62, in the conference title game at RIMAC Arena. That marked the third straight season in which the Tritons beat the Broncos for the conference tournament crown, and it was UC San Diego's fourth consecutive CCAA tournament championship. Unbeknownst at the time, March 7 also marked the Tritons' final Division II game.
 
UNBEATEN IN 2020
With the victories over Saint Katherine (Dec. 22-23), the Tritons closed out calendar 2020 with a perfect 21-0 record. No other Division I institution was undefeated in 2020.
 
CLAMPING DOWN ON D
UC San Diego's 39 points allowed vs. Saint Katherine (Dec. 23) are the fewest in a game since the Tritons allowed 36 in a win at Notre Dame de Namur in 2015. The win over the Firebirds last time out marked the Tritons' largest margin of victory since a 52-point victory vs. Cal State Monterey Bay on Feb. 28, 2019.
 
NEW LOOK FROM THE JUMP
UC San Diego's lineup featured four new starters in the season opener vs. Saint Katherine. Seniors Gabe Hadley and Hugh Baxter, redshirt freshman Pope, and grad transfer Jake Killingsworth all made their first starts for the Tritons. By comparison, UC San Diego used only three lineups all of last season.
 
BIG WEST SERIES CANCELED
Due to a positive COVID test involving the Cal Poly men's basketball program, UC San Diego's games vs. the Mustangs in San Luis Obispo (Jan.1-2) were canceled. Shortly thereafter, the Big West home opener vs. CSUN (Jan. 8-9) were canceled for the same reason. Per Conference policy, these games will not be rescheduled.
 
ABOUT THOSE STANDINGS…
As UC San Diego begins its NCAA-mandated four-year reclassification to Division I, the Tritons are not eligible to compete in Big West or NCAA postseason events. As such, the Conference will not include UC San Diego in its men's basketball standings and the Tritons will not appear in the preseason poll. However, UC San Diego will play a full slate of Big West games each year and be eligible for individual Big West honors (e.g., All-Conference Team, Player of the Year, etc.).
 
TRITONS INK FIVE FOR CLASS OF '25
The UC San Diego men's basketball program has announced that five high school standout scholar-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year. Cameron Brimhall, Fallou Cisse, Justin DeGraaf, Francis Nwaokorie, and Michael Pearson have committed to join the Tritons to make up the Class of 2025.
 
ROQUEMORE FEATURED IN UC SAN DIEGO CA NOTIFY VIDEO
UC San Diego redshirt freshman Jace Roquemore stars in a video promoting the use of the CA Notify app on campus. CA Notify uses the Exposure Notifications System from Google and Apple to alert users when they have been exposed to COVID-19. It will quickly notify the user if they have likely been exposed, allowing them to seek medical attention and reduce risk for their loved ones. First launched on the UC San Diego campus, the CA Notify app is now available to all California residents.
 
TRITONS SIGN NCAA UNITY PLEDGE
UC San Diego scholar-athletes have signed the NCAA's Unity Pledge, a symbolic gesture to continue generating stronger unity among the NCAA's 1,100-plus schools and nearly 500,000 student-athletes. The pledge's logo includes three different colored hands holding one another's wrists inside a circle with "United As One" at the bottom.
 
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
At 30-1, last year's Tritons enjoyed the best season in program history. 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. The program's first men's basketball season was played in 1965-66.
 
PAIR OF TRITONS SIGN PRO CONTRACTS
Recent grads Chris Hansen and Christian Oshita both signed contracts to play overseas. In July, Hansen inked a deal with BK Inter Bratislava in Slovakia. In September, Oshita signed with Team Ehingen Urspring in Germany. Hansen and Oshita ranked first and second all-time in rebounding at UC San Diego during the Division II era. The duo also finished in the top three in career scoring as well.
 
DISHING OUT A NEW RECORD
With nine assists over his first two games, Mikey Howell passed associate head coach Clint Allard '08 on the Tritons career assists leaderboard. Last season, Howell established a new UC San Diego single season record for assists (215), ranked sixth nationally in assists at 6.9 per game, and posted a career-high 12 assists on three occasions last season.
 
UC San Diego Career Season Assist Leaders

Darvin Jackson	1988-92	496
James McCann	2010-14	469
Rodney Lusain	1990-94	425
Mikey Howell	2019-20	415
Clint Allard	2004-08	414

 
REGISTRATION COMPLETE
The entire UC San Diego men's basketball team completed its voter registration as part of a larger initiative to register all Triton scholar-athletes to vote. In all, more than 90% of eligible UC San Diego scholar-athletes registered to vote in November's election.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego will try to open its home Big West slate next weekend, as the Tritons are scheduled welcome UC Davis to RIMAC Arena for a pair of contests. Both games are set to tip at 5 p.m. and both will air live on ESPN3.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games and men's and women's volleyball matches are broadcast live on ESPN3. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO HOOPS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmbb.
 
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
 
GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons here.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.