ABOUT THE TOREROS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 3-8
West Coast: 0-0
Home: 3-5
Away: 0-3
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-1
Streak: L4
 
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego is back home next Saturday to host Occidental in the team's final contest of 2024. Tip time is at 4 p.m. and tickets can be purchased through the Triton Box Office. The game will air on ESPN+ and live stats can be found on UCSDTritons.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 75, UTAH STATE 73 | Box Score
Tyler McGhie scored 26 points on six three-pointers and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was 10-for-12 from the free throw line and finished with 20 as the Tritons won their eighth in a row, 75-73, over Utah State Tuesday night in front of 7,354 at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. The Aggies (10-1) entered the night as one of five remaining unbeaten teams in NCAA Division I.
 
UC San Diego (10-2) erased a seven-point halftime deficit in the comeback win. The Tritons outrebounded the Aggies, 21-18, in the second half.
 
The back-and-forth thriller featured six ties and eight lead changes.
 
LAST TIME VS. SAN DIEGO: TRITONS 69, TOREROS 63 (11/11/23) | Box Score
Four Tritons scored in double figures as UC San Diego outlasted visiting USD, 69-63, in front of 2,038 inside LionTree Arena. The victory was the 800th in the history of the UC San Diego basketball program.
 
After notching a double-double in Monday's win, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Tritons in the win over the Toreros (2-1).
 
NATIONALLY RANKED
Prior to its win at Utah State, the UC San Diego men's basketball team moved up three spots to No. 17 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll. 17th is the Tritons' highest ranking in this poll since moving to Division I. Now in its 26th season, the Mid-Major Top 25® is voted on by 31 Division I coaches. The poll is announced every Monday.
 
AN ALL-TIMER
The Tritons win at Utah State (Dec. 17) was one of the best wins in UC San Diego history. The Aggies entered the game with a NET Ranking of 20 and Utah State was 42-3 in its prior 45 home games. Utah State entered the night at 10-0, one of five unbeaten teams in Division I. UC San Diego hit a season-high 23 free throws (23-27) in the win.
 

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STREAK-STOPPERS
UC San Diego has knocked off three previously-unbeaten teams so far this season: Pepperdine (1-0), La Salle (4-0), and Utah State (10-0).
 
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego is third in Division I with a turnover margin of 7.3. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 11 of their first 12 games.
 
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard Hayden Gray leads the nation with 44 steals and 3.67 steals per game through the team's first 12 games.
 
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 43 threes this season, an average of 3.6 per game – both of which lead The Big West. He captured conference Player of the Week honors Nov. 25. Last year, McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player and captured Honorable Mention All-Big West recognition.
 
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Tyler McGhie, Big West Player of the Week, Nov. 25
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 11, Nov. 25
Justin Rochelin, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 2
Nordin Kapic, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 9
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16
 
BATTLE TESTED

• The Tritons won three games in three days to win the Boardwalk Battle multi-team event (MTE) in Daytona Beach, Florida (Nov. 21-23). Tournament notes:
• Tyler McGhie was named tournament MVP
• Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named All-Tournament
• UC San Diego beat Toledo, 80-45, in the title game.
  • The 35-point margin of victory is the Tritons' largest against a Division I opponent.
  • The 45 points allowed are the fewest surrendered by UC San Diego to a Division I foe.

 
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
After leading the Tritons to a second place finish in The Big West and more than doubling the team's win total from the prior season, Eric Olen captured Big West Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award. Now in his 12th season as head coach, Olen has transformed the program. He is the program's all-time leader in victories.

In Division II, Olen led the Tritons to three California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season titles, four consecutive CCAA tournament crowns over seven seasons. In Division II, he posted a .740 winning percentage, and he was named NABC West Region Coach of the Year for the first time in 2019-20 after leading the Tritons to a 30-1 record and the top seed in the NCAA West Region.
 
Olen's career coaching record stands at 220-116 (.655).
 
NIWA'S NOT A NEWCOMER ANYMORE!
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is fifth in The Big West in scoring at 17.3 points per game and ranks third nationally in free throw attempts (104). The New Zealand native was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team. Last year, Tait-Jones captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award – and he was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
 
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 12 games this season. Last year, UC San Diego used the same starting lineup in all 33 games. The Tritons were the only Division I team to use the same starting five every time out. Two of last year's starters return: Hayden Gray and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
 
TIME TRAVELERS
UC San Diego plays games in four time zones this season. In addition to the Boardwalk Battle in Florida (Eastern Time) and home games in the Pacific Time Zone, the Tritons will play at Utah State (Mountain Time) and Hawai'i (Hawai'i-Aleutian Time). All told, UC San Diego will play games in at least six states this season. The Tritons are 5-0 in games played outside of the Golden State.
 
BIG WEST POSTSEASON
The Tritons concluded the 2023-24 season with a 15-5 mark in conference play. Despite finishing second in The Big West standings last year, conference regulations prevented the Tritons from taking part in the eight-team Big West Championship. That won't be the case this year with UC San Diego fully eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
 
A FINE CONNECTION
Three Tritons hail from San Diego: point guards Hayden Gray (Santa Fe Christian) and Camden McCormick (Francis W. Parker) along with guard Chris Howell (Torrey Pines) are all from America's Finest City.
 
TRITONS SIGN TWO FOR CLASS OF 2029
The UC San Diego men's basketball program is excited to announce that high school standouts Jake Hall (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Uriah Tenette (Prescott, Ariz.) have signed financial aid agreements with the intent to join the team as freshmen for the 2025-26 academic year. 
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
This year's Tritons squad boasts four scholar-athletes from foreign countries:
 
Nordin Kapic, Vienna, Austria
Maximo Milovich, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, New Zealand
Milos Vicentic, Belgrade, Serbia
 
1,000-POINT SCORERS
Here are the program's top all-time scorers:
 

Name	Years	Games Played	Points
Paul Trainer	1971-75	104	1,930
Matt Aune	1993-97	100	1,780
Mike Wall	1995-99	100	1,700
Bryce Pope	2020-24	105	1,627
Greg Kaminsky	1983-87	104	1,588
Tim Rapp	1987-91	75	1,556
Adam Klie	2013-17	118	1,524
Christian Oshita	2016-20	100	1,505
Chris Hansen	2015-20	113	1,418
Rick Batt	1988-92	106	1,410
Jordan Lawley	2006-10	110	1,398
James McCann	2010-14	107	1,339
Drew Dyer	2012-16	108	1,333
Clint Allard	2004-08	112	1,150
Francis Nwaokorie	2021-24	91	1,088

 
WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
Here are the team's current leading scorers (includes games played at other institutions):
 

Name	Games Played	Points
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones	107	1,724
Tyler McGhie	105	1,448
Milos Vicentic	74	1,229
Nordin Kapic	64	1,141
Hayden Gray	106	1,003
Maximo Milovich	112	960

 
GAME DAY GOES DIGITAL
Triton fans can access game day information from their smart phones by visiting UCSDTritons.com/MBBgameday or scanning the QR code at the entrance to LionTree Arena for everything they need to know about each home game, including updated rosters, schedules, and stats for each team, as well as links to watch on ESPN+.

UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, men's and women's water polo games, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego basketball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
HOOPS TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' 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. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL ON TRITONCAST

Episode	Published	Guest(s)	Listen Link
08	8/19/20	Adam Klie '17, program's D2 leading scorer	Listen
13	9/23/20	John Saintignon, impact of John Wooden	Listen
23	12/02/20	Jordan Lawley '10, NBA training center	Listen
30	1/20/21	Gabe Hadley '21, pro in Australia	Listen
67	11/02/22	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
74	2/22/23	Emmanuel Tshimanga, Canada hoops	Listen
84	8/30/23	J'Raan Brooks, Tritons in Italy	Listen
88	11/01/23	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen
89	1/24/24	Bryce Pope, team's leading scorer	Listen
108	10/30/24	Head Coach Eric Olen, season preview	Listen

 
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 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 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.