DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – UC San Diego makes its Division I postseason debut beginning Saturday when the Tritons take part in the Ro College Basketball Invitational at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. Seeded second, UC San Diego will take on 15-seed Chicago State in the first round at 3:30 p.m. EDT (12:30 p.m. in San Diego).
The Tritons finished second in The Big West, posting a 21-11 regular season record (15-5 in conference play). UC San Diego dominated in Big West postseason awards, with five Tritons recognized.
Chicago State will be making its first postseason appearance since 2013. Playing as the nation's only Division I independent, the Cougars (12-18) recorded the program's most wins since 2014.
Saturday's first round games will air on
FloHoops (subscription required) with Tom James and Jennifer George calling the action.
DETAILS
Game 33: Ro CBI First Round
UC San Diego (21-11) vs. Chicago State (12-18)
Saturday, March 23 | 3:30 p.m. EDT
Ocean Center (8,020) | Daytona Beach, Fla.
TV: FloHoops
Radio: [none]
Watch ($) |
Live Stats
Series Record: First meeting
Last Meeting: N/A
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 21-11
Big West: 15-5
Home: 14-2
Away: 7-8
Neutral: 0-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W1
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
76.7 |
69.2 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.456 |
.437 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.354 |
.333 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.759 |
.712 |
| Rebounds |
34.8 |
34.3 |
| Assists |
13.0 |
12.5 |
| Turnovers |
9.7 |
11.7 |
| Steals |
6.3 |
4.5 |
| Blocks |
2.8 |
3.6 |
ABOUT THE COUGARS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 12-18
Home: 6-5
Away: 5-12
Neutral: 1-1
vs. Ranked Opponents: 1-0
Streak: W1
WHAT'S NEXT
The winner of Saturday's game moves to the quarterfinal round of the Ro College Basketball Invitational on Monday afternoon. The UC San Diego-Chicago State winner will face the winner between Fairfield and Little Rock Monday at 4:30 p.m. EDT (FloHoops).
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego built an 18-point second half lead and hung on down the stretch game as the Tritons earned a 92-87 victory over the Mustangs on Senior Day inside LionTree Arena. With the win, UC San Diego wraps its regular season with a 21-11 overall record, posting a 15-5 mark in Big West action.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones matched his season-high with 24 points with
Bryce Pope chipping in 22 in the win.
Francis Nwaokorie stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, UC San Diego secured a second-place finish in The Big West standings.
OLEN IS BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
After leading the Tritons to a second place finish in The Big West and more than doubling the team's win total from a season ago,
Eric Olen captured Big West Coach of the Year honors and was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award. In his 11th 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 210-113 (.650).
NIWA IS TOP NEWCOMER
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones captured Big West Newcomer of the Year honors – the first Triton to win this award. In his first year at UC San Diego, Tait-Jones was tenth in the conference in scoring at 15.2 points per game against Big West foes. The New Zealand native was remarkably efficient, connecting on 59% of his shot attempts over 20 Big West games. Tait-Jones was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie was named the conference's Best Sixth Player – the first UC San Diego scholar-athlete to win this Big West award. After making his season debut on Dec. 18, McGhie averaged 13.8 points per game in 28 minutes off the bench, tying for the top spot in the conference at three 3-pointers per game. The sharpshooter was second in The Big West in three-point field goal percentage at 40.7%. McGhie was also named Honorable Mention All-Big West.
POPE COLLECTS THE HONORS
Senior guard
Bryce Pope was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball. In addition, Pope garnered
All-District recognition by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Last week, he became the first Triton to be named All-Big West First Team. During conference play, Pope ranked third in The Big West in scoring at 19.3 points per contest while leading the league at 36.5 minutes per game. A three-time Big West Player of the Week this season, Pope has started 103 consecutive games and currently sits fourth all-time in scoring in UC San Diego history with 1,611 career points.
NWAOKORIE HONORABLE MENTION BIG WEST AGAIN
Francis Nwaokorie is Honorable Mention All-Big West for the second year in a row. In 2023-24, the versatile forward averaged more than ten points and six rebounds per game during Big West action, leading the Tritons with three double-doubles.
TRAVELING EAST
The Tritons have won the last two games they've played in the Eastern Time Zone: 75-70 at George Washington (Nov. 22, 2022) and 66-63 at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 27, 2022).
TENACIOUS ON D
UC San Diego allowed a season-low 46 points in the win over UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 15). The 46 points allowed marked the fewest the Tritons have ever surrendered in a Big West game, and the fewest allowed since an 75-39 win over Saint Katherine on Dec. 23, 2020.
STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 32 games. Wisconsin is the only other Division I program to utilize the same starting five in each game this season.
20 IN 24
Thanks to a victory at CSUN (March 2), UC San Diego has its first 20-win season at the Division I level. The Tritons had five consecutive seasons of 20+ victories under head coach
Eric Olen in Division II from 2015-16 through 2019-20.
SECOND HALF SURGE
In UC San Diego's 92-59 win at UC Davis (Jan. 27), the Tritons outscored the Aggies 54-23 in the second half.
Bryce Pope scored 22 after halftime (29 total) and UC San Diego sank ten three-pointers in the second half.
KNOCKING 'EM DOWN
When UC San Diego shot 60.4% in a win at Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 6), it marked the second time ever in a Big West game – and the first on the road – in which UC San Diego shot 60% or better from the floor against a conference foe. The Tritons also sank 67.9% of their shots in their first-ever win over a Division I opponent (vs. UC Davis, Jan. 21, 2021).
BIG WEST LEADERBOARD
Here's a look at where the Tritons rank in The Big West statistically:
| Category |
Stat |
Rank |
| Scoring |
76.7 ppg |
Third |
| Scoring, Big West games |
76.9 |
First |
| Scoring margin |
7.6 |
Second |
| Scoring margin, BW games |
7.1 |
Second |
| FG percentage, BW games |
46.3% |
Third |
| 3FG percentage |
35.4% |
Second |
| 3FG percentage, BW games |
36.0% |
First |
| 3FG per game |
8.8 |
First |
| 3FG per game, BW games |
8.7 |
First |
| FT percentage |
75.9% |
First |
| Turnovers per game |
9.7 |
First |
| Turnovers per game, BW games |
9.3 |
First |
| Assist-Turnover ratio |
1.34 |
Second |
| Assist-Turnover ratio, BW games |
1.36 |
First |
POPE IS BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK (FEB. 26)
Bryce Pope hit a
dramatic buzzer-beater and scored a career-high 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting as UC San Diego moved back into a first-place tie in The Big West with an overtime win against UC Irvine Feb. 24 at LionTree Arena. For the week, Pope averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as the Tritons went 2-0. He was also the conference's Player of the Week on Jan. 15 and Jan. 29.
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Big West Player of the Week, Nov. 13
Bryce Pope, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Jan. 2, Jan. 8, Jan. 29, Feb. 26
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 26
Bryce Pope, Big West Player of the Week, Jan. 15, Jan. 29, Feb. 26
Francis Nwaokorie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Jan. 15
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Feb. 12
1,000-POINT SCORERS
In the Tritons' win over UC Santa Barbara (Feb. 15),
Francis Nwaokorie became the latest UC San Diego player to score 1,000 career points. Here are the program's top all-time scorers:
UC San Diego All-Time Scoring Leaders (includes games played at other institutions)
| 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-pr. |
104 |
1,611 |
| 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 |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
2020-pr. |
94 |
1,500 |
| 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 |
| Tyler McGhie |
2020-pr. |
92 |
1,224 |
| Clint Allard |
2004-08 |
112 |
1,150 |
| Francis Nwaokorie |
2021-pr. |
90 |
1,079 |
UC San Diego 30-Point Games, Division I
| Name |
Date |
Opponent |
Points |
Game Score |
| Toni Rocak |
Dec. 30, 2021 |
vs. UC Santa Barbara |
34 |
W, 85-83 (OT) |
| Bryce Pope |
Feb. 24, 2024 |
vs. UC Irvine |
32 |
W, 92-88 (OT) |
| Bryce Pope |
Nov. 22, 2022 |
at George Washington |
31 |
W, 75-70 |
DIVISION I FIRSTS
| First Season |
2020-21 |
| First Game |
Dec. 22, 2020 vs. Saint Katherine |
| First Win over Division I Opponent |
Jan. 22, 2021 vs. UC Davis |
| First Basket vs. D1 Opponent |
Jace Roquemore (1/8/21) vs. UC Irvine |
| First Division I Road Win |
Nov. 9, 2021 at Cal |
| First Big West Road Win |
Feb. 3, 2022 at CSUN |
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+.
COVERING THE TRITONS
Media members wishing to cover a UC San Diego game in-person at LionTree Arena must notify a member of the Athletics Communications staff no later than 24 hours prior to the game.
Following the conclusion of each home 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 is in its final year of a four-year transition to NCAA Division I, culminating in full DI status as a member of
The Big West for the 2024-25 academic year. At that time, all sports will be eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play.
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, 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
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.
