LA JOLLA, Calif. – It's a clash of the Big West's best on Saturday night when UC San Diego hosts UC Irvine in front of a national television audience at LionTree Arena. Both teams are 14-2 overall and 4-0 in conference, and the highly anticipated game is sold out. The first 1,250 students and 750 UC San Diego alumni who purchased a ticket through the Alumni Association will receive a free gold jersey.
On Thursday, the Tritons held Cal Poly – which entered the night as The Big West's leading offensive team – to 14 points below its per-game average. UC San Diego earned a 27-point win after trailing at halftime. The victory was UC San Diego's 12th straight; the Tritons boast the nation's longest active win streak. UC San Diego is No. 43 in Friday's NCAA NET ranking, the highest mark in program history.
Meantime, UC Irvine hung on for a 77-67 win at CSUN, giving the Anteaters an NCAA-best seven road wins this season.
UC Irvine leads the Division I series between these two teams, 6-2. The programs have split in each of the last two seasons, with the road team winning both 2023 meetings and the home teams proving victorious in 2024.
Saturday's game tips at 7:05 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU – the Tritons' first-ever nationally televised home game. The game can be heard on KSDT radio with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 17
UC San Diego (14-2, 4-0 Big West) vs. UC Irvine (14-2, 4-0 Big West)
Saturday, Jan. 11 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
TV: ESPNU
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: UC Irvine leads, 13-3 (UCI 6-2 in Division I)
Last Meeting: UC San Diego 92, UC Irvine 88, OT (Feb. 24, 2024)
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 14-2
Big West: 4-0
Home: 6-1
Away: 5-1
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W12
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
82.0 |
62.2 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.466 |
.410 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.358 |
.364 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.749 |
.710 |
| Rebounds |
34.8 |
32.9 |
| Assists |
15.6 |
10.8 |
| Turnovers |
9.2 |
17.4 |
| Steals |
11.2 |
4.8 |
| Blocks |
1.8 |
2.6 |
ABOUT THE ANTEATERS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 14-2
Big West: 4-0
Home: 4-0
Away: 7-2
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W4
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego plays a pair of Big West opponents on the road next week. On Thursday, the Tritons visit Long Beach State. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a live broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 95, CAL POLY 68 | Box Score
Down by four at the half, UC San Diego used a strong second half push to remain unbeaten in Big West play thanks to a resounding 95-68 win over visiting Cal Poly Thursday night at LionTree Arena. The Tritons improved to 14-2 overall (4-0 Big West) with the win – their 12th in a row. Senior
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was 13-for-14 from the free throw line, finishing with a game-high 25 points in the victory.
Hayden Gray added a season-high 21 points and six more steals. UC San Diego's 95 points are the most scored by the Tritons against a Division I foe this season.
NATIONALLY RANKED
UC San Diego is ranked No. 7 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll. Seventh 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.
NOTHIN' BUT NET
UC San Diego has an NCAA NET Ranking of 43 as of Friday, Jan. 10 – the highest NET ranking in The Big West and the highest in program history.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego leads Division I with a turnover margin of 8.2. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 15 of their first 16 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 19.8. During conference play, that gap rises to 23.8.
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
UC San Diego leads The Big West in scoring at 82.0 points per game for the season and 87.5 points per game in Big West play. The Tritons have averaged 98 points per game over their last three contests.
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.
STREAK-STOPPERS
UC San Diego has knocked off three previously unbeaten teams this season: Pepperdine (1-0), La Salle (4-0), and Utah State (10-0).
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard
Hayden Gray leads the nation with 62 steals and 3.88 steals per game through the team's first 16 games. Gray came away with a career-high seven thefts in the Tritons' win at USD (Dec. 21).
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 65 three-pointers this season, tops in Division I. His 4.06 threes per game also leads the nation. McGhie captured conference Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23 and 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, Dec. 23
Tyler McGhie, UCU Athlete of the Week, Nov. 11, Nov. 25, Dec. 23
Justin Rochelin, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 2
Nordin Kapic, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 9, Dec. 30
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16, Jan. 6
Tyler McGhie, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Dec. 23
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 224-116 (.659).
NIWA'S NOT A NEWCOMER ANYMORE!
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones leads the nation in free throw attempts (137), is second in made free throws (109), and ranks fourth in The Big West in scoring at 18.1 points per game. 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 16 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 in 2023-24. Two of last year's starters return:
Hayden Gray and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
TRITONS VS. THE BIG WEST
Here's a look at how UC San Diego has stacked up against conference competition since joining The Big West prior to the 2020-21 season:
| Opponent |
Home |
Road |
Neutral |
Total |
Streak |
| Cal Poly |
2-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
4-2 |
W4 |
| Cal State Bakersfield |
3-1 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W1 |
| Cal State Fullerton |
4-1 |
2-1 |
0-0 |
6-2 |
W3 |
| CSUN |
3-0 |
3-0 |
0-0 |
6-0 |
W6 |
| Hawai'i |
1-2 |
0-3 |
0-0 |
1-5 |
L1 |
| Long Beach State |
1-2 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-4 |
L1 |
| UC Davis |
1-3 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
L1 |
| UC Irvine |
1-3 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-6 |
W1 |
| UC Riverside |
3-2 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W2 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
2-1 |
2-4 |
0-0 |
4-5 |
W3 |
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.
WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
UC San Diego is one of 11 Division I institutions with five or more active 1,000-point scorers on its roster. Here are the team's current leading scorers (includes games played at other institutions):
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.
