LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego begins the second half of its Big West slate on Thursday when the Tritons welcome UC Riverside to LionTree Arena. UC San Diego (18-4, 8-2 Big West) sits 1.5 games behind UC Irvine in the standings entering Thursday night, and the Tritons are a half game up on UC Riverside (15-8, 8-3).
Since falling to the Highlanders on Jan. 18, the Tritons have reeled off three consecutive wins – including the program's first-ever win at Hawai'i last Thursday night. Meantime, UCR is the hottest team in the conference. The Highlanders have won five straight – including home wins over the Tritons and Anteaters.
Thursday concludes the regular season series between UC San Diego and UCR. Thanks to last month's win over the Tritons, the Highlanders now lead the Division I series between these two programs, 6-4.
Thursday's game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off, and the game will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 23
UC San Diego (18-4, 8-2 Big West) vs. UC Riverside (15-8, 8-3 Big West)
Thursday, Feb. 6 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
TV:
ESPN+
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: UCR leads, 19-8 (UCR 6-4 in Division I)
Last Meeting: at UC Riverside 85, UC San Diego 81, Jan. 18
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 18-4
Big West: 8-2
Home: 8-2
Away: 7-2
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W3
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
79.8 |
62.5 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.460 |
.410 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.347 |
.352 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.756 |
.718 |
| Rebounds |
34.3 |
33.7 |
| Assists |
15.0 |
11.1 |
| Turnovers |
9.3 |
16.7 |
| Steals |
10.7 |
4.8 |
| Blocks |
2.0 |
3.0 |
ABOUT THE HIGHLANDERS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 15-8
Big West: 8-3
Home: 10-1
Away: 5-7
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-1
Streak: W5
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego visits UC Irvine Saturday night in a highly anticipated rematch of last month's sold out showdown in La Jolla. Saturday's contest will be televised nationally on ESPNU, and the game can also be heard on KSDT with live stats on UCSDTritons.com. Tip-off is slated for just after 7 p.m. from Bren Events Center.
LAST TIME OUT: TRITONS 74, HAWAI'I 63 | Box Score
Four Tritons scored in double figures and UC San Diego erased a 13-point first half deficit on the way to a 74-63 victory over Hawai'i inside SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday night. The win was UC San Diego's first-ever over the Rainbow Warriors on O'ahu and marked the Tritons' largest-ever margin of victory over UH.
Tyler McGhie led all scorers with 24, with
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones adding 16 points and nine rebounds in his return to the Aloha State.
Hayden Gray scored 13 and
Nordin Kapic added 11 in the road win – UC San Diego's seventh of the season.
NATIONALLY RANKED
UC San Diego is ranked No. 7 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll, matching the Tritons' highest-ever ranking in this survey. 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 51 as of Tuesday, Feb. 4, highest in The Big West.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego ranks second in Division I with a turnover margin of +7.4. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 21 of their first 22 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 17.3. Nationally, UC San Diego's margin of victory sits sixth.
STINGY ON D
UC San Diego leads The Big West in scoring defense, allowing just 62.4 points per game for the season and 63.4 points per game in Big West play. Nationally, the 62.4 points per game allowed is 11th best.
TAIT-JONES TAKES CONTROL
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was named Lou Henson National Player of the Week on Jan. 27. He leads the nation in free throws made (153) and free throw attempts (190). He ranks third in The Big West in scoring at 19.5 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.
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) |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
Jan. 25, 2025 |
vs. CSUN |
32 |
W, 79-54 |
| Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones |
Jan. 18, 2025 |
at UC Riverside |
32 |
L, 85-81 |
| 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 |
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Jan. 27
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Big West Player of the Week, Jan. 27
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16, Jan. 6, Jan. 20
Tyler McGhie, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Dec. 23
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
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 77 three-pointers this season, fifth in Division I. His 3.5 threes per game ranks sixth nationally. 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.
I'LL TAKE THAT!
Triton senior point guard
Hayden Gray leads the nation with 3.36 steals per game through the team's first 22 games. Gray came away with a career-high seven thefts in the Tritons' win at USD (Dec. 21).
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 228-118 (.659).
NO SURPRISES: STARTING OFF STRONG
UC San Diego has used the same starting lineup in each of its first 22 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 |
4-0 |
3-0 |
0-0 |
6-0 |
W7 |
| Hawai'i |
1-2 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
W1 |
| Long Beach State |
1-2 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
3-4 |
W1 |
| UC Davis |
1-3 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
2-5 |
L1 |
| UC Irvine |
1-4 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
2-7 |
L1 |
| UC Riverside |
3-2 |
1-4 |
0-0 |
4-6 |
W3 |
| UC Santa Barbara |
3-1 |
2-4 |
0-0 |
5-5 |
W4 |
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 began a new era in 2020 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
