LA JOLLA, Calif. – Winners of 11 straight, UC San Diego concludes its home schedule Thursday night when the Tritons host Long Beach State at LionTree Arena. It's Senior Night, and the Tritons will honor their graduating class before the game. With two games left in the regular season, UC San Diego (26-4, 16-2 Big West) can clinch a share of The Big West regular season title with a win over the Beach. The Tritons' 11-game win streak is tied for the second longest in the nation, and a win Thursday would match the team's longest win streak so far this season.
Long Beach State (7-23, 3-15) has dropped its last 13 – including an 80-54 decision to the Tritons on Jan. 16 in Long Beach.
Thursday's game tips at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPN+ and KSDT radio, with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com. Tickets can be purchased through
Triton Box Office.
DETAILS
Game 31
UC San Diego (26-4, 16-2 Big West) vs. Long Beach State (7-23, 3-15 Big West)
Thursday, March 6 | 7 p.m.
LionTree Arena (4,000) | La Jolla
TV:
ESPN+
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: Long Beach State leads, 4-3 (all in Division I)
Last Meeting: UC San Diego 80 at Long Beach State 55 (Jan. 16)
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 26-4
Big West: 16-2
Home: 12-2
Away: 11-2
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W11
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
81.0 |
62.1 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.470 |
.405 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.369 |
.338 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.744 |
.737 |
| Rebounds |
34.0 |
33.7 |
| Assists |
16.0 |
11.2 |
| Turnovers |
8.8 |
16.3 |
| Steals |
10.4 |
4.5 |
| Blocks |
2.1 |
2.8 |
ABOUT THE BEACH
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 7-23
Big West: 3-15
Home: 3-10
Away: 4-10
Neutral: 0-3
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L13
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego wraps up the regular season on Saturday night when the Tritons visit UC Davis in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2. The game tips at 8 p.m. and will also air on KSDT radio, with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
TRIPLE DIGITS x 3
UC San Diego downed Cal State Fullerton, 100-55, on Saturday night. In addition to the Tritons scoring 100 points for the third time this season,
Hayden Gray crossed 100 steals for the season (101), and
Tyler McGhie drained his 100th three-pointer of the season (101).
BIG WEST POSTSEASON
UC San Diego's win at CSUN (Feb. 27) clinched a spot in The Big West Championship semifinals for the Tritons. UC San Diego will take the court as the one or two seed at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. on March 14. Conference policy prohibited UC San Diego from taking part in this event in the past – despite the Tritons finishing second in the conference standings last season.
POLL POSITION
UC San Diego is ranked No. 2 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25® college basketball poll, the Tritons' highest-ever ranking in this survey. UC San Diego also received votes in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll (21) and Associated Press Top 25 (17).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Tritons are second nationally in wins away from home (road + neutral). UC San Diego is 14-2 in games outside of LionTree Arena: 12-2 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites.
THANK YOU, GRADUATING CLASS
Prior to Thursday's game against Long Beach State, UC San Diego will thank its graduating class of
Hayden Gray,
Tyler McGhie,
Maximo Milovich, and
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones.
NOTHIN' BUT NET
UC San Diego has a NET Ranking of 34 as of Tuesday and the Tritons are No. 35 in KenPom – both highest in The Big West.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego leads NCAA Division I with a turnover margin of +7.5. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 29 of their first 30 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 18.9. Nationally, UC San Diego's margin of victory sits second.
STINGY ON D
UC San Diego leads The Big West in scoring defense, allowing just 62.1 points per game for the season and 62.4 points per game in Big West play. Nationally, the 62.1 points per game allowed is ninth best.
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Hayden Gray, UCU Athlete of the Week, Feb. 17
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Lou Henson National Player of the Week, Jan. 27
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Big West Player of the Week, Jan. 27, Feb. 10
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UCU Athlete of the Week, Dec. 16, Jan. 6, Jan. 20, Feb. 10
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
WHOLE LOTTA POINTS
UC San Diego is one of 7 Division I institutions with six or more active 1,000-point scorers on its roster. Here are the team's current leading scorers (includes games played at other institutions):
TY'S THE GUY
Tyler McGhie has made 101 three-pointers this season, sixth in Division I. His 3.37 threes per game is tops in The Big West and ranks sixth nationally. McGhie has captured conference Player of the Week honors twice. 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 101 steals and 3.37 steals per game. Gray came away with a career-high seven thefts in the Tritons' win at USD (Dec. 21) and matched that total in a victory over UC Riverside (Feb. 6).
THIEVERY!
UC San Diego is one of three Division I programs to have two players averaging 2.0+ steals per game (Mississippi State and UTEP).
Hayden Gray (3.4) and
Chris Howell (2.1) lead the way for the Tritons.
HEAD COACH ERIC OLEN
Now in his 12th season as head coach, UC San Diego head coach
Eric Olen has transformed the program. The 2024 Big West Coach of the Year, he is a finalist for the
Hugh Durham Award for the second season in a row. Olen 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 236-118 (.667).
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.
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.
