LA JOLLA, Calif. – After capturing its first Big West regular season championship with Thursday night's win, UC San Diego wraps up the 2024-25 season in prime time when the Tritons visit UC Davis Saturday night in front of a national television audience. Thursday's victory was UC San Diego's 12th straight, matching a season best. The Tritons enter Saturday night's game with 14 wins away from home (11 road, three neutral), tied for second most in Division I. The Tritons are 27-4 overall and 17-2 in conference action.
UC Davis (15-15, 9-10) looks to stop a five-game slide. Senior guard TY Johnson continues to lead The Big West, averaging 21.7 points per game.
Saturday's season finale airs on ESPN2 and KSDT radio, with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
DETAILS
Game 31
UC San Diego (27-4, 16-2 Big West) at UC Davis (15-15, 9-10 Big West)
Saturday, March 8 | 8 p.m.
UCU Center (6,003) | Davis
TV: ESPN2
Radio:
KSDT
Live Stats:
UCSDTritons.com
Series Record: UC Davis leads, 23-8 (UC Davis 5-3 in Division I)
Last Meeting: at UC San Diego 85, UC Davis 60 (Feb. 15)
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 27-4
Big West: 17-2
Home: 13-2
Away: 11-2
Neutral: 3-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: W12
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
| Stat |
UCSD |
Opp. |
| Points |
80.6 |
62.1 |
| Field Goal Pct. |
.467 |
.404 |
| 3-Point FG Pct. |
.366 |
.337 |
| Free Throw Pct. |
.745 |
.745 |
| Rebounds |
33.8 |
33.9 |
| Assists |
16.0 |
11.1 |
| Turnovers |
8.7 |
16.4 |
| Steals |
10.3 |
4.5 |
| Blocks |
2.1 |
2.8 |
ABOUT THE AGGIES
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 15-15
Big West: 9-10
Home: 8-5
Away: 7-10
Neutral: 0-0
vs. Ranked Opponents: 0-0
Streak: L5
WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego heads to Henderson, Nev., to compete in the Hercules Tires Big West Championship for the first time. The Tritons will open play in the semifinal round on Friday, March 14, at 6 p.m.
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: 11-2 on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites.
NOTHIN' BUT NET
UC San Diego has a NET Ranking of 36 as of Friday and the Tritons are No. 38 in KenPom – both highest in The Big West.
MARGIN OF VICTORY
UC San Diego leads NCAA Division I with a turnover margin of +7.7. The Tritons have won the turnover battle in 30 of their first 31 games.
MARGIN OF VICTORY II
The Tritons are tops in The Big West with a scoring margin of 18.5. 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 eighth best.
SHARING THE ROCK
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones leads UC San Diego with 106 assists this season, followed closely by
Hayden Gray (104) and
Chris Howell (97). All three rank top ten in The Big West in assists per game.
TAIT-JONES TAKES CHARGE
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored his 2,000th career point in a win at Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 13) and his 1,000th as a Triton in a win over Hawai'i (Feb. 22). He has been named Big West Player of the Week twice, and he earned Lou Henson National Player of the Week honors on Jan. 27. Tait-Jones leads the nation in free throw attempts (262) and is second in free throws made (201). He ranks third in The Big West in scoring at 19.8 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
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 106 three-pointers this season, fourth in Division I. His 3.42 threes per game is tops in The Big West and ranks fifth 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 103 steals and 3.32 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 (3.3) 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 237-118 (.668).
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.
