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UC San Diego

MBB Team Huddle 2025-26
Jae Choi/UC San Diego

Men's Basketball

Regular Season Wraps Saturday at UC Santa Barbara

Tritons, Gauchos in four-way tie for fourth

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The 2025-26 regular season winds down Saturday evening as UC San Diego visits UC Santa Barbara in a key Big West showdown. The Tritons and Gauchos are both 11-8 in conference play, part of a four-way tie for fourth place in the standings. On Thursday, five UC San Diego players scored in double figures but Cal State Fullerton picked up a 75-71 victory over the Tritons. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for UC San Diego (21-10). The Gauchos (18-12) are well-rested after having a night off at home Thursday.
 
When these teams met in January, UC Santa Barbara limited the Tritons to just 48 points – their lowest output of the season – in a Gauchos win. The Tritons and UCSB have each won six matchups in the all-time series; all 12 prior meetings have been contested at the Division I level. Saturday's season finale can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 97.3 The Fan, with a link to live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
 
DETAILS        
Game 32: UC San Diego (21-10, 11-8) at UC Santa Barbara (18-12, 11-8)
Saturday, March 7 | 6 p.m.
UCSB Events Center (5,600) | Santa Barbara
ESPN+ | 97.3 The Fan | Live Stats
Series Record: Series tied, 6-6 (all Division I)
Last Meeting: UCSB 62, Tritons 48, (Jan. 29)

ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 21-10
Big West: 11-8
Home: 10-5
Away: 7-5
Neutral: 4-0
Streak: L1

ABOUT THE GAUCHOS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 18-12
Big West: 11-8
Home: 11-3
Away: 5-8
Neutral: 2-1
Streak: L1

WHAT'S NEXT
UC San Diego begins the 2026 postseason this week when the Tritons travel to Henderson, Nevada to compete in the Credit Union 1 Big West Championship later this week. The Tritons' first game will take place Wednesday or Thursday and will air live on ESPN+ and 97.3 The Fan.
  
TOURNEY TALK
UC San Diego enters the last day of the Big West regular season in a four-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Pending Saturday's action, UC San Diego can be seeded anywhere from fourth through seventh in the conference tournament. The No. 4 seed will get a first-round bye and begin play on Thursday night. The 5-7 seeds will all compete in Wednesday's opening round.
 
LAST TIME OUT: FULLERTON 75, TRITONS 71 Stats
UC San Diego had its five-game win streak snapped Thursday with a 75-71 loss to host Cal State Fullerton inside Titan Gym. The Titans rallied from down 12 in the second half to take the lead with just 21 seconds to play. Fullerton's Josh Ward scored 16 points after halftime as the Titans (16-15) moved into a tie with UC San Diego in The Big West standings. Both teams are 11-8 in conference play, tied with UC Santa Barbara with one game remaining. The Gauchos were idle Thursday.
 
Five Tritons scored in double figures, led by a 13-point, eight rebound effort from freshman Hudson MayesLeo Beath, Bol Dengdit, and Emanuel Prospere II all scored 12 for the Tritons, with freshman Jaden Vance chipping in ten. The Tritons outscored the hosts in the paint, 44-34. Despite leading for more than 32 minutes Thursday, UC San Diego fell to 21-10 overall.
 
FANTASTIC FEBRUARY
UC San Diego went 6-1 last month and won its last five February games. The Tritons' only setback in the month was a five-point loss at first place Hawai'i.
 
THANK YOU, E
Prior to its final home game vs. Cal Poly (Feb. 28), UC San Diego thanked the lone member of this year's graduating class: grad student Emanuel Prospere II. He scored 12 points in the win over the Mustangs. Despite missing six games due to injury, Prospere leads the team in steals and assists per game; he ranks in the single season top five in both categories in the program's Division I era.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
UC San Diego has found success on the road, winning 11 times outside of La Jolla this season. The Tritons' 11 wins away from home (road plus neutral games) is tied for fourth best nationally.
 
20x3
A win over Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 26) gave the Tritons their third consecutive 20-win season. UC San Diego matched a program record last season with 30 victories, while notching 21 wins in 2023-24.
 
CENTURY MARK
With the win at UC Irvine on Feb. 21 – the Tritons' third in the last four meetings at UCI – UC San Diego earned its 100th victory as a Division I program.
 
A NEW HIGH
UC San Diego scored 84 points in a win over Cal State Bakersfield (Feb. 26) – the most points the Tritons have scored in a Big West game this season.
 
MAYES MAKES BIG MOVES
UC San Diego freshman guard Hudson Mayes was named Big West Player of the Week on Feb. 16. The honor is a first for Mayes, and the third such recognition for a Triton this season.
 
Mayes averaged 21 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in a pair of Big West wins. He scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in a win over UC Davis – his team-leading fourth double-double of the season – then followed that up with a career-high 24-point effort in a victory over UC Riverside. Mayes shot 61.9% (13-21) from the field and hit 15 of his 16 free throw attempts. For the season, he's fourth in The Big West from the free throw line in conference play, hitting 88.6% of his attempts. 
 
STINGY ON DEFENSE
UC San Diego allowed a season-low 51 points in a home win over UC Davis (Feb. 12). That was the fourth time this season a Big West opponent has scored 62 or fewer points.
 
CALLING HIS NUMBER
Triton freshman Jaden Vance had a career night in the win over Long Beach (Feb. 5). The Phoenix native scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting – all three numbers are personal bests – over 20 minutes played.
 
WHAT'S CHAIKIN?
UC San Diego adjusted its starting lineup for the first time this season when sophomore Alex Chaikin was inserted into the first five vs. CSUN (Jan. 15). Chaikin responded with a season high 22 points and six three-pointers in the game. Against Big West opponents, Chaikin leads The Big West, shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc. His 2.6 threes per game ranks third.
 
MEECH'S NEW MARK
Freshman Dimitrije Vukicevic established a new career-high with 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting over 12 minutes in the Tritons' home win over UC Riverside (Feb. 14). He was one of three Tritons to score in double figures in that victory.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
First-year Triton Bol Dengdit posted a double-double in back-to-back games: 10 points, 10 rebounds vs. Stanton (Dec. 28) and 12 points, 12 rebounds at Cal Poly (Jan. 1). He blocked three shots in back-to-back games (Dec. 19 vs. USD, Dec. 28 vs. Stanton).
 
DRAINING 'EM FROM DISTANCE
UC San Diego tied an NCAA Division I single game record when nine Tritons sank three-pointers in a win over Towson at Walt Disney World (Nov. 26). Over the three-day tournament, UC San Diego shot 51.9% from beyond the arc – hitting 40 of 77 attempts.
 
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
With a 26-point victory over Tulane in the Jack Jones Classic (Dec. 13), UC San Diego has won all three games it's played three games at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The Tritons also downed UC Santa Barbara in the 2025 Big West semifinal and UC Irvine in the 2025 Big West Championship. The conference's postseason tournament will be held at that venue again in 2026.
 
LISTEN UP!
UC San Diego and Audacy have partnered to bring Tritons basketball to 97.3 The Fan – home of the San Diego Padres – in a multi-year deal. All remaining Big West road games this season – plus postseason games – will air live on 97.3 The Fan and stream on the Audacy app.
 
MICKEY'S MOST VALUABLE
First year Triton Leo Beath was named Most Valuable Player at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, leading UC San Diego to three wins in three days at Walt Disney World (Nov. 24-26). Beath averaged 23.7 points per game, shooting 61.9% over three games. He drained 9-of-13 three-point attempts (69.2%) and averaged four rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the victories over Temple, Bradley, and Towson.
 
RACKING UP THE AWARDS
After being named tournament MVP at the Terry's Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational, Leo Beath piled up the awards. The following week, he was selected Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the USBWA, named the Lou Henson Award-winner as mid-major's top performer, voted Big West Player of the Week, and garnered UCU Athlete of the Week honors on campus. The Big West honor was Beath's second of the season (also Nov. 17). Beath was named to the Lou Henson Award watch list on Dec. 18.
 
A YEAR TO REMEMBER
Including the postseason, the Tritons were 29-5 in 2025.
 
TRITONS IN THE PROS
Three Tritons from last year's Big West Championship team are playing professionally this year. Tyler McGhie is playing for Gipuzkoa Basket in Spain, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is competing with Valmiera Glass in Latvia, and Hayden Gray is playing in the NBA G League for the Maine Celtics (Boston).
 
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 24-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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

G
6' 4"
Senior
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

G/F
6' 5"
Senior
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

G/F
6' 6"
Senior
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

G/F
6' 5"
Graduate Student
Bol Dengdit

#7 Bol Dengdit

F
6' 11"
Redshirt Junior
Leo Beath

#8 Leo Beath

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Dimitrije Vukicevic

#33 Dimitrije Vukicevic

C
7' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
Alex Chaikin

#10 Alex Chaikin

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Jaden Vance

#13 Jaden Vance

F
6' 6"
Freshman
Hudson Mayes

#0 Hudson Mayes

G
6' 5"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Hayden Gray

#3 Hayden Gray

6' 4"
Senior
G
Tyler  McGhie

#13 Tyler McGhie

6' 5"
Senior
G/F
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

#12 Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones

6' 6"
Senior
G/F
Emanuel Prospere II

#5 Emanuel Prospere II

6' 5"
Graduate Student
G/F
Bol Dengdit

#7 Bol Dengdit

6' 11"
Redshirt Junior
F
Leo Beath

#8 Leo Beath

6' 8"
Redshirt Junior
F
Dimitrije Vukicevic

#33 Dimitrije Vukicevic

7' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
C
Alex Chaikin

#10 Alex Chaikin

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Jaden Vance

#13 Jaden Vance

6' 6"
Freshman
F
Hudson Mayes

#0 Hudson Mayes

6' 5"
Freshman
G

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