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BlueGoldAg
1.1kThere's a log jam at the top of the wild, wild Big West and the race for the title is wide open. Riverside upset Fullerton on Thursday night and now they come to the Pavilion to try and do the same against the Aggies. The Highlanders lost to the Aggies in Riverside 75-65 back on January 11th in a game that was much closer than the final score. There are currently 6 teams that could potentially win the Big West title so every game for every one of those teams is important as we head into the home stretch.
The Aggies have had a week off after their stunning 71-54 upset of Santa Barbara on the road. The team should be well rested and ready to go as they continue to play inspired basketball without Chima Moneke. The Aggie guards have stepped up in Moneke's absence and TJ Shorts II has established himself as a legitimate candidate for the Big West Player of the Year with his impressive play lately. Several Big West coaches have said that TJ is the best PG in the league hands down. The Aggies defense was locked and bullet proof in the win over the Gauchos and, if they can continue to play defense like that, they have a chance to win their last 3 games of the regular season.
This is the second game of a double-header with the women playing for the outright Big West title against UC Irvine at 2:30 pm. So this is a great opportunity to come out to the Pavilion and see two excellent basketball games for the price of a single admission. Bring your families and friends and make some noise to support both the women and the men as they continue their drives to become the Big West Champions.
Live online stream from Big West TV: http://www.bigwest.org/tv/
Go Ags! -
BlueGoldAg
1.1kChima is in street clothes. Logan Strom has a cast on his left forearm. Could be the smallest crowd of the season.
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SoCalAggie
43I literally looked away from my phone for 1 sec and I missed the play. If there is a highlight, please post it! -
Zander
180 -
BlueGoldAg
1.1kCoach Les designed a another great play for TJ. It was very similar to the play that won the LB game. Essentially get the ball to TJ on the second touch when he is already at warp speed and either let him take it to the rim or get fouled putting it up in traffic. He just blew by all of the Riverside defenders.
I hated to see the 14 point lead slip away in the second half but, give Riverside credit, their defense was making it tough and they did a good job stopping our guards from penetrating the lane. We also got in foul trouble and had a short bench with only 9 players suited up. The game was choppy with all the fouls the officials were whistling so it was hard for either team to really settle into a rhythm but the Ags just ground it out again. It may not have been pretty but I'll take it!
The official attendance was 2704 and it was a late arriving crowd that was very quiet until the final two minutes. The Aggie Pack was small and generally silent. I'm not sure what this team needs to do to get some student support... -
Zander
180sounds like a marketing and leadership problem and not an on-court performance problem regarding the Aggie Pack. Going to basketball games has to become the "in" thing to do in students' minds, and winning constantly is only part of that.
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Toke69
280If Hawaii had played as well against UCI as they did against the Ags, they would have won that game. As it was, the shot under 35% from the floor and 57% from the foul line. (Does it seem to anyone else that Big West refs call way too many fouls?) Jack Purchase who burned UCD for 21, got exactly 1 against UCI. Their defense was also spotty; as solid sometimes as they were against us, but odd;y porous at other times. Irvine has a huge but unathletic frontcourt. They can (and often did) average 6' 9". Hawaii countered with 3 guards. The good news is that if Hawaii cannot do better they will lose when they visit Davis. The bad news is that the Anteaters could be peaking by the end of the season. They play good defense and balanced scoring. It could come down to that final game. -
BlueGoldAg
1.1kThe big problem with the Big West officials is that they are so inconsistent. Players have a tough time getting into a rhythm because they can't get a feel about how the game is being called.
There were 41 fouls called in the game against Riverside...21 on the Ags and 20 on the Highlanders but the Aggies had players with 2 and 3 early fouls which forced Coach Les to creative with his line up on the floor. It's maddening when a player gets hammered going up for a shot in the lane and there is no call and yet a player gets whistled for any slight contact on the perimeter. A bunch of the fouls yesterday were of the type where the offensive player would initiate the contact with his shoulder as he was trying to drive around the defender and the defender would end up with a quick, ticky-tack foul.
I think those are needless fouls since neither player is getting put at a disadvantage by the slight contact whereas getting mugged in the lane that results in players crashing to the floor should be called. It's almost as if the officials allow the big men to bang each other around but a touch of the jersey on the perimeter is a cardinal sin. Then to make it worse, one official may being calling the game that extremely close and his partners are not and then, after the half, they seem to change roles...ugh!
They were so many fouls yesterday that the game became a choppy affair which practically sucked the energy out of the players and the fans alike. -
eastbayaggie
95According to gauchodan:
For UC Davis to get the #1 seed:
1. win out, OR
2. beat Irvine AND Santa Barbara loses at least once AND Fullerton loses at least once
I didn't expect that UCD controls their destiny. I guess we win tiebreakers with UCSB if both teams win out. -
Zander
180I think it's because we'd have a superior record over the second place team, Irvine. Would have to review the rules though.
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69aggie
370You have to be a little sad for the riverside players to go from so high to so low in 5 seconds! TG is just such a clutch player and he has really picked up the team since Chima has been out. Who knows, maybe we are a better team without him because they players aren’t always looking to get him the ball now. Anyway, Les is really getting things done with a minimum of players. Sign of a very good coach.
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