Conference races around the country are heating up, and in many leagues, only one or two teams may get a chance to Dance. As a result, conference rivalries old and new mean more with each passing game. It’s time to take a closer look at the top contenders across some of the country’s most exciting leagues. As familiar foes seek a prime seed for the prelude to Madness which league play and then conference tournament action will be, things are only going to get better and better as the days lengthen…
In the Big West Conference, half a dozen teams have already given indications that they will be heard from before the league’s champion is crowned. Over the past ten NCAA Tournaments, seven different schools have represented the Big West as conference tournament champion, and it’s looking like this year’s race will be just as widely contested.
UC Irvine Anteaters: 13-6, 6-1 in Big West
Impressively, UC Irvine had remained the lone unbeaten teams in league play…until this past weekend in Davis. Despite their first defeat, though, UCI looks strong as one of the Big West’s frontrunners. In nature, anteaters are mostly solitary creatures, but this UCI side works together extremely well. The ‘Eaters are led in scoring by sharpshooting guard Justin Hohn, but are a deep crew. Eleven different players average more than ten minutes per game for head coach Russ Turner, and a twelfth plays eight minutes per contest. It’s not simply a lack of superstars which has the Anteaters featuring a rotation where no one sees the floor for more than 27 minutes per tilt. Rather, Turner has a group of good players whose diverse talents present him with options and UCI’s opponents with lots of things to scout and prepare for.
A varied backcourt, playmaking forward, and three-headed pivot featuring plenty of skill are the primary reasons for Irvine’s tremendous start. Pierre Crockrell II may only play 25 minutes each night, but his 5.9 assists per game ranks as the 25th-best figure in America. Irvine’s fifth-year point guard is a genuine floor general, the type of clever and reliable leader that any coach in the country would love to have in their side. After starting 56 games across three seasons for Pacific, Crockrell has fit wonderfully as the maestro of Turner’s offense. He actually averaged more helpers than points scored last season, and with his 7 dimes against UC Davis on Saturday, Crockrell has crossed the 600 career assist mark. Hohn, a Sioux Falls, SD, product who is in his fifth season at Irvine, has stepped smoothly into a starring role. After taking a redshirt his freshman year, Hohn has been a steady contributor in each of his past three campaigns. He’d never averaged more than 7.9 points in any previous season, but this year Hohn is nearly doubling that figure. Always a solid outside shooter, Hohn ranks fifth in the league this year with 38 makes from the land of trey, and the savvy combo guard is shooting a career-best 40.4% from deep. Freshman Derin Saran is a bigger guard who has immediately shown that his awareness and assertiveness in the halfcourt are well ahead of his age. The Turkish rookie has been UCI’s second-leading scorer this season despite operating as the 6th man. He gets to the rim on smart cuts and by effectively exploiting isolation opportunities, and Saran has both a mid-range game and developing three-point range. Like Hohn, Andre Henry has been paying his dues as a capable rotation player for years, and is now showing his skills. An inconsistent jump shooter through three seasons, Henry is sinking a team-leading 44.2% of his treys this winter. Irvine doesn’t shoot a whole lot of triples – in fact, they rank 339th in the country in deep heaves as a team – but with efficiency like the ‘Eaters are getting from Hohn and Henry, in particular, they have been keeping defenders honest.
German seven-footer Bent Leuchten leads the frontcourt, and Irvine’s junior has shown flashes of becoming a star center. He’s dealt with knee injuries the past two years, but at his best Leuchten is a solid post scorer with dangerous range as a face-up shooter. His percentages from the floor have been slightly down this season as he gets fully back to form, but Leuchten has been earning considerably more trips to the foul line and shooting a reliable 75.5% while there. Leuchten is a weapon and matchup problem who can do a lot of damage when he’s right, and Turner will be counting on him as the ‘Eaters make their stretch run. “Bent is a difference maker and we know that,” Turner said after Leuchten’s return, describing the deep threat he adds to UCI’s offense. “We know he can make that (three-point) shot and it was really encouraging to see him shoot with that type of confidence.” A developmental redshirt was being considered for freshman Carter Welling before Leuchten’s latest knee troubles. As a result, instead of sitting out, Welling has filled in fairly capably at the team’s biggest spot. The younger brother of Irvine forward Hayden Welling, Carter Welling has similar range on his jumper to that which Leuchten offers, but has yet to establish consistency. Dean Keeler is the team’s third big man, and he’s provided truly reliable production off the bench in his fifth season. All three of Irvine’s big guys are capable of blocking a shot, fighting to keep their man from establishing good position, and knocking down a jumper. Though Keeler isn’t the three-point threat that his larger counterparts are, he is solid in the glass (his 28 offensive boards lead the team) and can play both at the pivot or beside one of the others for stretches.
With versatile forward Devin Tillis to round out the main core of UCI’s rotation, Russell has the athleticism and size to mix and match lineups. Owner of a 37.5% career rate from deep as well as a 17.0% assist rate this season, Tillis also leads the team in rebounding this winter. It helps to have an in-between option who does everything well, and in Tillis, Turner has such an advantage. Irvine likes to play a slower game, and forces the other team to male correct reads and creative passes in order to score. The ‘Eaters rank among the nation’s top 20 squads in 2FG% and total FG% defense, and don’t beat themselves. They made it a third of the way through league play without a loss for a reason – UCI is a smart, cohesive, veteran crew and should remain a leading contender for the conference crown.
Cal State Northridge Matadors: 13-6, 4-3 in Big West
Entering league play, Cal State Northridge was rolling. The Matadors were 9-3 before even playing a conference game, and over the team’s past three full seasons, CSUN hadn’t won more games in any full campaign. Clearly, new head coach Andy Newman has already led one of the country’s most noticeable turnarounds. The Matadors’ efforts have been spearheaded by a pair of holdovers who experienced the frustration of playing for an also-ran last year.
De’Sean Allen-Eikens and Dionte Bostick joined forces last winter and have now become the high-scoring centerpieces of this season’s squad. Together, Allen-Eikens – who was recently named to the midseason Lou Henson Award watchlist – and Bostick are combining to average nearly 33 points per contest. Allen-Eikens is a strongly-built forward who does most of his best work in the lane. The Williston, ND, product had a great debut season for North Dakota but then dealt with a serious ankle injury. After a stop at New Orleans, Allen-Eikens has established himself on the West Coast. He’s always flashed three-level scoring potential, and this year, Allen-Eikens is sinking 40.0% of his triple tries while shooting 49.5% from the floor overall. Bostick, a former Murray State transfer, has settled into an important role for Northridge. He’s vital in that he is the Matadors’ only true deep threat; in fact, Bostick has hit more than a third of the team’s made triples. While he was the interim head coach for a season at Cal State Fullerton a decade ago, Newman’s Titans ranked among the nation’s top 40 schools in three-point shots made and attempted. While coaching in the Division II ranks, especially the past few years at Cal State San Bernardino, Newman developed a preference for running an aggressive and fast-paced offense which favors attacking the rim over launching jumpers – and he’s quickly implemented it in Northridge.
The Matadors currently rank among the nation’s top 40 teams in possessions per game and free throws attempted & made – and top ten in 2FG attempts, makes, and adjusted tempo, per Ken Pomeroy. Since the mid-December court ruling which has allowed multiple-time undergraduate transfers to play this year, CSUN’s offense has gained an additional conductor, too. Former Oregon State and Sacramento State point guard Gianni Hunt has stepped straight into the Matadors’ lineup with averages of 10.7 points and 4.1 assists per game. Newman’s team keeps the pressure on defensively, as well. Northridge ranks top 50 in the land in steals and opponent shooting percentage while hammering the glass with top 50 rates of both offensive and defensive rebounding despite utilizing a four-out lineup most of the time. Transfer wing Keonte Jones has proven a dynamic fit for Newman’s attack, and has had a big impact on both ends of the floor. The Madison, WI, product has three double-doubles already: and he has been the best defensive playmaker in the league. Jones has more than one steal and/or block in 14 of the Matadors’ 18 games so far while ranking first in the Big West in thefts and second in rejections.
Not only has CSUN already gained notoriety by winning at UCLA this year – with their home win over Hawai’i a couple of weeks ago, the Matadors also tied a program record by winning seven straight games. “I’m so proud of this team. They’re playing so hard and really responding when times are getting tough. They’re raising their level of toughness,” Newman said after the Hawai’i win. Things are getting tougher the deeper Northridge wades into league play – they’ve gotten some familiar foes’ better punches this winter after a few seasons without much success. In two of the Matadors’ past four games, they’ve given up 95 and 97 points, respectively, in losses to UC Davis and Santa Barbara. Northridge is 4-3 in league after this weekend’s action, after allowing an absolute shooting gallery to UC-Riverside in a 82-63 defeat. The Highlanders shot 17 of 32 (53.1%) from the land of trey, amplifying the questions about the Matadors’ defense. Still, CSUN has proven that they are once again a tough out in a tough league. If the Matadors can tighten things up defensively – and sprinkle in a few more timely triples of their own – they have some star power and a whole lot of energy for opponents to keep up with these days.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos: 11-7, 4-4 in Big West
It had appeared during late summer that the Big West, despite its evident quality, might not be much of a race. That’s because the Gauchos were coming off of both regular season and tournament titles from last year, returned reigning Big West Player of the Year Ajay Mitchell, and had attracted a combined class of transfers and freshmen with nationally-recognized star potential.
Unfortunately, as the season began, UCSB stalled due to a series of injuries up and down its highly-skilled roster. And now, even with better health, these Gauchos have been among head coach Joe Pasternack’s more inconsistent crews. They’ve struggled mightily with turnovers at times, undoing the heroics of UCSB’s own shot-making – which has, at times, been elite.
In large part, the Gauchos go as Mitchell goes. Given that their star lead guard has missed a couple of games due to injury and been hampered in others, it’s understandable that UCSB’s play has been a bit up and down. Pasternack’s team had been 7-1 when it stumbled into conference play with road losses to UC Davis and UC Riverside before a home defeat at the hands of UC-San Diego. Even Mitchell’s 39-point effort against the Highlanders went for naught. UCSB ceased the wobbling by ripping off a four-win streak over the past couple of weeks which included a 97-69 drubbing of the Matadors in Northridge. Conference games are notoriously strange for a reason, though, and the Gauchos dropped a tough home loss to Cal-State Fullerton over the weekend.
Through it all, Mitchell has been a prime producer. He’s scored 25 or more points in a game five times already this year, and also ranks fifth in the Big West in assist average. Having proven his skill in using his dribble to get into the lane and create once there, the work which Mitchell put in on his jumper this summer has also shown through. Though still not a high-volume outside shooter, Mitchell is hitting a clean 40.0% of his triple tries so far while continuing to make tough shots inside the arc. His longtime backcourt partner, Josh Pierre-Louis, is enjoying a career year alongside Mitchell, and showing more consistency with his shot as well. Long a suspect foul shooter and someone who didn’t need to be guarded closely on the perimeter, Pierre-Louis has made both a career-best 62.5% of his foul shots and 42.3% of his deep heaves so far. In keeping up his strong defense and better-than-ever playmaking as the co-pilot of Pasternack’s offense, Pierre-Louis has provided great value as a veteran leader.
When Pasternack landed Auburn transfer Yohan Traoré, it was seen as a major coup. Sure enough, Traoré has been excellent in a starring role. He’s posted 17 or more points in a game eight times already, though just once over his past seven contests. By shooting 77.8% on attempts near the rim, per Bart Torvik, Traoré is providing a focus for the quality looks manufactured by Pierre-Louis and Mitchell and a lob threat when they are closely guarded – the French big man has flushed 25 dunks already. Ariel Bland has provided a high-energy compliment to Traoré. While leading the team with 1.3 blocks per game, he’s also hitting the glass to the tune of 45 offensive boards and 7.1 rebounds per game in total: good for second and third in the conference, respectively. As much as any individual skill on this roster, though, guard Cole Anderson’s deep threat has been invaluable. His 54 made triples so far rank second in the Big West, while his 44.6% rate from distance ranks twelfth among all qualifying Division I players. With Mitchell, Pierre-Louis, and most of UCSB’s other scorers much more focused upon scoring inside the arc, Anderson’s production has accounted for 43.9% of the 3FG’s made by the Gauchos this year. With Creighton transfer Ben Shtolzberg and exciting freshman Jason Fontenet II still rounding into form, Santa Barbara remains a very dangerous team – the type of squad which could get hot and let the momentum carry them towards a league title…
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