UCSB

GameNight: North Carolina vs UCSB

CHN — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:47:35 -0500

Start: Nov 21 2008 - 10:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Raphielle Johnson

North Carolina (2-0) plays a tune-up before they make the flight to Maui for next week’s Maui Invitational, and given their depleted state you can excuse some folks for thinking of their last trip to Maui. That one, early in the 2004-05 season, began with a game against Santa Clara played without the services of Raymond Felton. The Broncos pulled off the upset, angering the Heels to the point that they blew away an overmatched field on the islands. With Tyler Hansbrough (stress reaction), Marcus Ginyard (stress fracture) and Tyler Zeller (broken wrist; out for the season) missing this one (Hansbrough wants to play, so we’ll see about his status), some could look at this as a possible upset opportunity.

But there’s one key difference between that last national title season and this one: these Heels have two games under their collective belts while the 04-05 version was playing their first game of the year. One of the nation’s best backcourts in Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green will be on display, and forwards Deon Thompson and Ed Davis will carry the load inside. Carolina is also coming off of a solid defensive effort against Kentucky, a game in which the Tar Heels forced twenty-eight turnovers to offset their shooting 41.4% from the field.

UCSB (1-1), led by guard James Powell and forward Chris Devine, split its first two games of the season and would like to make this a half-court game. UCSB is coming off of a school-record 23 wins and was picked to finish second in the Big West behind Cal-State Northridge this year. But for as good as Powell and Devine have the potential to be, the guy to watch is point guard Justin Joyner. Joyner, who played with a broken bone in his left wrist for part of last season, is a tough floor general who will have to decisively win his individual matchup with Lawson if the Gauchos are to entertain any thoughts of winning this game.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 20+

Preview & Prediction: By Blake Hofstad

We know about UNC. We know all the stars. We know they are supposed to be this year's Florida. And Santa Barbara is just the next team on the schedule. The Heels were not challenged at all by Kentucky on Tuesday night. I won't say UCSB will provide a stiffer test, but don't expect them to lie down and let Carolina bowl over them. This is a team that knocked off UNLV last year (unfortunately, they were victims of a 105-70 loss to North Carolina as well).

Let's start with the home team. The Gauchos of UCSB feature two big scorers. Chris Devine is a 6-8 forward who is their primary post option. James Powell is a 6-2 guard who shot 47% behind the arc last season, but is off to a cold start this season, only going 21%. He still does it all, getting 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists a game. The UCSB bench runs deep, as they rely on a lot of players to step up and give them points on any given night. One such player is D.J. Posley. Posley is fourth on the team in scoring, but leads the Gauchos in both assists and steals.

On to the number one team in the country. Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller and Marcus Ginyard are all out. If UNC is going to lose this season, someone has to take advantage of those injuries. Unfortunately, Santa Barbara is not that team. Even without those three, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Deon Thompson, Ed Davis and Danny Green are great players in their own right. Ellington and Green are knockdown shooters, Lawson is a speedster who can dish, Ed Davis is a superfrosh who is picking up the rebounding slack while Hansbrough's out, and Thompson has really flourished this year, averaging better than 18 points a game.

Ultimately, the Tar Heels should roll over the Gauchos. UCSB just does not have the firepower to match up with the best in the country.

Winner: North Carolina Margin: 20+

Big West Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:25:09 -0500

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Conference Rank: 19th

Conference Page

All-BIG WEST Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Josh Jenkins	Northridge	Sr
G	Josh Akognon	Fullerton	Sr
G	Donovan Morris	LBSU	Sr
F	Chris Devine	UCSB	Sr
F	Tremaine Townsend	Northridge	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Josh Akognon Donovan Morris		Points: Josh Akognon 20.2 Rebounds: Tremaine Townsend 9.8 Assists: Josh Jenkins 6.4

BIG WEST Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

98	Pacific	Big West	1	NCAA
115	CS Northridge	Big West	2
138	UC Santa Barbara	Big West	3
166	CS Fullerton**	Big West	4
182	Cal Poly	Big West	5
210	Long Beach St	Big West	6
259	UC Irvine	Big West	7
281	UC Riverside	Big West	8
311	UC Davis	Big West	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Note: A lot of changes have occurred at Pacific in the months since this preview was written. They would almost certainly not be our #1 choice as of today.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big West?

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Rise & Fall: Big West

State of '08: California

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Big West?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:38:41 -0400

2008-09 UCSB Basketball Preview: #138

Joel Welser — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:48:40 -0400

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Overall Rank: #138

Conference Rank: #3 Big West

2007-08: 23-9, 12-4, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: NIT

Losing their first game in the Big West Conference Tournament and their first game in the NIT has left a bad taste in the mouth of UC Santa Barbara fans. Spending a summer in Santa Barbara tends to ease most worries, but come November the Gaucho faithful will begin to wonder if they could not do it last year with Alex Harris, how are they supposed to do this time around without him?

Who’s Out:

Harris was a flat out, pure scorer for UCSB and averaged 20.2 points per game during his senior campaign. Not only did he hit 2.4 long balls per contest at a 42.3 percent mark, but he would go to the basket hard and at least get to the free-throw line. The frontcourt lost a couple impact players in Ivan Elliott and Nedim Pajevic. Elliott led the team in rebounding and blocked shots, and he could stretch out the defense with his ability to hit the outside shot.

Who’s In:

This should be one of Coach Bob Williams’ best recruiting classes in recent years. Shooting guard William Brew is quick, a great athlete and always plays hard, although sometimes he plays a little too hard and out of control. But either way, he is the type of player who can put up points in a hurry. George Murphy, who redshirted last year, will add some more depth to the perimeter and 6-5 wing James Nunnally could spend time at the three spot. The frontcourt could use some depth and there are plenty of options. Jesse Byrd has the experience after spending a couple years at San Francisco. At 6-10 and 225 pounds, redshirt freshman Spencer Ford has plenty of potential. It may take another year or two before he becomes a major impact player, but Ford should at least see some minutes off the bench. Incoming freshman Greg Somogyi and Jaime Serna will provide even more depth.

Who to Watch:

If he is healthy, Justin Joyner will be the leader of this team. As a sophomore last season he averaged 3.6 assists and 1.8 turnovers. That 2-to1 assist-to-turnover ratio is already pretty good, but it could be even better. Now that his favorite receiving target is gone, Joyner could take a few more shots, but he has to prove he can knock them down consistently. However, replacing Harris’ scoring might be even more important and that job falls to James Powell. The 6-2 junior is a great shooter from long range and knocked down 46.7 percent of his attempts…and it is not like he did not take a lot of shots from beyond the arc. If he becomes more assertive getting to the basket, Powell will have a huge year. Players like defensive specialist D.J. Posley and combo guard Paul Roemer could see more minutes this year, especially early in the season while the newcomers adjust.

Final Projection:

Powell is the outside scorer, and Chris Devine is his counterpart on the inside. The 6-8 Eagle River, Alaska native averaged 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds last season and is poised for a big senior campaign. Devine has started the last 89 games UCSB has played and is a steadying force under the basket. He will not block many shots and the Gauchos need to find a frontcourt player to compliment him in that department and on the glass, but Devine is the leader and the scorer of the frontcourt. Once the newcomers find their roles, the frontcourt will be very strong and with a player like Powell on the perimeter, UCSB will compete for a Big West title.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Justin Joyner, Junior, Guard, 3.8 points per game

James Powell, Junior, Guard, 12.2 points per game

D.J. Posley, Senior, Guard, 2.7 points per game

Jesse Byrd, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Chris Devine, Senior, Forward, 12.3 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

NABC All-Star Game Rosters Announced

Press Release — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:24:37 -0400

The NABC All-Star Game rosters were announced today. The NABC All-Star Game is a showcase for top seniors that takes place in the Alamo Dome Friday evening before the Final Four

American All-Stars
-coached by former South Carolina head coach Dave Odom

Brian Butch of Wisconsin
Jamar Butler of Ohio State
Jaycee Carroll of Utah State
Robbie Cowgill of Washington State
Sundiata Gaines of Georgia
James Gist of Maryland
Mike Green of Butler
Alex Harris of UC Santa Barbara
Robert McKiver of Houston
David Padgett of Louisville
Brian Randle of Illinois
Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State

National All-Stars
-coached by Clemson's Oliver Purnell.

Ramel Bradley of Kentucky
Will Daniels of Rhode Island
Josh Duncan of Xavier
Shan Foster of Vanderbilt
Cliff Hammonds of Clemson
Joe Jones of Texas A&M
Aleks Maric of Nebraska
DeMarcus Neslon of Duke
Sean Singletary of Virginia
Jason Thompson of Rider
Jonathan Wallace of Georgetown

2008 NIT Capsule: UCSB

Joel Welser — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:50:04 -0400

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Big West (23-8, 12-4)

Big Wins: 11/27 UNLV (63-60), 1/12 at Cal State Fullerton (87-72), 3/6 at Cal State Northridge (77-66)

Bad Losses: 1/10 at UC Irvine (63-66), 1/24 Pacific (58-71), 2/9 UC Irvine (59-65)

Coach: Bob Williams

Probable Starters:

Justin Joyner, Sophomore, Guard, 3.7 ppg, 3.6 apg

James Powell, Sophomore, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 2.2 apg

Alex Harris, Senior, Guard, 20.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Chris Devine, Junior, Forward, 12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg

Ivan Elliott, Senior, Forward, 9.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

D.J. Posley, Junior, Guard, 2.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Paul Roemer, Sophomore, Guard, 2.3 ppg, 1.7 apg

Nedim Pajevic, Senior, Forward, 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Hitting nearly 42 percent of your three-point attempts is a great indicator when picking an upset. UCSB is one of the best shooting teams from beyond the arc in the nation and when the shot is falling, the Gauchos can beat anybody. Unlike most great shooting teams, UCSB only has two players who take a majority of the long balls. Alex Harris hits 2.4 per game at a 42.9 percent clip. James Powell hits 2.4 per game at an amazing 45.6 percent. Those are a couple of great wings.

But they do not just shoot the long ball, especially Harris. The 6-6 senior will use his size and strength to finish around the basket and he gets to the free-throw line seven times a game. And since he shoots over 80 percent from the charity stripe, it is even better that he gets to the line that often. Harris has been extremely efficient, scoring between 13 and 31 points in every game he has played, but he will need something closer to the latter to pull off an upset in March.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Forwards Chris Devine and Ivan Elliott can score and create space for the shooters on the wing, but the rebounding has been a problem. The team gets outrebounded by about three boards per game and they will not be able to afford to give away second chance points. The only frontcourt option off the bench is Nedim Pajevic, who does a decent job on the glass, but is not much of an improvement over the starters in that department. The team also commits a lot of fouls and those are the only three frontcourt players who see much action. Luckily, the Gauchos foul trouble tends to be spread out, so Devine and Elliott do not commit as many fouls as it would appear.

Who To Watch:

The big guys are decent passers and can find the scorers quite a bit, but it is up to point guard Justin Joyner to collapse the defense and open up Harris or Powell for the long ball. Joyner is a pure playmaker and will rarely look to score. He can put up points more than he does, but rarely will UCSB and Coach Bob Williams need him to with the talent on the wings. Joyner is the piece of the puzzle that makes everything else work as well as it does. If he can get to the basket, Harris and Powell will do the rest.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.5 (142^nd in nation, 4^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.2 (69, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 45.9 (85, 5)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.7 (167, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (76, 2)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.8 (3, 1)

Free-Throw Percentage: 76.1 (11, 1)

Rebound Margin: -2.9 (277, 8)

Assists Per Game: 14.7 (88, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.5 (185, 4)

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Three Stars of the Day: November 28th

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:06:48 -0500

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

James Powell - UCSB

Overcoming a horrid first half, UCSB came back to beat UNLV last night thanks to Powell's 15 points and game-winning three with 0.4 seconds to go

Eric Gordon - Indiana

Gordon got to the hoop repeatedly in Indiana's 83-79 win, finishing with 29 points

Stefon Jackson - UTEP

In a game that was closer than the 84-76 final score, Jackson led the way for the Miners with a 30 points

Other Top Performers

Alex Barnett - Dartmouth - The Big Green improved to 3-3 behind the junior's career game of 25 points, 11 boards, and 6 big blocks

Patrick Patterson - Kentucky - The Wildcats put away Stony Brook behind 19 and 12 from Patterson, his third double-double in four games

Walter Sharpe - UAB - Playing the best ball of his young career, Sharpe finished with 23 and 9 boards in the Blazers win at Louisiana-Lafayette

Previous Stars of the Day

November 27th - Stephen Curry, Davidson

November 26th - Michael Bramos, Miami (OH)

November 22nd - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

November 21st - Kyle Singler, Duke

November 20th - Patty Mills, Saint Mary's

November 19th - Matt Causey, Georgia Tech

November 18th - Daniel Hackett, USC

November 17th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

November 16th - JJ Hickson, NC State

November 15th - Jon Brockman, Washington

Top 144 Previews | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Daily Poll: Who Will Win the Big West?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:43:22 -0400

2007-08 UCSB Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 08:51:19 -0400

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Overall Rank: #102

Conference Rank: #1 Big West

2006-07: 18-11, 9-5, 2^nd (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

The only thing UC Santa Barbara needs to win the Big West is a little passion. The blame for lack of enthusiasm can be spread around, but in the end it falls on Coach Bob Williams. Coach Williams has done a good job bringing talent into Santa Barbara, but it has yet to develop into something the Gauchos can hang their hat on. Yet, with a little addition by subtraction, the 2007-2008 version of UCSB may find their passion rekindled and, even if they do not, they still have the most talent in the conference.

Who’s Out:

The Gauchos do return the five players who started a majority of their contests last season. Yet, just about everybody else is gone. Guard Cecil Brown, who averaged 9.3 points per game, and forward Glenn Turner, who played an important role on the glass, are the only two losses to graduation. Trevor Bing, Emmanuel Bidias a Moute and Tom Garlepp have all transferred. All three saw some minutes off the bench last year, but Bidias a Moute and Garlepp would have likely been in the regular rotation this year if they had stuck around.

Who’s In:

A couple of the newcomers will be asked to at least be producers off the bench. Nedim Pajevic, a transfer from Weber State, may even be starting from day one. The 6-9 center averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds for the Wildcats two years ago and will provide a big body under the basket for the Gauchos. D.J. Posley, a transfer from John A. Logan College, is the other newcomer that should make an immediate impact. The 6-3 combo guard will do a little bit of everything and can quickly tally some points in the scoring column when he needs to. Sam Phippen is a dynamic power forward. The 6-9, 220 pound redshirt freshman can battle inside and step outside and hit the three-pointer. He will not find it easy to get many minutes this year, but if he lives up to his potential, Phippen will add another quality big man to the roster. George Murphy, Nick Quick and Jordan Weiner will add some much needed depth to the perimeter. Murphy on the wing, walk-on Quick at the point and walk-on Weiner at the off-guard are not the most talented players on the roster, but they will be given the opportunity to earn some quality minutes since the perimeter depth is pretty much non-existent without them.

Who to Watch:

The depth may not be experienced, but the perimeter starters sure do not lack any firepower. After averaging 8.3 points per game as a sophomore, Alex Harris burst onto the national scene as a junior and averaged 21.1 points per game. The First Team All-Big West honoree will likely lead the conference in scoring once again, but who knows what he will do for an encore. Part-time starter James Powell saw time at both guard spots last season, but should be spending most of his minutes at the off-guard spot this year. Powell can hit the outside shot, but a little more consistency with the long ball would help Powell during his sophomore campaign. Justin Joyner had a successful freshman campaign running the point, averaging 4.8 points, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals.

Final Projection:

Chris Devine is the star of the frontcourt, although Gaucho fans hope Pajevic can add another dynamic option up front during his one year in Santa Barbara. Devine averaged 14.1 points and a team high 6.6 rebounds last year and, as an upperclassman who was recently awarded a sixth year of eligibility, the two time Second Team All-Big West honoree will be shooting for First Team accolades. Ivan Elliott had a shockingly good junior campaign, averaging 6.1 points and 6.0 rebounds after spending two years West Valley College. Elliott is likely to feel the playing time pinch with the addition of Pajevic, but if the versatile 6-8 San Francisco product is relegated to the bench, he will easily be the best non-starting big man in the conference and help UCSB reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2002.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Justin Joyner, Sophomore, Guard, 4.8 points per game

James Powell, Sophomore, Guard, 8.8 points per game

Alex Harris, Senior, Guard, 21.1 points per game

Chris Devine, Junior, Forward, 14.1 points per game

Nedim Pajevic, Senior, Forward, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview