Big WEST/SKY

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Tonites plays.....

UC Irvine -2.
Hands down the hottest team in the Big West right now. Have not lost a game since their home lose to Cal Poly SLO. UCI is certainly looking for revenge and also to keep a hold of their #1 standing in the Big West, 1/2 game ahead of UCSB who will also win tonite, plus UCI is @ UCSB Sat. No UCI is not looking ahead to that game, they clearly need to get this one first so that they can head down to Santa Barbara w/ some momentum and determination.

LBSU+17
49ers aren't good, and yes UCSB is looking for revenge for some how losing at the pyramid earlier in the season. However LBSU still has a shot for the Big West toruney if they win. No they won't win but they have enough fire to keep it close at a solid UCSB team that definetly does not blow teams out. Look for UCSB to be up around the line all night then likely bench their top guys and lose some tenacity late in the game, solely so that they can get focused for the big show down on Sat w/ UCI.

Weber St +3
This may look like a gift since Weber is in my eyes gonna make some noise in March, however EWU is definetly looking to end Webers win streak. Regardless of the outcome EWU is #2 in the Big Sky tourney and Weber #1. Personally i think Weber wants to keep the streak alive more so than EWU wants to end it, so take the points and look for a tight game up to the last few mins when Weber pulls away.

Idaho St -1
Portland is horrible, however still has a chance to make the Big Sky tourney. Yet if Idaho St wins they move into 3rd place all alone and will likely get a first round home game in the Big Sky tourney. Plus they are just a betetr team, Idaho has some good wins this year, and all Portland St has is that QB is supposedly food, no home court no fans, Idaho should roll.

 

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UCI BRINGS 6-GAME WIN STREAK TO CENTRAL COAST: Coach Pat Douglass? UC Irvine men?s basketball team, 17-7 overall and 11-4 in the Big West Conference, puts its season-high, six-game winning streak on the line this week with road challenges at Cal Poly Thursday and UC Santa Barbara Saturday. The Mustangs and Gauchos gave UCI its only home losses of the current season.

The Anteaters are in first place in the Big West, one-half game ahead of UCSB and one game in front of Utah State. Cal Poly is in fourth place at 8-6. UCSB hosts Long Beach State Thursday night. UCI is coming off home wins over Cal State Northridge (64-57) and Pacific (78-73 OT) this past weekend. Following this weekend's games, the Anteaters return home to host Long Beach State in the regular-season finale March 8 at the Bren Center.

SERIES RECORDS: The UCI-Cal Poly series is tied at 10-10 after the Mustangs defeated the Anteaters, 74-68, at the Bren Center Feb. 1 behind 20 points from Varnie Dennis. Adam Parada led UCI with 16 points in that game. UCSB leads the series with the Anteaters 34-22 following the Gauchos? 70-54 victory at the Bren Center Jan. 30. Branduinn Fullove had 22 points as UCSB handed UCI its worst home loss in four years. Jeff Gloger led UCI with 13 points.

ANTEATERS BACK IN MID-MAJOR POLL: UCI has moved back into the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll at No. 20 this week. Creighton, Butler and Weber State are 1-2-3.

GLOGER TIES BROOKS: With three steals in each of last week?s wins, redshirt freshman point guard Jeff Gloger has 66 on the season to tie Scott Brooks? school record of 66 set in 1986-87.

PARADA 1ST IN BLOCKS, 13TH IN CAREER BOARDS: Junior center Adam Parada ranks No. 1 in career blocked shots at UCI with 105. He is currently 13th in career rebounding at UCI with 550 boards after tying his season high with 13 in Saturday?s win over Pacific. Jeff Cunningham (1967-70) is 12th with 574.

UC IRVINE?S TENTATIVE STARTERS
F - 12 - Stanislav Zuzak (6-10, 235, Jr., 8.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
F - 13 - Jordan Harris (6-5, 220, Sr., 12.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg)
C - 55 - Adam Parada (7-0, 250, Jr., 12.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg)
PG - 10 - Jeff Gloger (6-4, 190, Fr., 8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg)
G - 20 - Mike Hood (6-4, 190, Sr., 10.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg)

IN THE BIG WEST STATS: Jeff Gloger ranks first in the Big West for all games in steals at 2.8 per game and Adam Parada is first in field-goal percentage at .553. Ross Schraeder is No. 1 in three-point field goal percentage at .438 and Mike Hood is fourth at .412. Parada is fourth in blocked shots at 0.92. As a team, UCI is first for all games in free-throw percentage (.748) and three-point field goal percentage (.382). In league games only, Hood is first in free-throw percentage (.905) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.456), while Gloger is No. 1 in steals (2.33). Parada is third in rebounding (7.0) and field-goal percentage (.511). UCI leads the league in scoring offense for conference games at 67.7 and is second in field-goal percentage (.453) and three-point field percentage (.379).

ANTEATER LEADERS: Senior forward Jordan Harris has regained the UCI scoring lead at 12.1 points per game, followed by Adam Parada at 12.0 and Mike Hood with a 10.1 average. Parada, who is shooting 55.3 percent, leads the team in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game followed by Matt Okoro at 4.3. Parada leads the team with 22 blocked shots and is UCI?s career leader with 105. Stanislav Zuzak and Jeff Gloger are each averaging 8.0 points per game. Gloger leads the Big West with 66 steals and also has 66 assists to top the Anteaters. Hood has 48 assists and 27 steals, while Harris has recorded 39 assists and 28 steals.

ANTEATER NOTES, TRENDS, ETC.

--- UC Irvine has won 41 of its last 51 Big West Conference games dating back to the final two league games of the 1999-2000 season.

--- UC Irvine is 65-24 (.730) in its last 89 games, dating back to the last three games of the 1999-2000 season.

--- UC Irvine is 27-9 in its last 36 games decided by five or fewer points.

--- UC Irvine has utilized seven different starting lineups this season, but the same unit (Gloger, Hood, Zuzak, Harris, Parada) has started the last 12 games.

--- Eight different players have led UCI in scoring over the first 24 games this season, including seven by Jordan Harris, six by Adam Parada, and five by Mike Hood.

 

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Since formalities are out of the way, it should be a fun week for the Eastern Washington University men's basketball team.

The Eagles already know they will be the No. 2 seed for the fourth-straight season when they travel to Ogden, Utah, for the Big Sky Conference Tournament "Final Four" on March 11-12. Thus, this week EWU can set its sights on getting revenge over a pair of teams that knocked the Eagles out of the conference lead in January.

Weber State -- trying to become only the second team in history to finish unbeaten in Big Sky Conference play -- visits Reese Court on Thursday (Feb. 27). Idaho State, trying to earn the Big Sky's No. 3 seed, will visit on Saturday (March 1). Both games begin at 7:05 p.m.

Last Saturday (Feb. 22), the Eagles clinched the No. 2 seed with a 72-58 victory over Portland State, and Weber State clinched the regular season title with a 79-64 victory over Northern Arizona. The Eagles are now 17-9 overall and 9-3 in the Big Sky, and the Wildcats are 22-5 on the season and have won all 12 of their Big Sky games. Idaho State is 6-6 in the conference and 13-12 overall.

"It's huge to get it done with right now, and now we can go have fun with Weber on Thursday," Eagle head coach Ray Giacoletti said. "We'll tee it up and take a heckuva swing at them."

The Eagles are now the first Big Sky Conference team in 30 years to finish second or better (including tiebreakers) in the regular season in four-straight seasons and earn a first-round bye in the league tournament. Weber State was the first and only team to accomplish that feat in the 1970-73 conference seasons as the Wildcats won league titles all four years.

Eastern may also be the only team that can stop Weber State's perfect run through this year's conference schedule, something that has happened just once before in conference history when Weber State went 15-0 in the 1968-69 season. Eastern has a Big Sky-best 42-16 (.724) conference record in the last four seasons, followed closely by Weber State at 38-20 (.655).

"That's a tribute to a lot of players over those four years," said Giacoletti of the four-year run of success, including his three years as EWU's head coach. "Obviously we're excited about it."

"(The Portland State) win takes some pressure off, and turns it back into fun again on Thursday with Weber coming to town," he added. "There is no better time than now to take a big swing and be the aggressor. It should be fun at Reese Court. Hopefully we can get some people out there like the Montana game. That was a great atmosphere and I know it would really help our guys."

Three Eagle seniors -- Chris Hester, T.J. Williams and Keith Browne -- will be playing their last games at Reese Court this week. All three were junior college transfers who have played the last two seasons for the Eagles, directing the Eagles to 34 victories thus far.

Earlier this season, Eastern had its six-game winning streak snapped with an 88-86 double-overtime loss at Idaho State. Two nights later the Eagles fell to Weber State 74-61. The Eagles are 4-1 since then.


Eagle Head Coach Ray Giacoletti on Weber State: "Weber State is a very good basketball team obviously to be 12-0 and undefeated at this point of the season. Joe Cravens has done a great job. We just want to play our best basketball on Thursday, and have fun doing it. We're going to find a way to be at our best and get it done. If we can find a new wrinkle here or there, we'll give it a shot and see how Weber handles it. We learned from the defeat down in Ogden earlier in the year, and we're constantly striving through the whole year to get better."


Giacoletti on Three Seniors Playing Last Games at Reese Court: "These will be the last opportunities at Reese Court for our three seniors. Those three guys have meant a lot to the success we've had the last two years. We're looking forward to finishing as strong as we can."


Eagle Milestones - Giacoletti Goes for 100th Win: The Eagles are now 15-5 in Big Sky home games under head coach Ray Giacoletti, and 15-7 on the road. His collective Big Sky record of 30-12 gives him a .714 winning percentage in three seasons at the helm to currently rank fifth in Big Sky history. He is now looking for his 100th win as a head coach, with a current record of 99-66 (.600) in five seasons.

Eastern has a Big Sky-best 42-16 (.724) conference record in the last four seasons, followed closely by Weber State at 38-20 (.655).

Eastern's 17 victories this season matches Eastern's third-best win total as a member of NCAA Division I, and EWU is just one win away from matching its second-most victories. Now in its 20th season as a Division I member, EWU's most successful season in the previous 19 years came in 1985-86 when the Eagles finished 20-8.

With 17 wins this season for the second-straight year, this is the most productive two-year (34 wins), three-year (51 wins) and four-year (66 wins) stretches since Eastern went to NCAA Division I in the 1983-84 season. Until the current stretch of four-straight winning seasons, Eastern had never had back-to-back winning seasons as a member of Division I.

Including the previous three seasons, Eastern has won 21 of 26 games in February. The Eagles shared the Big Sky regular season title with Montana in the 1999-2000 season, and the past two seasons have advanced to the Big Sky Conference Championship game after finishing second in the league.

 

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Adding UW-Milwaukee. Wright St has lost it. Have nothing to play for, yeah they are decent at home but probably have the worst D in the Horizon. UWM is too strong this year and absolutely deserves a spot in the dance1


UCI now at -1.5 @ Olympic, ante up, hit'em again!