UC San Diego’s men’s basketball team is closing in on the first NCAA Tournament invitation in school history.
The Tritons (24-2, 12-2 Big West) have won seven straight games and are rolling into March. Currently tied for first place in their conference, they play at Cal Poly (10-16, 4-10) Thursday night.
Senior forward Anawaniwa Tait-Jones leads the Big West in scoring, leads the nation in free-throw attempts and is averaging 26 points over his last seven games.
Hayden Gray leads the nation in steals. Chris Howell and Justin Rochelin are two of the best defenders in America.
UC San Diego is among the best defensive teams in the nation. And while the Tritons may be lined up for the first tournament appearance in school history, coach Eric Olen is keeping a level head.
“We can’t get caught up in the big picture,” he said. “Just game to game. It’s how we approach it. We all know the big picture. Just take to every game. Focus on that day.”
Olen may be one of the most sought-after coaches in the nation. UCSD athletic director Earl Edwards said the school is doing everything possible to keep Olen.
The Indiana job is open, and a source told the Union-Tribune that Olen is on the Hoosiers’ radar. Olen would be a logical candidate for many major Division I jobs.
“He’s the best basketball coach in the country, we all know that,” Edwards said. “Financially, we have to talk about that. Some big school is gonna drop big money on Eric. We understand that. We want to keep him. At the same time, we are a growing program. UC San Diego is a job everyone wants. We want Eric to be here forever. But let’s be honest: the big schools are coming after him. We all know that.”
UCSD can secure a berth in the Big Dance by winning the Big West Tournament. The top two seeds at the end of the regular season will get a double-bye into the conference tournament semifinals.
The Tritons are ranked No. 3 in latest Mid-Major Top 25. They’re No. 40 in Kenpom, one slot ahead of No. 41 San Diego State.
UC Irvine, the team tied with UCSD atop the Big West standings, hosts third-place Cal State Northridge (18-7, 10-4) on Thursday. UCSD will return home to LionTree Arena on Saturday to take on Hawaii (14-12, 6-9). The Tritons won 74-63 at Hawaii on Jan. 30.
USD to host Oregon State
Struggling USD is idle until Saturday, when it hosts Oregon State at 2 p.m. for Alumni Appreciation Day. The Toreros are 4-24 overall and 1-14 in West Coast Conference play. They haven’t won since Dec. 30, when they beat Pacific for their lone conference win.
PLNU to host Vanguard
Point Loma Nazarene (21-5, 14-2 Big West) played at Azusa Pacific late Wednesday and will host Vanguard University at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Sea Lions won 86-55 when it faced Vanguard last month in Costa Mesa.
