With UC San Diego ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, the Big West conference has 10 other teams vying for the automatic bid by winning the Big West basketball tournament. Let’s break down the conference tournament, previewing the conference and giving the standings, bracket and schedule.
Be sure to visit our College Basketball Conference Tournaments Hub for more Champ Week coverage!
Big West Basketball Standings
| Team | Conference Record | Overall Record | Tournament Outlook |
| UC Santa Barbara | 13-3 | 19-4 | 1 Seed |
| UC Irvine | 10-4 | 16-8 | 2 Seed |
| UC Riverside | 8-4 | 13-7 | 3 Seed |
| UC Davis | 6-4 | 9-7 | 4 Seed |
| CSU Bakersfield | 9-7 | 15-10 | 5 Seed |
| Hawai’i | 9-9 | 11-9 | 7 Seed |
| CSU Fullerton | 5-7 | 6-9 | 6 Seed |
| CSU Northridge | 5-9 | 9-12 | 8 Seed |
| Long Beach State | 4-8 | 5-11 | 9 Seed |
| Cal Poly | 1-15 | 3-19 | 10 Seed |
Big West Basketball Schedule
Dates: March 9, 11-13
TV: ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas< NV
Byes: Top six get single bye
Most Recent Champion: UC Irvine
Big West Tournament Bracket
*Note: All times provided are Eastern
First Round (Tues., March 9), ESPN3
- (9) Long Beach State 85, (8) Cal State Northridge 63
- (10) Cal Poly 87, (7) Cal State Fullerton 82
Quarterfinals (March 11), ESPN3
- (1) UC Santa Barbara 95, (9) Long Beach State 87
- (4) UC Davis 58, (5) Cal State Bakersfield 56
- (2) UC Irvine 58, (10) Cal Poly 51
- (3) UC Riverside 62, (6) Hawai’i 52
Semifinals (March 12), ESPNU
- (1) UC Santa Barbara 71, (4) UC Davis 55
- (3) UC Riverside vs. (2) UC Irvine
Championship (March 13), ESPNU
- (1) UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m
Big West Basketball Breakdown
Given their recent history, UC–Irvine has to be considered one of the top two favorites to win this tournament. They have won or had a share of the regular season title in five of the eight past seasons. They were also the winners of the last Big West basketball tournament. UC-Irvine handed UC-Santa Barbara two of their three losses on the season, and it looks likely that the two teams will meet again. Consistency is the difference between these two teams.
While Irvine was on point in their matchups, it’s UC–Santa Barbara that was most consistent this season. They also have one of the best offenses and defenses in the conference. Led by JaQuori McLaughlin, the offense can compete with anyone. McLaughlin is top-five in the conference in field goals made, field goals attempted and field goal percentage.
Hawai’i had an average season, shown by their 9-9 conference record. However, they are a dangerous team because they have shown the ability to play up to their competition. They have wins against UC-Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, UC-Irvine, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Long Beach and UC-Davis. They are one of those annoying teams that will find a way to hang around, giving themselves a chance to play spoiler.
