Let’s get ready for conference play in the Big West!

I wrote a conference preview for the Big West a few months ago. Now it’s the New Year, which means it’s time to revisit the conference, see what’s changed, and get a good idea about who’s really going to have a chance to contend.

Two teams have raised their profile over the rest: Hawai’i and UC Irvine. The Rainbow Warriors will not be able to participate in the postseason, but Eran Ganot has them already buying in and playing really great basketball.

Coming off their first Big West Tournament title, UC Irvine is again poised to be the favorite. What about everyone else? Read below to find out where they stand going into Big West play.

Since transfers are such a part of the Big West, I’ll also look at what players who didn’t spend their first college season at each school have contributed so far — especially newcomers to their respective school.

Hawai’i (11-2 overall)

(10-1 at home, 0-1 on the road). For the last year, Hawai’i has been under the cloud of an NCAA investigation. While they should be able to move on under first-year head coach Eran Ganot, it looks like they’ll be out of the postseason NEXT year. Read this article to get more details about the sanctions.

Who they’ve beaten

Montana State, Coastal Carolina, Nevada, Nicholls State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, UH-Hilo, Hawai’i Pacific, Northern Iowa, Auburn, Mississippi Valley State, Howard

Best win

Their schedule isn’t the TOUGHEST, but they’ve played some good teams. Beating the SEC’s Auburn was definitely their biggest win of the season.

Who they’ve lost to

@Texas Tech and Oklahoma, by eight and three points respectively.

Worst loss

n/a – When you’re a Big West team and your only two losses are to Big 12 schools, you are probably feeling decent about yourself. Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma are top-50 teams, but Oklahoma is a top-10 squad. This is a year Hawai’i can absolutely win the Big West. With next year’s postseason ban, there may be some extra motivation there too.

What they’ve done well

They seem to have made a great coaching hire. Eran Ganot has had some possibile disciplinary issues early on, but the cupboard was anything but bare for the former Saint Mary’s assistant. Next year’s postseason ban will be hurt, but I’d look for him to keep strengthening his roster over the next few years despite the ban as Hawai’i comes out of NCAA purgatory.

What’s changed

Ganot. Also, Hawai’i has continued to score while playing better defense than a year ago. Four players average in double-digits and eight guys score more than five points per game. Aaron Valdes is averaging 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Valdes is one of a few early frontrunners for Big West Player of the Year.

Transfer game

Hawai’i’s roster boasts five transfers overall. Sai Tummala (Arizona State) has come off the bench to make 40 percent of his three-pointers so far this season. Roderick Bobbitt, the reigning Big West Player of the Week, is a senior who was a JuCo transfer last year. Bobbitt is averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.

The Rainbow Warriors haven’t gone on the road much yet this year and will start conference with a two-game homestand vs. the Central Coast’s Cal Poly and UCSB before boarding a plane to California.

UC Irvine (11-5)

If anybody thought Russell Turner’s team was going to have a let-down after a dominant Big West Tournament run last year, they were wrong. Mamadou Ndiaye is now leading the team in scoring, though the Anteaters play with balance and poise in a way that any of five guys could lead them in scoring on any given night.

Who they’ve beaten

UC San Diego, Loyola Marymount, UCF, Santa Clara, Boston College, Pacific, Utah State, Chapman, Sam Houston State, Norfolk State, New Mexico State

Best win

I guess it would have to be Boston College. They are in the biggest conference and they are probably as close to a top-150 team in the country as the Anteaters have beaten.

Who they’ve lost to

Boise State, Evansville, Saint Mary’s, Oregon, Kansas

Worst loss

They haven’t had any bad losses. Boise State is a clear top-100 team and is probably the one the Anteaters would really want back. It wasn’t a really bad loss though.

What they’ve done well

Defense. While UC Irvine’s offense is slightly above average, their defense is WAY above average — top 50 in the nation actually according to Ken Pomeroy’s rankings. Mamadou Ndiaye is a force in the middle, but they can also play senior Mike best (6’10”) and junior Ioannis Dimakopoulos, who stands at 7’1″. Match that “no paint for you” defensive game with guards like Luke Nelson and Alex Young who flat-out know how to play, and there aren’t any discernible holes on UCI’s roster for the second straight year.

What’s changed

The Anteaters lost Will Davis II, but have plenty of front-line depth still and are still a very balanced team. Nothing’s really changed about the way I’m thinking about them this season — they’re still absolutely the favorites in the conference. I guess the best another team could hope for would be to get two of their giants into foul trouble and then attack the paint or something… . If you play timid against UCI, they’re always going to kill you.

Transfer game

Unusually for the Big West, UCI has only one transfer on their roster, not counting England-International player Luke Nelson, who is in his junior year and who started at UCI as a freshman.

Dominique Dunning is a 6’4″ guard who transferred from New Mexico. Dunning is averaging four points and three rebounds per game in 21 minutes on average.

UC Riverside (9-7 overall)

The Highlanders had two known commodities in Taylor Johns and Jaylen Bland coming into the 2015-16 season. Forward Taylor Johns averages about 15 points and almost nine rebounds per contest. At 6’7″, he’s a beast on the glass on both sides of the court. Jaylen Bland leads the team in scoring at over 17 points per game.

Who they’ve beaten

William Jessup, Santa Clara, Delaware State, Lamar, Northern Colorado, Abilene Christian, Life Pacific, Denver, Morgan State

Best win

Each one of UC Riverside’s Division I victories have come against schools that aren’t very good. In the past week, they’ve lost to two decent (but not great) teams in Ohio and Cal State Bakersfield. Neither of the games was very close. It’s almost a certainty that they’ll have several better wins during conference play. For them to finish in the top five as the preseason poll predicted, that will be a necessity.

Who they’ve lost to

San Francisco, Rice, Loyola Marymount, UNLV, Houston Baptist, Ohio, CSU Bakersfield

Worst loss

I’m going to say at Houston Baptist. Yes, it was on the road, but Houston Baptist is a top-300 team in Division I at-best right now. Their baseball team is great, but it’s a basketball team that another D-I team with a winning record should be able to handle.

UC Riverside’s strength of schedule so far is one of the worst in Division I college basketball, but if you think they won’t compete for a spot in the top half of the Big West, you’re wrong.

What they’ve done well

The Highlanders are a team who knows their identity. They have very clear leaders in Johns and Bland and what looks like a clear third option in Secean Johnson. The rest of the guys are role guys who are going to have to make open shots and help open things up for their stars. UC Riverside might be simple to scout, but their two or three best players are good enough that playing them definitely isn’t that simple.

What’s changed

The emergence of Johnson in the preseason is probably the biggest story for the Highlanders. Along with 11.6 points, he’s averaging 5.6 rebounds and taking pressure on both ends of the floor away from Taylor Johns. If Johns doesn’t have to work quite as hard throughout the game, he won’t be quite as gassed during crunch time, when the Highlanders will need him the most on both ends of the floor.

Transfer game

Almost all the key contributors on head coach Dennis Cutts’ roster are transfers. Jaylen Bland (Murray State, College of the Canyons) is their leading scorer in his second year at UCR.

Newcomers Secean Johnson (Seward County Community College, 11.6 ppg), Gentrey Thomas (Snow College, 6.9 ppg), and Malik Thames (Central Arizona Community College, 6.6 ppg) have provided over one third of the Highlanders’ offense this season as Dennis Cutts’ team might have a little more offensive poise and ability than a year ago overall. Primitivo Gomez (East Los Angeles College) has been a role player so far this year.

Chance Murray (Arizona State) will have to sit out this year per NCAA Transfer rules.

The big question will be how the winning record in the preseason against a fairly weak schedule plays out when they get into Big West play.

Cal State Fullerton (7-6)

Dedrique Taylor’s team has managed a .500 record so far this year, despite being picked last in the Big West preseason poll.

Who they’ve beaten

Pacific, San Diego, Southern Utah, Nevada, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Seattle, Cal State East Bay.

Best win

The Titans’ best win came November 28th at home against Nevada, who is probably a top-half team in Division I based on current returns.

Cal State Fullerton’s strength of schedule hasn’t been great, but it’s not as bad as UC Riverside’s so far this year. It’s in the bottom half of Division I, but probably appropriate for a program trying to get on the right track. Taylor has done a good job.

Who they’ve lost to

Washington, Loyola Marymount (twice), Oregon State, Portland, Portland State

Worst loss

The Titans’ worst loss so far was to Portland State. Lately, they haven’t been playing their best ball, losing their last five games. Portland State was probably a team Cal State Fullerton thought they should have beat.

What they’ve done well

Taylor’s team found a really good rhythm early-on. Tre Coggins uses a lot of their possessions and second-leading scorer Malcom Brooks is super efficient. Put those two up with Khalil Ahmad, and the Titans’ top-three scorers are averaging 40 percent-plus from three-point range. Whether they have the all around depth or consistency yet to compete every night is still a question, but Fullerton will flat-out surprise a team or three in conference play.

What’s changed

Taylor doesn’t like the transfer game, but he got some good ones (read below). Before the season started, he really liked the character of the guys he had this season, which counts for something — especially when you have it in talented guards who are upper classmen.

Transfer game

“I think the transfer game sucks,” Taylor told me before the season started, speaking of the general trend of players to transfer all over the place. That said, he’s benefited from a few really skilled transfers this season.

Tre Coggins (Air Force) and Malcom Brooks (Pepperdine) are the Titans’ two leading scorers. The best name in the Big West, Lionheart Leslie is a JuCo transfer, and there are three others on Taylor’s roster.

Cal Poly (6-7)

Who they’ve beaten

Cal State Monterey Bay, Austin Peay, UMBC, University of Antelope Valley, Fresno State, UTSA

Best win

Fresno State, going away. The Bulldogs are in the top third of Division I teams and the Mustangs hadn’t beaten them in SLO in over 30 years. The game is the blueprint for how Cal Poly feels they’re capable of playing this year.

Who they’ve lost to

UNLV, UCLA, IPFW, Saint Mary’s, USC, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas A&M

Worst loss

Five of Cal Poly’s losses would have been huge upsets had the Mustangs won. The two games Joe Callero would definitely like to have back are IPFW at home and at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. KenPom.com ranks both of those teams well below the Mustangs. The IPFW loss at home stings especially, since the Mastadons not only carved-up Cal Poly’s defense, but provided a blueprint for other teams with similar personnel to beat the Mustangs.

What they’ve done well

Joe Callero’s team goes 10 or 11 deep, and he’s used that to push the pace up above average — a far cry from recent years when Cal Poly’s defense and ball control on offense kept scores in the 50’s and low 60’s pretty often.

With scores in the 70’s now, the Mustangs are still controlling the ball fairly well. They don’t turn it over much, but then again they don’t force many turnovers either.

Cal Poly’s shooting the ball really well from three point range, too. They are the 39th-best three point shooting team in the country at just under 40 percent.

What’s changed

The pace is the main thing that’s changed. Cal Poly fans might be worried that the Mustangs ditched any idea about defense along with their slow pace. Cal Poly’s offense is pretty well in-place, but it will be there defense that will determine whether they have a successful conference season. Can they balance good defensive mojo with their offense that’s making Mike Wozniak have flashbacks to the Jeff Schneider days?

The other major question is whether a team that consistently plays as many guys as Joe Callero has played can stay consistent in conference. With so many guys who can play, Cal Poly may attempt to match-up on a nightly basis. If they don’t get a defensive identity soon, though, their conference season might not be as good as their roster and depth promised at the beginning of the season.

Transfer game

Luke Meikle transferred from Gonzaga in the summer of 2014 and is finally getting to play after not playing a game for the better part of 18 months. The 6’9″ redhead has shown a mature offensive game and is averaging 10 points per game, third-most on the Mustangs’ roster. Josh Martin started his Cal Poly career a few weeks ago as well and is still technically a freshman. He’ll give Cal Poly some front-court size, athleticism, and defensive energy at the small forward position as he gets his legs under him. He might even need to give the Mustangs minutes at the four position if Joel Awich has to miss any time after an apparent lower leg injury in their final conference tune-up at Texas A&M.

The only returning transfer on this Cal Poly roster is leading scorer and senior David Nwaba (Santa Monica College, 11.5 ppg).

UCSB (6-7)

Bob Williams teams always find ways to be really good by the time conference play rolls around and this year is no different. Playing a more guard-oriented offense, the Gauchos have begun to thrive of late and, coming off a win over Pac-12 Washington, UCSB will be really dangerous in the Big West.

Who they’ve beaten

Nebraska-Omaha, San Francisco, Iona, Washington, Seattle, Point Loma.

Best win

While Iona is arguably better right now, the win at Washington was a really big one. It was UCSB’s first road win over a Pac-12 school in over a decade and should really give UCSB a high level of confidence going into conference play. They’ve had two 30-plus point wins since the Washington game.

Who they’ve lost to

Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State, USC (wow, the Gauchos scheduled five Pac-12 schools), South Dakota State, Vermont, Akron.

Worst loss

I guess the loss at Vermont would count as UCSB’s worst, though a loss on the road three time zones away to a team in the top-half of Division I teams.

What they’ve done well

UCSB has done a great job running a new offense and playing a new style after the loss of Alan Williams. One thing Bob Williams’ players always seem to figure out is how to play the role they need to play for the Gauchos to be successful.

The losses UCSB has sustained have been to mostly excellent teams. The best team they’ve played has probably been Arizona State, and they only lost to the Sun Devils by two in Tempe.

What’s changed

A lot about the way the Gauchos look on the court has changed, but a lot about the program has not. That includes having an experienced leader (Michael Bryson), a number of talented players on the roster (John Green and Gabe Vincent, among others). Bryson is averaging over 20 points per game and is probably the early favorite for Big West Player of the Year.

UCSB getting their best players the ball in places they can be successful and playing generally good basketball is something that might not every change.

Transfer game

UCSB has some prep school kids, but they’re the only team in the Big West without a single Division I or JuCo transfer on their roster.

Long Beach State (6-9)

Once again, Dan Monson’s 49ers have the toughest non-conference schedule in college basketball. Since the Big West isn’t a multi-bid league, Long Beach State continues to play the toughest schedule possible in order to toughen themselves up for conference play. This is a team that doesn’t back-down and doesn’t go away.

It seems like they were really down last season, but they finished Big West play 10-6 and in fourth place. Despite the loss of Mike Caffey, it’s really hard for me to think of them as doing anything but improving this season.

Who they’ve beaten

BYU Hawai’i, BYU, Seton Hall, Colorado State, New Mexico State, Tampa.

Best win

The home win against BYU showed what Long Beach State can be. Monson’s team can win close, low scoring games. They can compete in higher-scoring affairs. They don’t back down from anyone. Also, the 49ers are going to be really tough at home.

Who they’ve lost to

Virginia, Oklahoma State (twice), San Diego State, UCLA, Pepperdine, Oregon, Arizona, Duke

Worst loss

Losing to Pepperdine isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s definitely Long Beach State’s worst loss so far, especially considering they’re another mid-major from the greater Los Angeles area who Monson and co. had to see as imminently beatable. All their other losses leave any room for hanging of heads.

What they’ve done well

Long Beach State usually takes on Monson’s personality. They are tenacious and don’t go away, even when they’re down in games. If you’re going to beat the 49ers, you cannot let up for multiple possessions, or you’ll find yourself quickly falling-behind.

What’s changed

We all thought Tyler Lamb was going to be some kind of Big West Player of the Year candidate in Long Beach, but the UCLA transfer never delivered on his big-time transfer promise.

Enter transfers Nick Faust, a senior Maryland transfer who is as good as advertised. Faust has averaged almost 16 points per game and is imposing his will throughout Long Beach State games. Travis Hammonds has been a pleasantly consistent player and 5’8″ sophomore point guard Justin Bibbins has taken to full-time duty nicely, averaging nine points and almost six assists per game while taking extremely good care of the ball.

Transfer game

Long Beach State is a school who is able to benefit from transfers pretty consistently. Three of the four transfers on the roster are eligible right now, and Faust and Levin are the two best. Levin is a slightly undersized post player with high basketball IQ and a savvy mid-range game.

UC Davis (5-8)

Coming off a magical regular season run, Jim Les’ squad lost a ton of talent to graduation, including Corey Hawkins. Returning were supposed to be Josh Fox and J.T. Adenrele, but Adenrele has been sidelined all year with a knee injury, causing the Aggies to get really young in a hurry.

Who they’ve beaten

Portland, Fresno Pacific, Utah Valley, Sacramento State, Holy Names

Best win

UC Davis beat regional rival Sacramento State in a close game in preseason. The Aggies haven’t won against a team in the top half of Division I yet this season.

Who they’ve lost to

North Dakota State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Air Force, Idaho, Seattle, Boise State.

Worst loss

By the numbers, their six-point loss at San Diego doesn’t look great.

What they’ve done well

UC Davis still shoots the ball fairly well from long-range (37 percent). They also distribute their scoring pretty well with six players averaging over 9 points per game. Three of those players also shoot 40-plus percent from long range. You have to guard the three-point shot against UC Davis. Also, the sky is blue.

What’s changed

A lot. Without Adenrele, Fox has been their big two-point threat from down low. The two-headed post monster of Neal Monson and Nolan Berry, a 6’10” sophomore transfer from Butler have done a good job of stepping in, but the Aggies offense has been nowhere near as potent without departed seniors Hawkins and Josh Ritchart. They still have guys who can shoot, but they are a weirdly bad free-throw shooting team.

Transfer game

With Adenrele out, it’s a good thing Berry and Monson (Salt Lake Community College) were ready to go. The two average a combined 42 minutes, 18.4 points, and 12.8 rebounds. Josh Fox (City College of San Francisco) is now the leader in Davis, though he’s been in the program for a few years. Two other players on the roster are also transfers, though neither came from Division I.

CSUN (5-9)

Reggie Theus knew this season was going to be a rebuilding year. With a number of transfers in the queue and another freshman class on the horizon, CSUN is probably going to be in serious contention a year from now. Early this season, it’s been a trial by fire for Tre Hale-Edmurson and a lot of players with very little experience.

Who they’ve beaten

Wright State, Vanguard, Portland State, Bethesda, Morgan State

Best win

In their second game, CSUN beat Wright State on a neutral court in Illinois.

Who they’ve lost to

Northern Illinois, South Dakota, USC, Loyola Marymount, UCLA, Pepperdine, San Francisco, San Diego, Idaho State

Worst loss

A loss to Idaho State currently stands as the worst one for Reggie Theus’ team. He’s learning a lot about some players though, many of whom could be fighting for playing time when the incoming players he has lined up for next year arrive.

What they’ve done well

Theus’ teams always compete hard. He demands that they play hard, and they always do. Players like freshman Jason Richardson have been thrown into the fire and should be better for it in conference play. Tre Hale-Edmurson is a proven commodity. Kendall Smith, a recently-eligible transfer (UNLV) has already established himself as the team’s leading scorer.

What’s changed

Without a lot of experience, CSUN is turning the ball over a lot and not shooting very well from three-point range. Landon Drew and Hale-Edmurson both shoot a high percentage from downtown, but neither get the opportunity very often. Actually, nobody shoots threes very often: Trevion Dawson leads the team with 24 three-point attempts. To give it context, that would rank fifth on the team at Cal Poly.

Transfer game

Kendall Smith has only been back for five games, but is averaging almost 15 shots per. Getting Smith more shots will take some shots away from lower-percentage players like the freshman Richardson and others and should make CSUN a tougher team to defend.

Olalekan Ajayi is an interesting story. He graduated from Eastern Michigan last year and has been a consistent inside presence for the Matadors as a senior.

Darin Johnson (Washington), Reggie Theus Jr. (South Carolina), Rakim Lubin (Connecticut), Dylan Johns (Texas A&M), and Blair Orr (University of Winnepeg) should all be eligible by next season, when the Matadors should probably be out of the bottom-half of the Big West preseason poll.