It’s a BIG 2019-20 Big West Men’s basketball preview!

Cal Poly play-by-play man Chris Sylvester and Nick Wynne join the podcast to break-down preseason expectations for all nine Big West teams. Come for the Cal Poly fandom… stay for the breakdown of every single roster and schedule in the conference. 

In this Burn the Breeze edition, Nick and Owen talk about how nuts this year’s Big West regular season has become, who has impressed over the past few weeks, and what lies ahead for Cal Poly and the rest of the Big West this week. Also, which current player leads the Big West in career technical fouls?

UCSD Athletic Director Earl Edwards has been with the Tritons since 2000.

In the spring of 2000, Earl Edwards took over as Athletic Director at UCSD. The program was transitioning from Division III to Division II and going through everything you’d expect as a result. I was also a freshman at UCSD at the time. 

Though I wrote for the newspaper on campus (the UCSD Guardian), covered a number of sports, and played in the school’s pep band, I had never met Mr. Edwards (now 17 years into his role there) before last week. 

In our conversation, he talked about UCSD’s ongoing efforts to move to Division I, the state of limbo they are currently in with the Big West Conference, and what’s new with UC San Diego athletics.

For a team picked to finish last in the Big West, Cal Poly’s men’s basketball team has fared all right through their first ten games. At 5-5, Joe Callero’s Mustangs are poised to have a very similar preseason to last year.

Top of the Conference, for now

Everything is relative early in the season, but no other Big West school has a record above .500 at this point. None. Only UC Davis has a matching 5-5 record. My conference favorite — UC Irvine — is 5-6. Perennial conference powers Long Beach State and UCSB are 2-10 and 1-6, respectively.

Again, these preseason records as Big West schools play teams from power conferences, are unlikely to matter. Long Beach State always plays the toughest non-conference schedule in the nation. BUT, wins are wins.

A better reference at this point may be KenPom.com. According to that site, Cal Poly ranks fifth out of nine conference teams (and 233rd out of 351 Division I schools) so far this season. That’s right in the middle of the conference. Again, if that’s where this team stands without their most explosive player (Josh Martin) and when one of their better shooters (Taylor Sutlive) has missed most of the season, then I think Cal Poly could be a lot worse-off.

No love in Fresno

After keeping the game close for about 25 minutes, Cal Poly let Fresno slip away at the SaveMart Center on Saturday night. The Bulldogs went on a 35-19 run in the second half to pull away.

After beating the Bulldogs in San Luis Obispo last season, Cal Poly’s 2-3 zone looked more permeable than it has so far this season. While each team pulled-down just six offensive rebounds, Fresno State out-rebounded Cal Poly 36-23. That discrepancy probably had a lot to do with Fresno State shooting over 58 percent from the field and 52 percent from downtown.

Sutlive back

Speaking of Mr. Sutlive, he warmed up without a cast on in Cal Poly’s last home game against Texas A&M, Corpus Christi, and got into the game late against Fresno State. Sutlive shot 1-2 in his two minutes.

Cal Poly has been playing a lot of four-guard lineups with just one player over 6’2″. Sutlive isn’t huge, but he is a legit 6’3″ and is a senior who should be able to plug right into what Cal Poly is doing on both ends of the court. Sutlive is traditionally a great outside shooter, but it might take a while for him to get back into a rhythm — his injury was to his right forearm.

Can the front line hold-up?

The million dollar question for this year’s team moving forward will likely be how much the front line can give them. Zach Gordon has been fairly productive, but he’s got some mileage on his knees and he takes a beating when he’s out there.

Hank Hollingsworth is a redshirt freshman who has shows some signs of stepping into a larger role, but the jury is still out. Against a long and athletic Fresno State team, Hollingsworth played just 9 minutes.

A real X factor could be Luke Meikle. If he is healthy as conference season approaches, Meikle could play the 5 for stretches of Big West games. Coming into the season, I had Meikle being a key to positional versatility — maybe even playing the 3 if Cal Poly wanted to go big, but Josh Martin’s injury nixed that idea. Instead, Cal Poly is playing small and Meikle’s ability to play like a big man on defense and be a solid scorer offensive player could be the difference between a successful conference season or not.

Junior Victor Joseph has been a big part of Cal Poly winning some early games this season. By Owen Main

Sharp Shooting

With four guards playing at a time, Cal Poly better make their outside shots. And they are. The Mustangs are tied for the Big West lead, shooting 38.9 percent from behind the arc and they are making 9.6 per game — more than two more than any other Big West team.

What’s left in non-conference play?

Cal Poly has four games left in their non-conference schedule — all on the road. After they play Cal, the Mustangs will go to Seattle to play Washington before Christmas. Cal Poly will reconvene the day after Christmas and visit Grand Canyon and Princeton before returning home after the new year to start conference play on the road at UC Davis.

Their next home game is their second in Big West play — January 12th against Cal State Fullerton.

UC San Diego could be going Division I. An article by Kriti Sarin in the UCSD Guardian last week outlined the plan for students to vote during Week 8 of this quarter (I’m thinking like late February or early March?) on whether to increase student fees by $289.38 per quarter, though that rate would be gradually worked-up to over the course of three years.

As a UCSD alumnus and someone who watches a lot of Big West Conference sports (the conference the Tritons would presumably compete in), this is very exciting.

I loved my time at UCSD. I’m proud of the high academic standards there. Being so close to the beach was amazing.

During my sophomore year at UCSD, the Tritons made the move from Division III to Division II. With the facilities and wide array of sports that UCSD offered, the move didn’t seem like a huge step at all. Now, with a Division I opportunity looming, the Tritons could continue to raise their profile.

While they probably can’t make any guarantees or promises until the Division I move is complete, the Big West Conference would be an ideal landing spot for the Tritons.

In 2013, the conference thought it had San Diego State lined-up before the Aztecs pulled out of the agreement. Currently, the West Coast Conference (Univeristy of San Diego) and Mountain West Conference (San Diego State) have schools in the second-largest city in California. The Big West would be crazy not to covet UCSD as the tenth team in the conference — which currently has nine members for sports like men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball.

If you’re wondering whether schools like UCSD are already Division I, the answer is yes. Well-established, long-standing Division I athletics programs like Cal and UCLA aside, the Big West actually holds four UC schools that are much like UCSD in many ways. UC Irvine is the geographically closest. UCSB is a long-time Division I program. UC Riverside is the team UCSD replaced in the CCAA in 2001 and UC Davis was a brief CCAA Division II rival before the Aggies made the jump in 2004.

Six of the nine University of California campuses not in San Diego are Division I already. Do you think UCSD most resembles UC Merced, UC San Francisco, and UC Santa Cruz? Or, does UC San Diego look a little more like UCI, UCSB, UC Riverside and UC Davis?

With an enrollment of more than 30,000, UCSD is already at a place in-line with other Big West schools. The campus is the best in San Diego. The facilities are D-1 ready — most are better than some of the current facilities at some Big West schools.

When I talk to friends who went to schools like UCSB, UC Davis, or even Cal Poly, one thing I’m constantly reminded of is the student life aspect surrounding being able to attend Division I games and rooting for my school. It’s the only thing about my decision to attend UCSD that I might go back and do differently.

I’m hoping to explore the current climate at UCSD from student and staff perspectives in the electronic pages of this website in the next few months, but in the mean time, it’s time. Let’s do it. Division I.

Will another first-time champion be cutting down the nets at the Honda Center on Saturday? By Owen Main

Last season, Cal Poly proved that seeding doesn’t have to matter in the Big West Tournament, especially if you get hot at the right time. This year, the Mustangs are seeded in the same place, but upstart UC Davis earned the one-seed and numbers 2-4 are perennial top-four teams. What does the path to the tournament title look like for each team?

Jim Les has done a spectacular job this season. UC Davis only lost two games in conference play. By Owen Main

1) UC Davis

The Aggies were the biggest surprise in the conference this season. Prior to this season, UC Davis had finished in eighth place in the conference three of the past four years. With hindsight, we might have seen their big push coming. Two years ago, they finished 9-9 in conference play and the four seniors on this year’s team have all been key cogs in the past.

Corey Hawkins is the Big West’s player of the year in 2014-15, and Josh Ritchart is a really tough matchup for some of the conference’s best teams. This season, the Aggies went 14-2 in conference play, including wins in 10 of their last 11 games.

They were rewarded with Cal State Northridge in the first round — a team that was a few plays away from winning last season’s tournament.

Keys to victory – Davis has given fans no reason to doubt them, winning close games at home and on the road. To win the conference tournament, they’ll have to maintain their hot shooting. One key will be how well J.T. Adenrele and Josh Ritchart can defend the paint, especially in a potential matchup with a team like UC Irvine or UCSB. Davis is also the second-farthest campus away from the Honda Center, making games against Los Angeles-area teams more like road games. What will their fan support be like as the tournament progresses?

“Big Al” Williams has a super-mature post game that is fun to watch. UCSB is going to be a tough out this year. By Owen Main

2) UC Santa Barbara

UCSB has had an impressive last few weeks. The Gauchos, who played preseason games at Oregon, Oregon State, and Kansas, are battle tested and playing probably their best basketball of the season. They come into the tournament with a five-game winning streak, including wins over top-seeded UC Davis and third-seeded UC Irvine.

Alan Williams continues to be a beast in the middle, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds. While Williams is the centerpiece, the key to their chances might be junior Michael Bryson. Standing at a long 6’4″, Bryson joined Williams on the all-conference first team this year because of his play on both ends of the floor. Bryson averages 12 points per game and can slash or spot-up for the corner three-pointer.

Keys to victory – As long as Alan Williams stays out of foul trouble — he fouled-out in last year’s first round blowout loss to Cal Poly — UCSB is in just about every game they play. That said, their shooting from the outside has been sneaky-good and might a reason for head coach Bob Williams to feel more comfortable going into this year’s conference tournament. Conference-leading UC Davis shot an incredible 45 percent from 3-point range this season AS A TEAM, but UCSB’s top-four 3-point shooters combined for a respectable 38.6 percent, and they are streaky.

If UCSB wins this tournament, shooting from players like Bryson, freshman Gabe Vincent, and senior Zalmico Harmon will be a huge deal.

Mamadou Ndiaye is a major presence in any game he plays in. His health will affect the style UCI plays in the tournament. By Owen Main

3) UC Irvine

Last year’s regular season champs and this year’s conference favorite, UC Irvine and head coach Russell Turner are still searching for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Anteaters are probably the deepest team in the conference. Eight or nine of their guys could and would start on most other Big West rosters.

That said, Irvine is also somewhat enigmatic. Their best-known player, 7’6″ Mamadou Ndiaye, has been injured for much of conference play. With Ndiaye in the game, UC Irvine plays a little slower out of their zone defense, but it extremely difficult to score on in the paint.

With Ndiaye out of the game, Irvine can pick up their tempo some and play with a better rhythm at times.

A team that has lost two of their final three games in conference play, the Anteaters will probably rely on senior Will Davis III. The All-Big West first team selection has been a steadying force for UCI over the past few seasons and will need to have three very good games if UCI is to survive and advance.

Keys to victory – The ability of Luke Nelson, Alex Young, and Travis Souza to control tempo when they need to is key. Shot selection and turnovers are huge keys for the Anteaters. Teams will be scheming hard against UCI’s size, but at the end of the day, taking good shots and maintaining an offensive rhythm will go a long way toward setting-up their big guys on defense on the other end. A potential second-round matchup between UCI and UCSB would be as good as any recent Big West Championship Game in terms of quality and talent of the teams involved.

Dan Monson will need some improved play from senior Tyler Lamb if Long Beach State is going to make a serious run. By Owen Main

4) Long Beach State

Long Beach State is a top-four seed. Of course they are, they’re Long Beach State. Dan Monson’s team hasn’t been quite as consistent this year as years past, but they have a senior first-team all-conference point guard and enough talent to do all kinds of damage.

The big question-mark remains their front-court play. David Samuels is second on the team, scoring 10.5 points per game, but the rotation I saw in their game against Cal Poly was more matching with a coach who was trying to figure out who else was going to play in the post.

Their non-conference schedule was brutal once again. They played Kansas State, UCLA, Texas, St. John’s, Syracuse, and Louisville before conference play even started. Once Big West play began, Long Beach State was a fireball, winning eight of their first nine conference games.

Keys to victory – All eyes are on Mike Caffey — for good reason — but what about former UCLA transfer Tyler Lamb? Lamb, who was a heralded recruit at UCLA out of Madre Dei, is third on the 49ers in scoring on the season, but has been underwhelming in conference play. The senior has been in and out of Dan Monson’s starting lineup, only managing seven minutes in a loss at Cal Poly. Lamb’s numbers and minutes continued to dwindle in the second half of conference play. In thier final game of the regular season, Lamb was back in the 49ers starting lineup. In order for Long Beach State to make a serious run in this tournament, Lamb is going to have to be the yang to Caffey’s yin. Either player can take over a game at any time. If they can finally figure out how to flow together, Long Beach State could be very dangerous. If not, a first-round exit against an improving Hawai’i team is a very real possibility.

Benjy Taylor has done a great job after what his program went through right before the season began. Hawai’i is a dangerous team in Anaheim. By Owen Main

5) Hawai’i

Just days before the season started, the Hawai’i program was in shambles. They lost their best player and coach and beat writer Brian McInnis and I were both pondering what life could be like in ninth place in the Big West.

If Jim Les hadn’t have won coach of the year, I think Hawai’i interim coach Benjy Taylor would have been in the running. The Rainbow Warriors beat Colorado and Nebraska, and lost by just a point to Wichita State. A crazy frenetic defensive press and some timely scoring helped them to an 8-8 record in conference play.

Four Rainbow Warriors averaged between 12.1 and 12.5 points per game in conference play, so it’s not as if other teams can just key on one guy. If they could key on a few, I think it would be 6’11” center Stefan Jankovic and swing-man Aaron Valdes. Guards Isaac Fleming and Garrrett Nevels give Hawai’i a pair of quick guards who provide relentless defense and get open shots because of the style they play.

Hawai’i hasn’t fared very well in the Big West Tournament since joining the conference a few years ago. Maybe, with the pressure off, this is the year they make a little noise.

Keys to victory – Hawai’i needs to control the tempo in order to come out with a tournament victory. Long Beach State has never shied away from high-scoring games, so this 4-5 matchup could be the game to watch in the first round. The other key for Hawai’i will be getting great half-court offense from their leading scorer, Aaron Valdes. Valdes’ numbers dropped-off somewhat in conference play, but that allowed Hawai’i to utilize its greatest strength — the unknown. Along with Cal Poly, Hawai’i is just not a team I’d want to play in this year’s tournament… .

Taylor Johns is a star in the Big West. Can his supporting cast help UC Riverside to a first-round upset? By Owen Main

6) UC Riverside

Behind junior Taylor Johns, UC Riverside was always going to be improved this year. Transfer Jaylen Bland has raised their level even higher. The junior who spent his freshman year as a Murray State Racer before transferring to a Junior College last season was second on the team in scoring and won the Big West’s Newcomer of the Year. Bland averaged 15.5 points, almost five rebounds, and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

Johns is a strong leader with a solid all-around game, averaging 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. The game-plan against the Highlanders is probably to hold down at least two of their top-three scorers (Johns, Bland, and Steven Thornton), and force the rest of the team to beat you.

Keys to victory – UCR has lost their last three games after beating Cal Poly 48-44 in Riverside. In a 70-63 home win against first-round opponent UC Irvine, the Highlanders got matching 21-point efforts from Bland and Johns while shooting 11 more free throws than UCI (Bland shot 12 all by himself). Irvine’s Will Davis III was held to nine points and only shot two free throws all game.

That game didn’t include UCI BIG man Mamadou Ndiaye, so UCR will have him to contend with, but the formula is still the same. If UCR can get to the free throw line and frustrate UCI, they might have a shot. All that said, I don’t particularly like this first-round matchup for UC Riverside.

A second-team All-Big West Conference player, Brian Bennett can score facing the hoop or with his back to the basket. By Owen Main

7) Cal Poly

After last season, nothing would really surprise me from this group. Everything sets-up exactly like last season for Cal Poly, with the exception of an established leader like Chris Eversley. As a side-note, Eversley told me on my podcast that the Mustangs ran zero/very few offensive plays in last year’s tournament championship run. I’m not sure if that can work with the current team and personnel Cal Poly has to rely on this season.

Listen to Eversley re-live the championship run on the Fansmanship podcast.

Perhaps this tournament can be Brian Bennett’s coming out party. Bennett scored 27 points at UC Davis and has shown he can play with the other talented big men in the conference. Big offensive performances from Ridge Shipley and Reese Morgan could also be a formula for Cal Poly to make a tournament run once again. As unlikely as it is, the fact that everything sets-up similarly could mean some comfort zone for Cal Poly. The Mustangs’ signature win of the season probably came when they beat Colonial Athletic Association champs Northeastern on a neutral floor at Santa Clara.

Cal Poly has a few things going against them. First, they played much of the conference season with only six players getting significant minutes. Second, the Mustangs went 1-7 against the top four teams in the Big West in conference play. Third, question marks abound on this team. Can the offense flow enough to get Ridge Shipley and Reese Morgan open looks from three-point range? Can David Nwaba find ways to get to the basket? It’s been tough sledding for him since he returned from illness as he gets his feet under him. Cal Poly’s defense is pretty consistent, the question will be where scoring is going to come from and how deep their bench actually can go.

Keys to victory – There isn’t one guy on Cal Poly’s team who has to have an awesome game or tournament for the Mustangs to be successful. That said, Joel Awich should be a tough matchup for a lot of Big West power forwards. Awich can shoot it from three-point range and is athletic enough to get his own shot virtually any time. It will be interesting to see whether it’s Awich or Bennett who Cal Poly goes to in the post late in games. Awich had a nice stretch in the middle of conference play, but Bennett probably passes out of a double-team better and has been more consistent throughout the season.

To win a game or multiple games, Cal Poly is going to have to do two or three things at a really high level. What I mean is that in statistical areas like three-point shooting, turnover margin, rebounding, free throw shooting, or just straight-up field goal shooting, Cal Poly will have a tough time winning games where they don’t do at least a few of those things really well. Turnovers are a good place to start. Guards Maliik Love and Shipley will have to hang onto the ball and make good passes and post players Bennett and Awich are going to have to make timely shots for Cal Poly to upend UCSB for the second straight year. Reese Morgan is someone I’ll be watching. Cal Poly’s sixth man for most of the season, Morgan’s career high came two years ago in Isla Vista and he seems like a guy this stage was built for. Again, Big Al and the Gauchos will be harder than ever to get through, but nothing would surprise me this year.

8) Cal State Northridge

The Matadors played Cal Poly in last season’s Big West Tournament final, and returned most of their key players. Along with school record-holders Stephen Maxwell and Stephan Hicks, head coach Reggie Theus returned Tre Hale-Edmurson and got good contribution all season from sophomore Aaron Parks.

Hale-Edmurson, Parks, Landon Drew, and Devonte Elliot are all talented players around the cornerstones of Maxwell and Hicks, but the team just hasn’t been able to put anything together this season. Elliot, a 6’10” senior transfer from Nevada is an important role player. His ability to play alongside Maxwell and Hale-Edmurson down low seems to be something CSUN is still figuring out late in the season.

UC Davis has had an amazing run, but their tournament history is limited. Reggie Theus’ team is experienced and you know he’ll have those guys ready to play in a familiar environment. I’m not going to pick an 8-1 upset, but like the 7-2 game, nothing would surprise me in this league.

Keys to victory – Know thy role.

CSUN has struggled to pass the “body language test” at times this season. Hicks and Maxwell are the focal points, but if Theus can get a few other guys to play just a little cleaner games and make timely shots, CSUN could be dangerous.

Predictions

I’m not going to predict rounds, because that’s silly when teams are re-bracketed after the first round. Also, if you told me the final would be Hawai’i vs. UCSB, I would not be surprised. I’ll repeat myself — anything can happen in Anaheim.

That said, I think UC Davis finds a way to get to the final, where they’ll play UC Irvine. Because of Davis’ relative inexperience in the postseason and Irvine’s ability to defend all over the floor, I’m picking the Anteaters to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of their men’s basketball program. Jim Les and Russell Turner have gone down different paths, but the “new regime” of Big West coaches have all upped the level of play in a conference I believe will have two teams in the NCAA tournament sometime in the next four to eight years.

Mott was packed on Saturday night, but UCSB fought-back for the victory. By Owen Main

UCSB used a 20-5 run in the final 7:23 to come back and win an ugly game at Mott Athletics Center Saturday night.

In Al Williams’ final contest in San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly’s Brian Bennett went toe-to-toe with the Player of the Year candidate. Bennett held the center to nine points on 4-11 shooting from the field, but Cal Poly shot only 23.4 percent (15-64) for the game, a season-low mark.

Joel Awich led Cal Poly in scoring with 13 points. Matching up with Williams, who scored nine points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Bennett notched a double-double for Cal Poly with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was Bennett’s second career double-double and first since the first game of his freshman year at TCU.

Four fouls for Al

With 13:38 left in the game and Cal Poly up by six points, Al Williams picked up his fourth foul.

UCSB coach Bob Williams played a zone for much of the rest of the game. Down the stretch, the Mustangs had a very difficult time scoring, including a 5:41 drought as UCSB came back from a 10-point deficit to take the lead.

Much of UCSB’s success came with a zone defense that they were probably compelled to use due to Williams’ foul trouble.

Packed into the zone for much of the second half, UCSB limited penetration from David Nwaba and Maliik Love. With almost a full week to scout Cal Poly, the Gauchos really seemed dialed-in defensively, willing to give the Mustangs contested outside shots down the stretch. It proved effective.

Cal Poly shot 4-22 (18%) to UCSB’s 7-19 (39%) from behind the arc. UCSB junior Michael Bryson hit two big three-pointers to give the Gauchos the lead and then extend that lead late.

Overall, Cal Poly shot 23 percent from the field and held UCSB to 37 percent shooting, while winning the turnover battle 15-7. The Mustangs also outrebounded UCSB 20-10 on the offensive glass, but just couldn’t seem to get in rhythm or convert on the chances they had.

Along with Gabe Vincent and Zalmico Harmon, Michael Bryson was a difference-maker in the second half. By Owen Main

Gaucho guards keep them in it

While Williams was held to six points in the first half and only nine for the game, two Gaucho guards played big roles. Point guard Gabe Vincent showed that he is much-improved since last season. Vincent scored a team-high 15 points and shot 3-5 from three-point range. fellow guard Zalmico Harmon led the team with seven first-half points, keeping the Gauchos squarely within single-digits of the Mustangs.

Bryson, who plays a wing role, did not score in the first half, but he and Vincent combined for three straight three-pointers and nine consecutive points to punctuate the Gauchos’ late run. Bryson finished the game with eight points and six rebounds.

What’s next

Cal Poly gets ready to hit the road again next week. They’ll travel to the Pyramid to face Long Beach State on Thursday on ESPN3. On Saturday, they’ll be at the Matadome to face Cal State Northridge. Both games start at 7:00.

Women sweep the week

Earlier on Saturday, the Cal Poly women’s team earned a road victory in Santa Barbara, beating UCSB at the Thunderdome. The loss drops UCSB to 0-14 on the season.

Cal Poly will host Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Thursday’s game starts at 7:00 and Saturday’s at 4:00. On Saturday, the team will try to break the home attendance record at Cal Poly for a women’s game. I’ll post more on that later this week.

http://youtu.be/E6ab1ZkfLw0

Photos by Owen Main. To view on an iPhone or iPad, or to purchase photos, click here. 

Joshua joins Owen to talk about Cal Poly basketball and baseball and some other random tangential things as per usual. Things are always entertaining when JD is in the mix… .

Where does the line fall between supporting your team unconditionally and having high expectations? By Owen Main

I’m under the impression that sunny San Luis Obispo isn’t the most ravenous sport town. It’s guilded with gorgeous pacific waters, rocky cliff dwellings, winding Irish hills and a vibrant downtown life. Our own Cal Poly Mustangs fall in order behind such necessary beauties, but not for all of us. For some, we crave a wild atmosphere in Mott Gym more so than an August day in Avila Beach.

With that passion, we build expectations, and why not? But where do we draw the line between unconditional fansmanship and expectation? Is there in fact a line? If so, why is the line drawn? Is there a shorter ceiling of expectation?

I’m aware that it isn’t the most realistic expectation to demand a National Championship or even a Big West Conference title each and every season from Coach Callero and his basketball team. I know we don’t sign the kind of athletes Kentucky, North Carolina or Duke does. We play in a small conference, are universally an academic school, lack national buzz and don’t have the amenities to draw a lot of big recruits. As a result, Callero is and should be, held accountable at a variable standard. So where then, is that standard?

That standard for me is simple. Win the Big West Tournament from time to time. Go to the NCAA Tournament as much as or more than other top Big West teams. Our greatest rivals are Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. These aren’t unbeatable programs. Use our coastal shores, beautiful women, elite yet affordable academic standing and interesting downtown life, to draw the kind of young men talented enough to out-duel the three teams above. Exhaust more heart. More hustle. Use hope. I don’t believe that is asking too much.

Therefore, the expectation is that local fans see their Mustangs in the Big Dance. From there, who knows? Maybe we begin rivaling the likes of George Mason, St. Mary’s, Utah State and VCU as an upset favorite.

I’m probably getting ahead of myself, but that then is the last piece in the evolution. Become an upset favorite.  Let me rephrase that: be respected, or more respected, on a national stage. That doesn’t mean when you get in you get anywhere other than the 1^st round. But make it interesting. Head into half time down a couple buckets, making the big dogs sweat a little. Playing the best teams in the country over the past few years is one way to make that possible. The win over UCLA last season was a huge step.

I want more.

Call me a dreamer or a real hard ass. I know some of you reading this think an expectation to make Cal Poly a consistent NCAA Tournament team is a little unfair and outlandish. This team has never even been to the NCAA tournament and I’m talking about a vision where they are consistently earning invitations to the Big Dance.

Others may be comfortable as a fourth- or fifth-place finisher in the Big West, but I don’t. I want to see San Luis Obispo exalted for more than its choice accolades from Oprah Winfrey. I’m a proud born and raised local. I love this town, this area. I love Mustang gold and green. Why not us?

The Big West Conference will add ESPN3 to its video platform. By Will Parris

The Big West Conference announced today that it will have up to 60 games from various sports on ESPN3 over the next eight years, starting this school year.

The conference already has national deals with ESPN and Fox Sports, who will continue to have first rights to broadcast games nationally, but adding ESPN3 gives the conference a new level of online game coverage. For the past few years, the conference has streamed live video feeds of games via Big West TV. Those will continue for games not covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, or ESPN3, though the BigWestTV feed can vary in production quality. The production quality of the ESPN3 platform will have to match ESPN’s standards.

Each game on ESPN3 will include a three-person team: play by play analyst, color commentator, and sideline reporter.

Games featured on ESPN3 will be broadcast from Southern California locations, including UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UC Riverside, and Cal State Northridge. While ESPN3 games will not be broadcast from the other four conference schools, it is a conference package and all schools will be featured. For example, the games will probably prominently feature teams like Cal Poly, UC Davis, Hawaii, and UC Santa Barbara on the road against one of the other five schools.

A schedule for basketball has yet to be released, but the first event featured on the new ESPN3 platform will be the semifinal and final round of the Big West Women’s Soccer Tournament, all from Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.

The semifinal begins on Thursday.