University of California, San Diego (UCSD), has been a Division 1 basketball program since the 2020-21 season. In the 20 years prior, they hung around in Division 2, and before that, they were in Division 3. Despite being D1 for years now, this is the Tritons’ first season of NCAA Tournament eligibility. In other words, many expected to deem them something like “Nobody U.”
Going into Tuesday, UCSD was 9-2. They held no notable wins, with losses vs. Seattle and at San Diego State. Utah State was 10-0, which included neutral wins over Iowa, St. Bonaventure, and North Texas. Last year, the Aggies celebrated a successful season and postseason birth. However, when the two schools tipped off in Logan, Utah, UCSD kept the 1st half close and pulled ahead in the 2nd. 75-73 was the final score, with the young Tritons knocking off an undefeated on the road. A resume-boosting win, and one that could hint at a Cinderella story to come. It would’ve sounded crazy mere months ago, but UCSD just might be a tournament team.
Knocking off Utah State
This was surely UCSD’s best win in program history: never before had this school beaten a team in KenPom’s top 75. Utah State entered Tuesday ranked 51st.
Seniors Hayden Gray, Tyler McGhie, and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led the charge, combining for 61 of the Tritons’ 75 points. McGhie in particular had a special performance, tallying 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in 34 minutes on the floor and 6-14 shooting behind the arc. Tait-Jones, hailing from Aukland, New Zealand, got to the line 12 times, making 10 of those free throws.
Impressively, UCSD’s defense kept the Aggies in check. UCSD has struggled mightily this season at defending threes, ranking 328th out of 364 D1 programs in opponent 3P% at 37.4%. Yet, the Aggies shot just 8 for 28 (28.6%) from 3 on Tuesday, compared to their 31.4% mark on the year. Reliable forward Mason Faslev, shooting 44.7% from 3 and 56.8% from 2 this season, mustered just 4 makes on 11 shots, including a 2 of 7 line from 2. Utah State also shot 2 for 12 as a team from 3 in the second half.
UCSD defended well, shot well, got to the line, and overall put together a masterful performance against Utah State. They took punches and threw punches with a really solid Aggie program. So what does this mean for the rest of their season?
UCSD to the Dance?
As of December 22nd, UCSD’s resume showcases a 1-1 record in Q1 games, 1-0 in Q2 games, 2-0 in Q3 games, and 6-1 in Q4. Right now, the Tritons have a decent shot at pushing for an at-large bid. And they’ll be happy they made the most of their non-conference games: their Big West conference slate contains only 1 additional quad-1 matchup at UC Irvine. An away game vs Cal State Northridge and a home game vs UC Irvine bring just 2 additional quad-2 opportunities for UCSD.
UCSD has its shot, but the margin is incredibly slim. Going just 1-2 in those 3 games plus one or two bad losses in conference play would likely leave the Tritons out of luck. Last season, UCSD went 15-5 in Big West play with McGhie, Gray, and Tait-Jones all on the roster. For an at-large bid to be in play, 17 conference wins is around the bare minimum. A tough task indeed, but one this program is more than capable of taking on. Just 5 seasons ago they weren’t even in Division 1. They were Division 3 at the turn of the century. Finally granted eligibility, head coach Eric Olen and UCSD know better than anyone that these chances don’t arise out of thin air. I expect the Tritons to make the most of it.
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