The Big West Conference Tournament will take place starting tomorrow, March 8 in Henderson, Nevada, and run through Friday the 12th. The tournament features 10 of the 11 teams in the conference, with UC San Diego not qualifying for this year’s bracket. This is a conference that will only see one team make the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the capability to make a splash. 

Standings

This conference was very competitive all year long, with the #1 seed and #6 seeds only separated by three games. Long Beach State comes in as the regular season champions with a conference record of 12-3. They last made the Big Dance in 2016. Cal State Fullerton, Hawaii, and UC Irvine round out the top four seeds. Irvine notably made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 as a 13-seed and upset 4-seed Kansas State before being dispatched by Oregon in the second round. 

Team to Beat

Long Beach State has been playing very well all season long, finishing with a record of 18-11. They were 11-3 on their home court, and navigated through a very difficult non-conference schedule. Kenpom ranks their non-conference strength of schedule as the 22nd toughest in the nation. They played UCLA, USC, Murray State, and San Diego State all in the first month of the season. The Beach won this conference for a reason and are ready to prove that they can represent this conference on the biggest stage. 

Upset Alert

Don’t count out UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos were last year’s Big West Tournament Champions, entering the NCAA Tournament as a #12 seed and giving 5th seeded Creighton all they could handle, eventually losing 63-62. This team is the hottest team in the conference, ending the regular season on a 5-game winning streak. Their path to the title won’t be easy, but they’ve shown they can play with anyone in this conference. They play UC Irvine in round one, a team they only lost by one point to in their only matchup of the regular season. Round two would see them face top seeded Long Beach State, who they have already defeated this season. 

Players to Watch

E.J. Anosike is a player capable of taking over any game for 2nd seed Cal State Fullerton. He leads the conference in scoring this year with 16.3 points a game and is 4th in rebounding with over seven a game. 

Noel Coleman is the leading scorer for Hawaii, and has shown that he has big-game potential all over him this season. He has made at least 6 three-pointers in a game three separate times this season. He shoots over 44% from beyond the arc and if he gets hot, Hawaii could find themselves in a very good position to win some games in this tournament. 

If you’re looking for a dominant big-man in this conference, look no further than Amadou Sow of UC Santa Barbara. Standing 6’9”, 235lbs, he has been a ruthless force inside for the Gauchos this season. Averaging almost 16 points a game and over 8 boards, he ranks in the top give in the conference in both that statistics. 

My Pick: UC Santa Barbara