Warrior Insider

With only one weekend of Big West Conference regular-season games remaining , it’s still anybody’s guess as to what the final standings will look like.

The final standings will determine the seedings for the Big West Conference Championship Tournament, March 9-13 at Las Vegas. So far, only one spot has been secured – Cal Poly at the No. 10 (last) position.

Seeds 1 through 9 will be determined after this weekend’s results.

UC Santa Barbara appears to have the best shot at securing the No. 1 seed and regular-season championship. The Gauchos had their 13-game win streak snapped last week by UC Riverside, but UCSB is still currently alone in first place at 11-3, and will host last-place Cal Poly for two games this weekend.

UC Irvine is 8-4 and will play two road games at Long Beach State this weekend. The Anteaters need to sweep the Beach and have Cal Poly upset UCSB twice to jump into first place.

UC Davis is 5-3 and will host Hawai’i for two games this weekend. The Aggies’ final place in the standings remain a mystery due to potential adjustments that may – or may not – happen. Because UCD played a lower amount of games than other teams in the conference, it may get penalized as part of the seeding process.

If this weekend’s games are completed, the Aggies will have played only 10 conference games. In contrast, Hawai’i will have played 18 conference games, and every other team will have played at least 12.

The potential adjustments could have a significant impact on the seedings. Hawai’i, for example, could finish as high as third place with two wins at UCD … or as low as eighth place with two losses at UCD. The Warriors could also split with UCD and somehow manage to leapfrog the Aggies in the standings if the conference decides to adjust UCD’s seeding due to its low amount of games played.

Any potential adjustments will be announced by the Big West Conference after the conclusion of this weekend’s games.

Bottom line, it’s complicated and everyone will just have to wait until the Big West announces the seedings after this weekend’s games.

Best Game of Last Week

Hawai’i 79, Long Beach State 76. The Warriors rallied from a 10-point second half deficit, then nearly blew a 15-point lead in the final five minutes. The Beach had the final possession of the game, but a 3-point attempt rimmed out as the final horn sounded. Less than 24 hours earlier, Hawai’i rallied from a 13-point second half deficit and the Beach missed another 3-point attempt at the buzzer for a 78-76 Warriors’ victory.

Games to Watch This Week

All of them. As mentioned above, every game will have an impact on the final standings. Two teams are locked into their final regular-season records. CSU Bakersfield, which has a scheduled bye this weekend, is 9-7; Cal State Fullerton, which is playing UC San Diego in non-conference games, is 5-7.  However, several teams could move above or below those teams, pending this weekend’s outcomes.

Player of the Week

UC Irvine forward Collin Welp was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week after leading the Anteaters to two non-conference wins over UC San Diego last week. The 6-foot-9 junior averaged 24.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in the two games.

He tallied 29 points on 14-of-17 shooting along with 10 rebounds and four steals in Friday’s 80-55 win. It is the second time this season that Welp has been honored with the award.

Friday’s Games
Hawai’i at UC Davis, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Riverside at CSUN, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 4:00 p.m. PT
Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego, 5:00 p.m. PT
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara, 5:00 p.m. PT

Saturday’s Games
Hawai’i at UC Davis, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Riverside at CSUN, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 4:00 p.m. PT
Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego, 5:00 p.m. PT
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara, 5:00 p.m. PT