Friday, March 5
Santa Barbara, Calif.
5 p.m.
at
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics
Cal Poly Caps Regular Season on ESPN3 at UC Santa Barbara March 5-6
3/4/2021 11:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CAL POLY UPDATED PLAYER GAME HIGHS AND STATISTICS
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program completes its 22-game regular season schedule when visiting Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara for a two-game, March 5-6 series. Tip time from The Thunderdome is 5 p.m. both afternoons with action streamed live on ESPN3 for Cal Poly (3-17, 1-13), which looks to snap a seven-game overall slide when facing Big West Conference leader UC Santa Barbara (17-4, 11-3). For seeding ahead of the March 9-13 Big West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, Cal Poly will be the No. 10 seed while UC Santa Barbara can lock up the No. 1 spot with one more victory. Cal Poly, which leads the Big West at 3.8 blocks per game after setting a new program record with 13 against UC Davis (Feb. 26), will open the Big West Tournament on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. against the yet-to-be-determined No. 7 seed. UC Santa Barbara, which leads the Big West in scoring (76.3 per game) while allowing the fewest points (62.7), will receive an opening-round bye for the Big West Tournament as one of the top six seeds.
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play for Cal Poly's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara for ESPN 1280 in San Luis Obispo County and on GoPoly.com HERE … live stats and streaming video via ESPN3 of both matchups will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS SANTA BARBARA: Cal Poly looks to snap a six-year slide inside The Thunderdome with the Mustangs prevailing just once during their previous 13 matchups against the Gauchos (UC Santa Barbara won last year's regular season finale inside The Thunderdome, 69-67, on a buzzer-beating jumper). The most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's program history, UC Santa Barbara leads both the all-time (76-35) and Division I (42-14) series dating to the first matchup on Jan. 10, 1947.
A REVISED BIG WEST SCHEDULE FOR 2020-21: This season's Big West schedule was expanded from 16 games to 18 following the offseason additions of CSU Bakersfield (joining from the Western Athletic Conference) and UC San Diego (making its Division I debut and playing Big West programs with results not counted in the standings). Modified to reduce travel and emphasize safety, the Big West schedule has been altered so that teams play the same opponent on consecutive days at one site. Each Big West program will play its conference schedule over an 11-week period with one bye week. Games will not be rescheduled should a program need to quarantine during the season. Tie-breaking procedures shall be utilized at the end of the regular season.
KOROMA'S SUPERB SOPHOMORE EFFORT: Cal Poly's leader with 13 double-digit scoring games this season after recording just three in 26 appearances last winter, sophomore forward Alimamy Koroma enters the program's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara first in the lineup with 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and second with a 45.7 (79-for-173) percent field goal mark. Averaging 15.2 points per Cal Poly's last five outings, Koroma most recently secured his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at Long Beach State (Feb. 19). One day later, he added a career high 22 points against The Beach. Koroma's scoring exploits this season also include a 20-point effort to fuel Cal Poly's Jan. 29 home victory against CSUN and an 18-point game at Hawai'i (Feb. 6). Through 44 collegiate games, Koroma is averaging 8.5 points per outing while shooting 49.8 (132-for-265) percent from the floor. Defensively, he ranks second among Big West players with 1.2 blocks per game after recording a career best six – one block shy of the Cal Poly single-game record – versus UC Davis (Feb. 26).
AS THE CROWE LETS IT FLY: The Big West's leader with 40 three-pointers and the owner of Cal Poly's second highest scoring effort of the year after sinking six three-pointers in a 21-point victory against CSUN (Jan. 29), senior wing Mark Crowe remains third in the lineup at 7.5 points per night. A 36.7 (142-for-387) percent career three-point shooter in 110 collegiate outings, Crowe requires just two more appearances and 12 additional three-pointers to break into the top 10 all-time leaders listing in program history.
ROGERS RESUMES IMPACT: Having set a new career scoring high with 19 points against UC Davis (Feb. 26) and 17 a day later versus the Aggies, sophomore guard Colby Rogers enters Cal Poly's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara second in the lineup with 11.1 points per matchup and with eight double-digit scoring games. After missing Cal Poly's opening five games through injury, Rogers – Cal Poly's top returning scorer from last season – made his sophomore debut with eight points at Loyola Marymount (Dec. 19). He then added an 18-point game at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 8) and a 16-point performance at Hawai'i (Feb. 6). Rogers is averaging 9.5 points per 45 career games.
FRESHMEN IN THE FOLD: Two members of Cal Poly's six-player freshman class are enjoying an immediate impact for the program during their first seasons on campus. Forward Brantly Stevenson, with a pair of career best 17-points efforts against San Jose State (Dec. 13) and at Long Beach State (Feb. 20) and a 15-point performance versus UC Davis (Feb. 27), ranks fourth in the lineup at 6.7 points per outing. Cal Poly's second leading rebounder is forward Dyson Koehler, who has grabbed at least six boards in eight of 17 appearances and is averaging 4.5 per night.
LOOKING AHEAD (MARCH 9-13): No. 10 Cal Poly makes its Big West Tournament return after a three-year hiatus when facing the seventh seeded-program (TBD March 6) on Tuesday, March 9. Tip time is 6 p.m. from the Michelob ULTRA Arena inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for Cal Poly, which last won a Big West Tournament game in 2014 when the Mustangs captured the program's only Big West Tournament title. The winner of that opening-round matchup will face the No. 2 seed in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 11.
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men's basketball program completes its 22-game regular season schedule when visiting Blue-Green rival UC Santa Barbara for a two-game, March 5-6 series. Tip time from The Thunderdome is 5 p.m. both afternoons with action streamed live on ESPN3 for Cal Poly (3-17, 1-13), which looks to snap a seven-game overall slide when facing Big West Conference leader UC Santa Barbara (17-4, 11-3). For seeding ahead of the March 9-13 Big West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, Cal Poly will be the No. 10 seed while UC Santa Barbara can lock up the No. 1 spot with one more victory. Cal Poly, which leads the Big West at 3.8 blocks per game after setting a new program record with 13 against UC Davis (Feb. 26), will open the Big West Tournament on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. against the yet-to-be-determined No. 7 seed. UC Santa Barbara, which leads the Big West in scoring (76.3 per game) while allowing the fewest points (62.7), will receive an opening-round bye for the Big West Tournament as one of the top six seeds.
FOLLOW CAL POLY THIS WEEK: Chris Sylvester provides play-by-play for Cal Poly's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara for ESPN 1280 in San Luis Obispo County and on GoPoly.com HERE … live stats and streaming video via ESPN3 of both matchups will also be available via GoPoly.com HERE.
CAL POLY VERSUS SANTA BARBARA: Cal Poly looks to snap a six-year slide inside The Thunderdome with the Mustangs prevailing just once during their previous 13 matchups against the Gauchos (UC Santa Barbara won last year's regular season finale inside The Thunderdome, 69-67, on a buzzer-beating jumper). The most frequent opponent in Cal Poly's program history, UC Santa Barbara leads both the all-time (76-35) and Division I (42-14) series dating to the first matchup on Jan. 10, 1947.
A REVISED BIG WEST SCHEDULE FOR 2020-21: This season's Big West schedule was expanded from 16 games to 18 following the offseason additions of CSU Bakersfield (joining from the Western Athletic Conference) and UC San Diego (making its Division I debut and playing Big West programs with results not counted in the standings). Modified to reduce travel and emphasize safety, the Big West schedule has been altered so that teams play the same opponent on consecutive days at one site. Each Big West program will play its conference schedule over an 11-week period with one bye week. Games will not be rescheduled should a program need to quarantine during the season. Tie-breaking procedures shall be utilized at the end of the regular season.
KOROMA'S SUPERB SOPHOMORE EFFORT: Cal Poly's leader with 13 double-digit scoring games this season after recording just three in 26 appearances last winter, sophomore forward Alimamy Koroma enters the program's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara first in the lineup with 12.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and second with a 45.7 (79-for-173) percent field goal mark. Averaging 15.2 points per Cal Poly's last five outings, Koroma most recently secured his first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds at Long Beach State (Feb. 19). One day later, he added a career high 22 points against The Beach. Koroma's scoring exploits this season also include a 20-point effort to fuel Cal Poly's Jan. 29 home victory against CSUN and an 18-point game at Hawai'i (Feb. 6). Through 44 collegiate games, Koroma is averaging 8.5 points per outing while shooting 49.8 (132-for-265) percent from the floor. Defensively, he ranks second among Big West players with 1.2 blocks per game after recording a career best six – one block shy of the Cal Poly single-game record – versus UC Davis (Feb. 26).
AS THE CROWE LETS IT FLY: The Big West's leader with 40 three-pointers and the owner of Cal Poly's second highest scoring effort of the year after sinking six three-pointers in a 21-point victory against CSUN (Jan. 29), senior wing Mark Crowe remains third in the lineup at 7.5 points per night. A 36.7 (142-for-387) percent career three-point shooter in 110 collegiate outings, Crowe requires just two more appearances and 12 additional three-pointers to break into the top 10 all-time leaders listing in program history.
ROGERS RESUMES IMPACT: Having set a new career scoring high with 19 points against UC Davis (Feb. 26) and 17 a day later versus the Aggies, sophomore guard Colby Rogers enters Cal Poly's March 5-6 series at UC Santa Barbara second in the lineup with 11.1 points per matchup and with eight double-digit scoring games. After missing Cal Poly's opening five games through injury, Rogers – Cal Poly's top returning scorer from last season – made his sophomore debut with eight points at Loyola Marymount (Dec. 19). He then added an 18-point game at CSU Bakersfield (Jan. 8) and a 16-point performance at Hawai'i (Feb. 6). Rogers is averaging 9.5 points per 45 career games.
FRESHMEN IN THE FOLD: Two members of Cal Poly's six-player freshman class are enjoying an immediate impact for the program during their first seasons on campus. Forward Brantly Stevenson, with a pair of career best 17-points efforts against San Jose State (Dec. 13) and at Long Beach State (Feb. 20) and a 15-point performance versus UC Davis (Feb. 27), ranks fourth in the lineup at 6.7 points per outing. Cal Poly's second leading rebounder is forward Dyson Koehler, who has grabbed at least six boards in eight of 17 appearances and is averaging 4.5 per night.
LOOKING AHEAD (MARCH 9-13): No. 10 Cal Poly makes its Big West Tournament return after a three-year hiatus when facing the seventh seeded-program (TBD March 6) on Tuesday, March 9. Tip time is 6 p.m. from the Michelob ULTRA Arena inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas for Cal Poly, which last won a Big West Tournament game in 2014 when the Mustangs captured the program's only Big West Tournament title. The winner of that opening-round matchup will face the No. 2 seed in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 11.
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