UC San Diego
Mustangs Host Big West Leader UC San Diego Thursday on ESPN+
2/18/2025 11:33:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Cal Poly Men's Basketball
Upcoming Matchups
SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cal Poly men’s basketball program plays four of its final six regular season games at home inside Mott Athletics Center, a final stretch run that begins Thursday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. against Big West co-leader UC San Diego and continues Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. versus fourth-place UC Riverside. Both games stream on ESPN+ for Cal Poly (10-16, 4-10), which has won four of its last six conference matchups, but was overtaken for eighth place in the Big West standings – by a half-game – by Cal State Bakersfield (11-16, 5-10) after the Mustangs fell Saturday at CSUN, 89-85. The top eight programs in the Big West standings qualify for the March 12-15 conference championship. Winners of seven straight and sharing first place atop the standings with UC Irvine (22-4, 12-2), UC San Diego (22-4, 12-2) ranks second among conference programs at 80.3 points per game while conceding a Big West low 62.5 per contest. UC Riverside (17-10, 10-5), just a half-game behind third-place CSUN (18-7, 10-4), enters its Thursday home matchup with Long Beach State having won seven of its past nine matchups.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC SAN DIEGO: After Cal Poly won the initial two matchups against UC San Diego as a Big West opponent, the Tritons have prevailed in the previous four, including opening this year’s series with a 95-68 victory in La Jolla (Jan. 9). Cal Poly leads the all-time series, 9-5, dating to the first matchup between the two sides on Dec. 20, 1969, but the Division I series is drawn, 4-4.
CAL POLY VERSUS UC RIVERSIDE: The third most frequent opponent in Cal Poly’s history (behind UC Santa Barbara and CSUN), Saturday’s matchup marks the 112th all-time series meeting between the two programs dating to the first encounter on Dec. 22, 1968. UC Riverside has won 11 straight matchups to lead the all-time series (60-51), but Cal Poly still tops the Division I (28-25) series.
MUSTANG OFFENSE IN FOCUS:Third among Big West programs with 79.8 points per game, Cal Poly – under first-year head coach Mike DeGeorge – is averaging 17.4 more points per game than at the same stage last season. The Mustangs have scored 90-plus points in a game seven times already this year after hitting the mark just twice during the previous four years combined. Fueling the scoring surge is Cal Poly’s three-point prowess as the Mustangs rank third among 355 NCAA Division I programs with 31.3 three-pointers attempted per game and seventh with 10.7 three-pointers made per game. Additionally, 12 different Mustangs have scored in double digits this season – the fourth highest total of any Division I program.
Cal Poly with four of its final six at home, starting Thursday, Feb. 20 against UC San Diego (7 p.m.) and continuing Saturday, Feb. 22 versus UC Riverside (2 p.m.). Both matchups on ESPN+.#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/nke48soJFy
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) February 17, 2025
KOONCE REMAINS CAL POLY’S OFFENSIVE CATALYST: A double-digit scorer in all but four games – two of which were nine-point outings – graduate guard Owen Koonce, following a career high 32-point effort at San Jose State (Dec. 14) and 30-point night in Cal Poly’s Nov. 30 victory at Stanford, enters Thursday’s matchup with UC San Diego ranked 32nd among NCAA Division I players with a 88.4 (76-for-86) percent free throw mark and, among Big West performers, fifth with a 39.5 (51-for-129) percent three-point mark, sixth with 17.5 points per game and seventh with a 52.4 (164-for-313) percent field goal mark. The Dec. 2 Big West Player of the Week selection, Koonce also tops the Mustangs with 5.3 rebounds per outing after grabbing 10 at CSUN (Feb. 15) to secure a second double-double versus the Matadors this season. One of only two Mustangs to start all 26 games, Koonce has also scored 28 points at Cal State Bakersfield (Jan. 30), 23 against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11), 21 versus Denver (Dec. 17) and at CSUN (Feb. 15) and 20 at Omaha (Dec. 21), at UC San Diego (Jan. 9) and versus Hawai’i (Feb. 6).
THE GRADUATE: Five years after establishing his initial collegiate scoring high while a freshman at Fresno State, guard Jarred Hyder has twice smashed the mark during his graduate season with a 29-point effort against Denver (Dec. 17) arriving after a 27-point performance at Arizona State (Nov. 20). Hyder, who matched a Cal Poly single game program record with eight three-pointers versus Denver after hitting seven at Arizona State, ranks 51st among NCAA Division I players with 2.9 three-pointers per game and 70th with 69 total threes. Now 12th among Big West performers with 13.6 points per game, Hyder has also scored 22 points at Omaha (Dec. 21) and 19 against both San Francisco (Nov. 5) and Menlo College (Nov. 10) among 18 double-digit performances. A starter in all 49 appearances as a Mustang dating to last season and second among Big West players at 33.6 minutes per game, Hyder – having distributed a career best seven assists four times this year – is seventh among conference players with 3.4 per game.
RINIKER’S PERCENTAGE POINTS: A year after shooting 63.8 percent for Division II Colorado Mesa, graduate guard Mac Riniker remains eighth among Big West players with a 51.5 (100-for-194) percent mark. One of two Mustangs to start all 26 games alongside Owen Koonce, Riniker also ranks second in the lineup with 4.8 rebounds per game and fourth with 9.9 points per night after notching a Cal Poly-best 18 points against UC Davis (Jan. 16), 16 versus Long Beach State (Jan. 25) and 15 at Eastern Washington (Nov. 17), Saint Mary’s (Nov. 23) and Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 13) among 13 double-digit scoring outings.
JESSUP EMERGES AS ONE OF NATION’S TOP THREE-POINT THREATS: Having reached double-digit scoring figures 12 times, senior guard Isaac Jessup enters Thursday’s contest with UC San Diego ranked 58th among NCAA Division I players with a 39.9 (61-for-153) percent three-point mark and 64th with 2.8 three-pointers per game. Having matched a career best with six three-pointers at CSUN (Feb. 15) and hit five in a game three other times, Jessup’s 21-point effort at Stanford (Nov. 30) was a total one shy of his career scoring high. Jessup also scored 20 points at California in just his second Division I appearance, 18 versus CSUN and 17 at both Arizona State (Nov. 20) and versus Grambling State (Nov. 26).
RISING FRESHMAN: A 12-point effort during Cal Poly’s Feb. 13 visit to Cal State Fullerton marked freshman Peter Bandelj’s 12th double-digit scoring game with the Slovenia native remaining fifth in Cal Poly’s lineup at 9.4 points per game. Averaging 10.3 points per Cal Poly’s last seven games, Bandelj enjoyed a career best 18-point night against UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11). Eighth among Big West players with an 82.1 (92-for-112) percent free throw mark, Bandelj leads Cal Poly in reserve scoring with 73.8 percent of 244 total points recorded in non-starting appearances.
FROM REDSHIRT TO ROTATION: Scheduled to redshirt during his first season on campus at the start of the year, freshman guard Cayden Ward made his Mustang debut with seven points at UC Davis (Dec. 5), recorded his first career double-digit scoring outing with 15 points at UC Irvine (Jan. 18) and produced a career best 19 points at Cal state Fullerton (Feb. 13). Ward enters Thursday’s matchup with UC San Diego averaging 8.3 points per Cal Poly’s last seven games.
DEGEORGE TAKES THE MUSTANG REINS: Named Cal Poly’s sixth head coach at the Division I level on March 26, 2024, Mike DeGeorge arrived in San Luis Obispo from Division II Colorado Mesa after directing the Mavericks to 141 wins in six seasons, three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances – including Sweet 16 trips in 2022 and 2024. Bringing more than two decades of head coaching experience to Cal Poly, DeGeorge’s squads at Colorado Mesa were known for their offensive prowess. During the 2023-24 season, Colorado Mesa led Division II in effective field goal percentage (.596), finished third in three-pointers per game (11.4) and 15th in points per game (11.4). Both of DeGeorge’s assistant coaches from Colorado Mesa – Kyle Bossier and BJ Andrews – joined Cal Poly in the offseason, as well as four transfers from Colorado Mesa.
ETC.: Cal Poly is in its 31st Division I season and 81st as a four-year program … Cal Poly’s Nov. 5 matchup at San Francisco marked the earliest opening date to a season in program history … Cal Poly’s 93.3 (14-for-15) percent free throw mark at San Francisco (Nov. 5) marked the fourth highest single game figure in program history … since transitioning to the Division I level prior to the 1994-95 season, Cal Poly is 49-1 against non-Division I programs following a 99-66 home victory against Division II Menlo College (Nov. 10) … Cal Poly’s 99-66 home win against Menlo College (Nov. 10) marked head coach Mike DeGeorge’s first victory in charge of Cal Poly while the program’s 75-71 win versus Seattle (Nov. 14) was the first against a Division I opponent … Jarred Hyder’s seven three-pointers at Arizona State (Nov. 20) were one shy of the program single game record recorded three previous times and most recently by Dawin Whiten (Feb. 10, 2007) … Cal Poly’s Nov. 26 home victory against Grambling State marked the program’s first all-time matchup with the Tigers … Cal Poly’s Dec. 5 Big West opener at UC Davis marked the earliest conference start date in program history … Jarred Hyder’s eight three-pointers against Denver (Dec. 17) tied a single-game program record previously accomplished by three Mustangs and most recently by guard Dawin Whiten against UC Irvine (Feb. 10, 2007) … Cal Poly’s 95-94 overtime home win against Denver marked the program’s first all-time victory against the Pioneers … Cal Poly’s Jan. 18 setback at UC Irvine marked the program’s 900th game at the Division I level.
