Gauchos Gear Up for Thrilling Big West Showdown in Hawai’i!

HONOLULU, Hawai’i – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s Basketball squad (8-5, 0-2 Big West) resumes Big West competition on Thursday, Jan. 2 as they head to Hawai’i to face the Rainbow Warriors in their singular game of the week.

LAST TIME OUT

The Gauchos returned to the victory column last Saturday with a 89-72 triumph over Westcliff. Four players for the Gauchos reached double digits with Deuce Turner topping all scorers at 21. Kenny Pohto contributed 19 points while Zion Sensley and Airel Bland added 13 and 10 points respectively.

SCOUTING THE RAINBOW WARRIORS

Hawai’i enters the matchup with an overall record of 8-4 and a conference record of 0-1. Their only loss in Big West play was against Long Beach State. Most recently, the Rainbow Warriors hosted the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, finishing with a 2-1 record that included victories over Charlotte and Oakland, with their defeat coming at the hands of Nebraska.

UH ranks among the elite teams in the nation when it comes to getting to the free-throw line, averaging nearly 22 attempts from the charity stripe, which places them 82nd across all of NCAA basketball. A key battle to observe will be the rebounding contest, as both teams are within the top 70 in Division I concerning rebound margin.

The Gauchos are expected to keep hitting shots from beyond the arc since Hawai’i permits opponents to shoot above 35 percent from three-point range. Additionally, Hawai’i sits in the bottom 60 of Division I for perimeter defense. The Rainbow Warriors also struggle to force turnovers, allowing UC Santa Barbara to have more opportunities to possess the ball.

FOLLOW ALONG

UC Santa Barbara and Hawai’i are set to tip off at 9 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, Jan. 2. The contest will be available on ESPN+ with live statistics provided through ucsbgauchos.com/MBBLiveStats.