Friends, Romans, countrymen! Lend me your ears. The semifinals are here. We’re finally down to four teams – the top four seeds – worthy of competing for the Conference Championship.
Here’s a recap of last night’s matchups, previews for tonight’s games, and why it all matters.
What Happened
Pacific (#3) beats UC Davis (#8), 67-60
Why You Should Care
Pacific will now play Long Beach State on Friday night for the right to play in the Big West Tournament Championship Game. Pacific has won four straight – not by doing anything spectacular, but just by being simply better than their opponent. The Tigers shot slightly better, rebounded slightly more, and turned the ball over slightly less against UC Davis. It was enough for the win, and that’s all that matters.
What Happened
UC Santa Barbara (#4) beats Cal State Fullerton (#7), 73-64
Why You Should Care
Fullerton’s Josh Akognon pulled off his usual Superman stunts, scoring 23 points. But Santa Barbara had five scorers in double figures as opposed to the Titans’ two. Fullerton was also forced into an abysmal 33.3% shooting for the game. Santa Barbara’s magic number remains 70: the Gauchos are 8-3 when an opponent doesn’t reach that number, while they’re 1-5 when they do. Northridge, your challenge has been set.
Who’s Playing Tonight
Pacific (#3) vs. Long Beach State (#2) – Regular season matchups: Long Beach State 2-0
Why You Should Care
All the marbles. Winner goes to the conference championship. Need more reasons? We’ll put two theories to the test: (1) The theory that it’s tough to beat a team three times in one season, and (2) the theory that the higher seed has no momentum due to their bye. Basically, the odds are against Long Beach State. But these two have battled through two great games this season, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t expect another classic tonight.
Who’s Playing Tonight
UC Santa Barbara (#4) vs. Cal State Northridge (#1) – Regular season match-ups: Northridge 2-0
Why You Should Care
Winner plays the winner of Pacific/Long Beach State. Northridge beat Santa Barbara twice during the regular season, but so did Fullerton. Need I remind you that Santa Barbara is the conference’s hottest team right now, with seven wins in their last eight games? I thought not. Ladies and gentlemen, strap in.
Hey, you. If I were you, and I wanted all the latest news and insight about tonight’s games as they’re happening, I’d check back to LBPOSTSports.com as I blog live from Press Row. Does that sound like something you might be interested in?