UCSB vs. UCR Recap

First off, my apologies to the three remaining readers I have on this blog. Sometimes my other career as a law student conflicts with the writing of this blog. On that note, I want to make it up to everyone with a couple extra posts this week in time for the stretch run toward the NCAA Tournament.

Obviously, by now, you should have heard that UCSB beat Riverside 73-55 on Saturday night. What you might not know is that UCSB now controls their own destiny for the #1 seed in the Big West Tournament (There will be a blog on this later). It's simple, beat CSUN and LBSU and you get the #1 seed; lose and you need help to get that #1 seed. To me, this is a true test of the Gaucho coaching staff and players. If they can't pull this off, they lack the requisite intensity and desire to dominate in basketball.

As always, we like to talk about pace around here. If you recall, a couple of weeks ago, TGM analyzed the Gauchos performance ("pace-wise") against the three slowest teams in the Big West: Riverside, Davis and Irvine. The Gauchos have a tendency to play sl0oooooooooooooow when their opponent plays sloooooooooooow. Of course, some things never change; the sky is blue, the sun rises in the East and I'm still a good looking guy (we like to butter our toast around here when necessary). As one would expect, the Gauchos played a pace of 58 versus the Highlanders. Five of the Gauchos six games against the above three teams have been played at a pace of 60 or lower.

Impressively enough, however, the Gauchos still managed to reel off 73 points, courtesy of James Powell's billion three pointers. From an efficiency standpoint, the Gauchos had their most efficient game of the season with a 124.7 (of course, this is a major reason why they scored 73). If the Gauchos can keep their efficiency above the 110 mark, it will be difficult for them to lose in the Big West Tournament.

Let's take a look at the Four Factors

Effective Field Goal Percentage

UCSB: 64.3%
UCR: 45.1%

For the second go-round with Riverside, the Gauchos had an EFG% around 64%. Obviously, they have the Highlanders' number, despite the slow play. This number was helped tremendously by the Gauchos 11-19 three point shooting performance.

Free Throw Rate

UCSB: 26.5
UCR: 61.0

Riverside's high score in this category was a result of getting to the line 25 times. The Gauchos went 10-13 from the line to prove to us all that they haven't lost the magical free throw stroke.

Offensive Rebounding Percentage

UCSB: 39.6%
UCR: 36.5%

YES!!! The Gauchos won the battle. UCSB gathered a higher percentage of their offensive rebounds than UCR. Unfortunately, we don't have a stat (or at least, I can't find one) that gives me second chance points. On the negative side, the Gauchos gave up 10 offensive boards.

Turnover Percentage

UCSB: 22.2%
UCR: 25.6%

If there is one thing you should have learned about the Gauchos this season, it's this: they are one of the best turnover percentage teams in the country on the defensive side. UCR turned it over a little under UCSB's average, but one quarter of their possessions turning into a turnover is nothing to scoff at.

On the offensive side, Ivan Elliot was a turnover machine for the Gauchos, coughing it up 4 times. On the plus side, Nedim had a turnover free game for the second consecutive time. His Globetrotter passes have taken a back seat.

One other thing to note. This is the first game, in a while, that I recall the Gauchos playing more than 7 players 10 minutes or more. 9 players hit the 10 minute mark or higher, while Beau Gibb had 7 minutes. I don't know if it's a coincidence that the Gauchos played so well when so many of the players got playing time, but it's something that I would advocate Bob Williams to continue in the future.