UCSD men's basketball seeks NCAA tournament run this season
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones could help UCSD win its first Div. 1 men's basketball title. Photo: Justin Fine/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
UC San Diego's men's basketball team is chasing history again.
Why it matters: The Tritons are, for the first time, eligible for March Madness this season. With their returning talent and building on last year's success, they're poised to break into the NCAA tournament.
Catch up quick: UCSD moved up to Division 1 when it joined the Big West Conference in 2020.
- But NCAA rules prohibited the team from competing in conference, NCAA or NIT tournaments during a four-year transition period.
- The Tritons finished second in the Big West last season with a 21-12 record.
- Now, the team is seeking the program's first Division I regular-season title, and a shot at writing their own Cinderella story.
What they're saying: "I think everybody's excited about the opportunity to play in the postseason and be in that win-or-go home environment," head coach Eric Olen told San Diego Magazine. "There's really nothing else like it."
The intrigue: Senior Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, who was named to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Team this year, could be key in filling the hole that local star guard Bryce Pope left when he transferred to USC thanks to its NIL collective.
Driving the news: The Tritons play at San Diego State University in the season opener Wednesday night. They face an unranked, reconstructed Aztec team that earned its lowest Mountain West preseason ranking in a decade.
- SDSU will reveal the team's 2024 NCAA Sweet 16 banner before tip off.
State of play: The Aztecs pummeled Cal State San Marcos in an exhibition game last week with a strong defensive performance.
- SDSU will play both the Tritons and the University of San Diego Toreros (Dec. 7) this season for the first time in history.
- Both are one-off "buy" games where SDSU pays the other schools to play at Viejas Arena without a return game.
USD, which plays in the West Coast Conference, brought in a new assistant coach — former NBA player and coach Earl Watson.
- The Toreros host Rider University on Wednesday, one of seven consecutive home games to start the 2024-25 season.
What's next: UCSD's home opener on Nov. 9 against Pepperdine is a main event for the school's homecoming weekend with a tailgate before game time.