UC San Diego will Win the NCAA Tournament - Reasons Why By Mike Hurley

The UC San Diego Tritons beat UC Irvine 75-61 to earn its first Big West Conference tournament championship, and with it, its first invitation to the NCAA tournament. Here is why they will win it all.

1.They don’t know what they don’t know…and that’s a good thing:  Five years ago, UC San Diego was a Division II school. They transitioned to a Division I school by joining the Big West Conference, but this was the first season they were eligible for the tournament. Coach Eric Olen took a team that two seasons ago went 10-20 (5-13 in conference) to a team that this year went 30-4 (18-2 in conference). 30 wins! So now they get to go to THE SHOW, but they don’t really know what that is. Sometimes it's better not to know. Just keep racking up those W’s and don’t overthink it.

2.Turnovers are bad, even when they’re good:  When I think of turnovers, I naturally think of delicious Pepperidge Farm apple turnovers that my mom would bake in the oven. I’d take them out while dismissing her warning that “they are still hot,” and I’d proceed to burn the crap out of the roof of my mouth with 400 degree apple goo. Then I’d have a little flap of skin hanging down from the roof of my mouth for the next three days that I’d play with with my tongue. The burning apple goo was worth it though; those things are delicious! But in basketball, turnovers are mostly bad. But they are good for the Tritons, because they mostly happen for the other team. In fact, UC San Diego leads the nation in turnover ratio with their opponents giving it up 7 times more per game than they do. They force their opponents into 16 TOs per game (#8 in Div I) while only giving it up 8.7 times per game (#2 in Div I). Mmm…delicious turnovers!

3.Let’s go streaking!:  The Tritons haven’t lost a game since Trump was inaugurated, which to many people may seem like a lifetime. They hold the nation’s current longest winning streak at 15. Leading the streaking Tritons is native New Zealander AniwaniwaTait-Jones who tops the roster in points (19.5), rebounds (5.5), and assists (3.7). 

Mike Hurley