At the end of a practice before Cal Poly took on UC Santa Barbara Thursday, Head Coach Mike DeGeorge had his team in a huddle.
He told them to be grateful that they’re playing meaningful games in March, a position the program hasn’t been in for years.
“We’re trying to get something, not protect something,” said DeGeorge after the Mustangs’ 96-77 loss to the Gauchos on the road at the Thunderdome. “Let’s go out and compete our tails off and let’s do something we haven’t done in years.”
Cal Poly is in the midst of a fight to break into the top eight in the conference to reach the Big West Conference Championship. The Mustangs are one game behind Hawai’i and two games behind CSU Bakersfield, who defeated Long Beach State on a buzzer-beater less than an hour after UC Santa Barbara’s win over Cal Poly.
In front of a raucous crowd, the Mustangs managed to attempt 69 shots due to 12 offensive rebounds and nine steals, but only converted 42% of their field goals. The team also only made seven of their 30 three-point attempts compared to 50% on 28 attempts for UC Santa Barbara.
In their previous matchup, the Gauchos ripped the heart out of the Mustangs on a buzzer-beater from guard Stephen Swenson in front of a sold out crowd at Mott Athletics Center.
The Mustangs were able to contain Swenson to only three of four shooting from the field, but Jason Fontenet II and Cole Anderson combined for 35 points while also missing six shots between them.
Graduate wing Owen Koonce led the way for Cal Poly scoring 23 points on 10-for-17 from the field and four steals but also had five turnovers.
Graduate guard Jarred Hyder added 17 points and reached the 1,000 point career mark. Freshman Peter Bandelj scored 14 points.
However, the main problem was the Gauchos scored nearly 100 points in regulation. The Mustangs were forced to bring extra help early because of the Gauchos size and athletic advantage at multiple positions. When the help defense would come, UC Santa Barbara would skip the ball to the opposite side of the floor for an open look.
DeGeorge wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but he said he was surprised by some of the defensive breakdowns he saw from his team.
“You got to give (Santa Barbara) a lot of credit,” he said. “They run their sets really well. They have good players but we just had some massive breakdowns like some weak side rotation issues that we haven’t been having.”
In the second half when the defense did get some stops, the Mustangs’ size disadvantage contributed to 10 offensive rebounds.
The Mustangs’ playoff possibilities
With three games left to play and a game outside the top eight spots in the conference, the Mustangs are still within striking distance of making the tournament.
The team will play two games at home with CSU Bakersfield on Saturday and Cal State Fullerton on March 6. They will close the season against Long Beach State on the road.
All three teams the Mustangs have beaten in their prior matchup, but any losses from this point forward and wins from the Rainbow Warriors and Roadrunners will make their chances more difficult.
Cal Poly picked up a crucial overtime win over UC Riverside on Feb. 22, which kept them in the running.
While the team isn’t a top seed in the conference, its a far cry from the depths the program has hit the past few seasons.