A season’s worth of work and progression will be tested this weekend as the Cal Poly men’s basketball team (15-14, 10-6 Big West) travels to Anaheim to chase their NCAA Tournament aspirations.
The Mustangs enter the Big West Tournament as the second seed, matching the program record for the highest finish in their 17-year Division I history.
Head coach Joe Callero said in a press conference Feb. 28 that he is proud of what his team accomplished this season, and how much they’ve grown.
“We’ve attained all the goals we set out for this season,” Callero said. “Now, it’s finally time to look back a little bit and say, ‘We are proud of all our accomplishments this season.’”
In a preseason Big West media poll, the Mustangs were picked to finish fifth overall in the conference. An early three-game winning streak kept Cal Poly in the upper half of the standings before it was able to pull away and claim second place with a six-game winning streak, its longest in four years.
While maintaining stout defense, the Mustangs showed offensive growth through the season. The team was led by senior guard Shawn Lewis and junior forward David Hanson, who tied for eighth overall in conference scoring with 15.1 points per game.
For Lewis, a loss in the tournament would be the end of his career with Cal Poly.
Lewis said though he is proud of his individual accomplishments, he is driven to bring home the program’s first Big West Championship.
“I’m very proud of myself,” Lewis said. “But I hope to get past that and be the first team to make it to the NCAA Tournament or take first place in the Big West.”
Hanson said the team has worked hard all season in anticipation of the tournament.
“We’ve put in a lot of work, not only the players but the coaching staff, so it feels great to see some success like (our record),” Hanson said. “Our goal is still to be the best and be first place, but we’re very happy with how things have turned out.”
Cal Poly will face No. 7 UC Riverside (13-18, 6-10) in the first round. In both of their regular season meetings, the Mustangs have come away with victories over the Highlanders, defeating them 65-60 at home, and a more recent 54-40 triumph on the road.
In the single elimination tournament, Callero said being the second seed doesn’t mean anything unless the team can win this weekend in Anaheim.
“Now, the difference of seeding is pretty irrelevant,” Callero said. “It’s how you play that final three days. If you don’t play well that first game on Thursday, that’s it. You’re done.”
With the change in format to the Big West tournament this season, Cal Poly will not get to enjoy the first or second round byes earned by previous Big West top two finishers. In the past, the first and second seed would get byes into the semifinals, and the third and fourth seeds would get first round byes. This year, all eight teams will play each other in the first round.
But, Cal Poly is poised for one of its best chances at taking the Big West tournament. The only other time in program history the team finished second in the Big West, they advanced to the tournament finals, only to lose to Long Beach State.
This season, Cal Poly has shown it is capable of contending with any team. The Mustangs have defeated each Big West opponent at least once, save for preseason favorite and No. 1 seed Long Beach State and No. 5 UC Santa Barbara. In Cal Poly’s last meeting with each of these teams, the Mustangs lost by just six points, in games decided in the final minute of play.
If Cal Poly defeats UC Riverside, it will go on to play the winner of No. 3 Cal State Northridge and No. 6 Cal State Fullerton on Friday, with the championship game taking place on Saturday.
The tournament begins for the Mustangs March 10 at 6 p.m. at the Honda Center in Anaheim.