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2023 Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics

Dates

• Tuesday, March 7 (first round)
• Thursday, March 9 (quarterfinals)
• Friday, March 10 (semifinals)
• Saturday, March 11 (championship)

Format

Traditional bracket. In the past, the semifinals were reseeded, but that will not be the case in 2023.

Site

For the second consecutive season, the Big West Tournament is set for the Dollar Loan Center, the home arena for the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights in the Las Vegas suburbs.

Participants

All 10 eligible Big West teams will participate. UC San Diego (10-20, 5-13, 9th) will not as it is in the third season of its four-year reclassification process.

Downloadable Bracket

Schedule

All times are p.m. Eastern unless noted. Games marked with an asterisk (*) are the second of a doubleheader, so the tip time is approximate.

Note: Game numbering includes women’s tournament.

First Round (Tues., March 7)

Game 3: (9) CSUN (7-25, 4-16) 47, (8) Cal State Bakersfield 51
Game 4: (10) Cal Poly 88, (7) Long Beach State (17-16, 11-9) 68

Quarterfinals (Thurs., March 9)

Game 9: (8) Cal State Bakersfield (11-22, 6-14) 51, (1) UC Irvine 75
Game 10: (5) Hawai’i (20-11, 13-7) 60, (4) Cal State Fullerton 62 (OT)
Game 11: (10) Cal Poly (8-25, 1-18) 54, (2) UC Santa Barbara 64
Game 12: (6) UC Davis (18-14, 11-8) 52, (3) UC Riverside 68

Semifinals (Fri., March 10)

Game 15: (4) Cal State Fullerton 83, (1) UC Irvine (23-11, 15-5) 80
Game 16: (3) UC Riverside (22-12, 14-6) 87, (2) UC Santa Barbara 92

Championship (Sat., March 11)

Game 18: (4) Cal State Fullerton (19-14, 12-6) 62, (2) UC SANTA BARBARA (27-7, 15-5) 72

Mayhem Potential

Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitter in 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.

Over the past 11 editions, one of the Big West’s top two seeds has won the automatic bid seven times, with Cal State Fullerton snapping the top seed’s two tournament winning streak in 2022. Note that only the No. 6 and 8 seeds failed to record a title during the period when only the top eight teams qualified, which ended in 2019.

• 1 seed (4): 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021
• 2 seed (3): 2013, 2017, 2022
• 3 seed (1): 2015
• 4 seed (1): 2018
• 5 seed (1): 2011
• 7 seed (1): 2015

NCAA Seeding Record Since 2011

Years with an NCAA win are in bold.

• 12 seed (2): 2012, 2021
• 13 seed (3): 2015, 2016, 2019
• 15 seed (4): 2011, 2013, 2018, 2022
• 16 seed (2): 2014 (First Four), 2017 (First Four)

In most cases, if the Big West’s 1 or 2 seed wins the auto bid, it ends up faring better seed-wise than lower-seeded champs. The exceptions: the UC Davis team that ended up in Dayton after winning as a 2 in 2017 and the now-departed Pacific squad that also won as a 2 in 2013.

In 2021, UCSB narrowly missed claiming an NCAA win as a 12 when it fell to Creighton by a single point. 2022 saw Cal State Fullerton get throttled by Duke in a 2/15 game. This season, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara are the conference’s best hopes of escaping the 15 line, with a 14 likely for both and a 13 possible depending on what happens elsewhere.

Last NCAA Tournament Appearances

Cal State Fullerton: 2022 (15 seed, 1st Round)
UC Santa Barbara: 2021 (12 seed, 1st Round)
UC Irvine: 2019 (13 seed, 2nd Round)
UC Davis: 2017 (16 seed, 1st Round)
Hawai’i: 2016 (13 seed, 2nd Round)
Cal State Bakersfield: 2016 (15 seed, 1st Round, WAC member)
Cal Poly: 2014 (16 seed, Round of 64)
Long Beach State: 2012 (12 seed, Round of 64)
CSUN: 2009 (15 seed, 1st Round)

UC Riverside is the lone current eligible Big West member that has yet to make the NCAAs. UC San Diego will have to wait until 2025 to qualify for the field, given its D1 reclassification.