What it will take

Can the UC Davis baseball team make the postseason? It's a legitimate question considering the Aggies are 17-8 and have won 11 of 12 after a sweep of Pacific on Sunday.

The NCAA traditionally takes three teams from the Big West Conference, although it took four last year with league champ UC Riverside earning the automatic bid. UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State were the others.

Both of the major polls have Irvine, Long Beach and Fullerton ranked this week, a good sign for the conference. The Aggies play Irvine and Beach at home this year and Fullerton and Santa Barbara on the road. Those figure to be the crucial series for the Aggies. UCD also plays nationally ranked Cal and Stanford at home and on the road this year, so that's four more big games that could help determine a berth.

If the Aggies are indeed a "bubble" team hoping to get picked, the NCAA traditionally selects more established programs, so that's a major roadblock.

Fullerton travels to Irvine this weekend in the first major series of the conference.

Devils hire Gazzaniga

The Davis High School announced Thursday it has chosen Dan Gazzaniga to take over the Davis High School football program. Gazzaniga, a former UC Davis player and assistant coach who signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1985, was offensive coordinator for the Blue Devils last season under Jim Johnson, who stepped down in December.

This was no doubt the right hire. The offense moved the ball much better last season with Gazzaniga in charge and there may be few harder working individuals in Davis.

Gazzaniga has some challenges ahead. The Blue Devils were 7-4 last season and reached the postseason for te first time in 11 seasons. However, that was a senior-heavy bunch and next year's team will miss quarterback Scott Malinoff, running back Jake Lubisch, wide receiver Mauricio Davidson or defensive lineman Steven Hoffart.

Linebacker Cody Keefer and tight end Tanner Mohr should be among the top returners.

For more on the Gazzaniga hiring, see Friday's Enterprise.

Gary Stewart has earned another year

I've been behind on wrapping up the UC Davis men's basketball season here on the blog (the season ender ran in the print edition on Sunday) because I was feeling a little burnt on college basketball. But watching Drake-Western Kentucky and then UConn-San Diego today reminded me that I still have things to say about this year.

We’ll start with the most important point – UCD head coach Gary Stewart has earned another year on the Aggie bench.

I’m not sure I could honestly have said the same thing 365 days ago – though I’m sure I would have thought it cruel to let him go without giving him a season as a full D-I coach. But there was a haphazard quality to all of last season. The team was young, not particularly deep and the decision to try and play “40 Minutes of Hell” seemed logical when explained, but smacked of vanity in practice. That wasn’t the case this year.

Stewart often speaks of a “blueprint,” and it was actually possible to see what he was talking about this season. UCD finally has an offensive identity with the "Princeton" system, which, when it’s fully installed should make it like an option team in football. The scheme should enable the Aggies to impose its tempo on games in the high-octane Big West. And there were times this year when UCD was able to force Northridge and Fullerton – the two most athletic teams in the conference – to play at a slower pace for extended stetches. The Aggies didn’t have enough ballhandlers to prevent turnovers against pressure in the Big West play. They also didn’t have the rebounding to back up whatever gains they made defensively.

There also was bad luck this year in terms of injuries, although the lack of depth had as much to do with Stewart’s decision to recruit transfers and redshirt his freshman. The Aggies had six legitimate Division I players for the final two weeks of the season. And that’s not enough. That said the fruit of those choices is a pretty solid roster for next year. Assuming no further losses before next season, UCD has:

Posts: Calegari (though he could also be a wing), Harden, Portz, Boone (if he’s healthy), Derek Oestreicher;
Wings: Brucculeri, Malik, Ranger (if he doesn’t redshirt), Clark;
Guards: Oliver, Payne (PG), Lowenthal (PG), Carter, Silva (PG), Toth

I think there are enough wins in that core to at least be wearing white on the first day of the Big West Tournament next season.

The fear with Stewart is that the team's poor record over the last three years will have eroded some of the energy around this coaching staff. Players said all year they still thought the coaching staff was preparing them properly for games, though they were talking to a reporter. But doubt manifests itself in a lot of ways, many of them subconscious. So who knows just how much of a toll losing has taken?

There were times last season when I thought Stewart appeared to be beaten down by the challenges facing the program -- the losing, the slow addition of scholarships and the struggle to build a fan base. That’s wasn’t the case this year. I thought he appeared energized and generally positive, an acknowledgment of the fact that this was a teaching year. That said, I think the time for worrying too much about next year is through. UCD will have 11 scholarship players next season. That still won’t be as many as the rest of the league. But given who is using those scholarships, it should be enough for the Aggies to be competitive.

Stewart deserves the chance to lead the way.

Halftime update

SPOKANE, Wash. - About the only good thing to say about the first half is it could be a lot worse. The final seconds told the story for the UC Davis women's basketball team as Kirsten Commins turned the ball over and Gonzaga's Michelle Elliott capitalized with a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs ahead 33-19 at the break in the WNIT.

UCD had a nice start, making three of their first five shots to take a quick 6-2 lead in the first 2 1/2 minutes, but it wasn't pretty after that. Over the next 13 minutes, the Aggies made just two of their next 12 shots and turned the ball over 12 times, a few totally unforced.

As coaches like to say, when you make mistakes, good teams make you pay, and Gonzaga fits that descrption. During that same stretch, the Bulldogs took control with a 23-5 run.

The halftime stats are a nightmare for UCD, which has committed 13 turnovers and is shooting just 32 percent from the field and 0-for-7 from behind the arc. The Aggies have allowed 11 offensive rebounds, and Gonzaga has taken advantage of everything the Aggies have done wrong with 11 second-chance points and 17 off of turnovers.

Jessica Campbell leads UCD with eight points but also has three fouls and Heather Bates has pulled down eight rebounds, but missed all three of her 3-point attempts and scored just two points.

Elliott leads the Bulldogs with nine points.

For a complete story of the game, check out Friday's Enterprise or the Web site later tonight.

- Chris Saur

Greetings from Spokane

SPOKANE, Wash. - We are just minutes before tipoff at the beautiful McCarthey Center at Gonzaga. The facility opened in 2004 and has a new state-of-the-art arena type feel. At the same time, it is cozy enough and the seats are also as close to the court as possible.

A packed house here could make for quite an NCAA or NIT tournament game. Tonight the arena is about half full and mostly families, but more people are than I expected with competition from day one of the NCAA men's tournament going on.

There are about 15 members of Band-uh under the south basket, but not much else in the way of support for the Aggies. Some people applauded for the UCD starting lineup, but I think they were just Gonzaga fans being nice.

I'll check back in at halftime with first-half analysis.

- Chris Saur

Offensive punch

UC Davis baseball hasn't exactly been an offensive jaggernaut in recent years. While the Aggies may have been adapt at sacrifice bunts, they often failed to score runs in bunches.

It's been a little different story in 2008, at least through 19 games. UCD leads the Big West in average (.337), slugging (.480), runs (148), walks (148) and yes, even home runs (17). Leadoff hitter Ryan Royster has five of those and leads the league - quite a feat since he was homerless in his first three seasons.

UCD players are scattered throughout the Big West leaders: Catcher Jake Jefferies leads the league in hits, RBIs and total bases, Ryan Scoma leads in average and Royster is first in runs scored. Jefferies has not struck out in 89 plate apperances.

The Aggies are in the middle of the pack in ERA (fifth, 4.79) but have struck out the most batters in the league. UCD has also made the third most errors.

Things we're hearing

Technically this comes from across the Causeway, but we're hearing Delta College coach Brian Katz and former Seton Hall and East Carolina assistant Greg Herenda (brother of UCD radio color analyst Bill) are among the candidates for the vacant Sacramento State men's basketball head coaching job. We're also hearing the names of Washington assistant Cameron Dollar, NBA scout Clay Moser and former Weber State coach Joe Cravens.

A committee is being formed and interviews will be announced at a future date.

It's the Zags!

The UC Davis women's basketball team will travel to Spokane, Wash. on Thursday to face Gonzaga for the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament, it was announced Monday night. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.

The Bulldogs and Aggies played one another at The Pavilion back on Dec. 6. Gonzaga won 71-58 behind 23 points and 12 rebounds from sophomore forward Heather Bowman. UCD's Jessica Campbell scored 13 and Haylee Donaghe 10 in that contest, which was tight early in the second half before the Zags went on a 20-2 run.

Bowman went on to win West Coast Conference Player of the Year, leading the Zags to their fourth straight WCC regular season title. Gonzaga was beaten by University of San Diego 70-66 in the conference title game.

With a win, the Aggies (19-10) would play at Colorado on Monday in the second round.

A complete bracket can be found at http://www.womensnit.com/photos/bracket.pdf

In case you're wondering, Big West champ UC Santa Barbabara takes on Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. Game time is around 6:30 p.m.

A story from Chris Saur will appear in Tuesday's edition.

Bracket Watch '08

The WNIT organizers have posted the field for this year's tournament, but still haven't put up the pairings. The berths can be found here. All we can say for sure right now is that the Aggies will be getting on an airplane.

So, where to next?

The WNIT bracket will be unveiled on Monday night, and the question is where will the Aggies be headed. One rumor kicking around the press room in Anaheim on Saturday afternoon was San Diego State, but I'm not sure the RPI works. So far the "Western" teams with automatic bids are Boise State and Idaho State. They've already played each other this year, so that could be a possibility for the Aggies. Gonzaga is listed on ESPN's Women's Bracketology under "Next four out," and if that's true it's a natural for the tournament. The Aggies have already played the Bulldogs this year. Scrolling down the NCAA's RPI list in the 50-100 range, there are some intriguing possibilities. USC is sitting there at 82, UCLA is 94th, Santa Clara is 96th and Fresno State in 99th. I have no idea if any or all of those schools have bid for first round games or whether they would rate first-round byes.

The very same Bracketology page projects that Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara will be a 14th seed and play Cal at Stanford in the first round. Just looking at the numbers, it's hard to say whether the Aggies would have rated, but looking at the RPIs in the projections, I think its more likely they would have been a 15 or a 16.

Land of the Sun

Greetings from Phoenix where I have been hard at work bringing A's and River Cats coverage to the faithful Enterprise readers. And by hard at work I mean sitting in the sun watching baseball and hanging out with Athletics and River Cats players and staff.

Friday, the assembled Sacramento-area media interviewed A’s general manger Billy Beane. When we arrived at his office I was surprised to see Billy lounging in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts with his dog as the main greeting party. It was at that moment that I finally put it all together: the entire Oakland organization is a model of Beane’s personality, which can be described as the perfect mix between laid back and getting the job done.

Beane gave us a wealth of information while making the interview seem like a type of conversation you might have over a couple of adult beverages. You hear stories of former players like like Jason Giambi and Nick Swisher having fun in the clubhouse and even on the field. The organization still manages to succeed in its own right at the big-league level as well as locally with the River Cats.

Actually I had been thinking about this a few days earlier when I arrived at the A’s spring training complex and interviewed pitching prospect Gio Gonzalez, who Oakland acquired from the White Sox in the trade for Swisher. It seemed no matter what question I asked Gonzalez, his answer ended up being something about how wonderful everyone in the organization has been and how much fun he was having. And it was not a ploy to evade my questions. It was clear that he genuinely liked being
here.

I guess that's more information to support that the A’s are one of baseball’s model organizations.

- Chris Saur

Rivalry renewed

In what could be the last game in any sport between the two schools in the near future, the Davis High baseball team defeated Woodland 4-2 at Clark Field. It was the first loss of the year for the Wolves.

Brendan Gill was the star of the game for the Blue Devils (4-1) as he went five innings allowing two runs – only one of which was earned – on four hits while striking out five and walking none. The senior also blasted a two-run homer to left-center in the first inning.

Woodland (4-1) entered the contest having allowed just one run in its previous four games, but the Blue Devils put three on the board in the first inning. The Wolves cut the deficit to one with a run in each of the second and fourth innings but Gill was able to work out of jams in both instances to limit the damage.

Cory MacDonald and Trevor Cecil combined with Gill to slow down a Wolves offense that was averaging 10 runs per game. MacDonald pitched a scoreless sixth inning and Cecil closed it out in the seventh to pick up the save.

For more on the game, check out Sunday’s Enterprise.

– Conor Tekautz

Big West Semis--Photos by Wayne Tilcock

UC Davis' Heather Bates drives past Riverside's Tainoisouti Lott in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.


UC Davis' Jessica Campbell works against UC Riverside's Amber Cox in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.


UC Davis' Kirsten Commins leads a break in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.


UC Davis' Haylee Donaghe battles Riverside's Tainoisouti Lott in Friday's 63-53 win over the Highlanders in the Big West semifinals.


Donaghe drives in for a layup in Friday's 63-53 win over UC Riverside

LIVE: Big West semifinal No. 2 UC Davis vs. No. 3 UC Riverside

1:30 p.m. ANAHEIM -- So this is the Big West Tournament, huh?

Not bad. The set-up is a little strange because the Arena is oblong. I think it’s probably a strange place to shoot. But we’ll see how the Aggies react to this in their first-ever Big West Tournament game. Also, we’ll see if anyone other than UC Santa Barbara fans bother to show up today.

Preamble: UCD guard Haylee Donaghe probably put it best this week when she said that every game the team played for the rest of the year would be “the most important in the history of school in women’s basketball.” That’s certainly the case for the Division I era. This tournament is the conference’s showpiece event, and for the Aggies to do what they’ve done on the first try is really impressive. UCD clinched its bye into the semifinals eight days ago with a 62-41 win over UC Riverside at The Pavilion. The Aggies outscored the Highlanders 40-15 in the second half of that game. You read that right. Riverside’s top scorer Seyram Gbewonyo missed that game through suspension. She’s here this afternoon for the rematch.

Riverside head coach John Margaritis said on the pretournament conference call that he was concerned coming into the tournament because his team simply wasn’t playing well. It couldn’t score, he said, which was casting a negative tinge over all the things it could do. The Highlanders, who have won this tournament twice in a row, scored 59 points in their quarterfinal win over Cal State Fullerton. And while that’s a considerable improvement over 41, it’s impossible to know just how much significance to attach to it. So I won’t bother to try.

The winner gets UC Santa Barbara, which is currently pummeling Cal Poly by 22 with 7 minutes, 42 seconds to play. The Mustangs’ effort even though they’ve been down big has been pretty impressive.

Dignitaries: How do you know this is a big game? The UCD sports information department has traded its usual uniform of golf shirt and khakis for a jacket and tie, that's how. UCD chancellor Larry Vanderhoef is here. So is vice chancellor for student affairs Fred Wood. Athletic Director Greg Warzecka, not surprisingly, has made the trip as well. Administrator emeritus Pam Gill-Fisher is in The Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center as well. Here in spirit is men’s soccer coach Dwyane Shaffer is here is spirit. The Big West Coach of the Year’s smiling face is peering out from an exhibit just outside the arena of current conference champions.

And it’s over: No. 1 UC Santa Barbara 77, No. 5 Cal Poly 57. The Gauchos advance to their 12th consecutive conference championship game.

UCD-UCR tip-off: Is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

The implications: A win today assures UCD of a postseason future, either in the NCAA Tournament or in the 48-team WNIT. Now that it is owned by the NCAA, the WNIT awards every regular-season conference champion an automatic berth (in the Big West that’s UCSB). If that team goes to the NCAA tournament, the WNIT spot goes to the second-place finisher (the Aggies). That would also be true, by the way, if the Aggies lost and the Gauchos beat the Highlanders tomorrow.

As we reported today in the daily fishwrap, UCD has not made a bid to host games in the WNIT because of scheduling conflicts at The Pavilion. Should the Aggies end up advancing in that tournament, the athletic department may submit a future bid.

Dramatis personae:
UCD: Starters: G-Kirsten Commins; G-Haylee Donaghe; C-Paige Mintun; F-Jessica Campbell; F-Heather Bates. Subs: G-Anna Harp; G-Genevieve Costello; C-Tatiana Armstrong; C-Monica Mertle; C-Ashley Curry.

UCR:Starters: G-Brittany Waddell; G-Seyram Gbewonyo; F-Roney Friend F-Amber Cox; C-Tainoisouti Lott.
Subs G-Shynell Foree; G-Jacqueline Coble; G-Alyssa Morris; G-Courtney Good; C-Katerina Glyniadaki; G/F-Jessie Schmuckal; G-Vanessa Campillo; G-Jaleesa Connor; G-Chanel Foster.

UCD's lone injury doubt was Anna Harp (knee). She's been going through the warm-ups and my information is that she'll be available.

Around the arena: The crowd has thinned some from the opener, although there is a healthy group of UCD supporters seated on my left in one of the corners. There looks to be about a 20-person detachment from the Aggie Pack, a loud Band that has drawn a positive review from one of the ushers, Gunrock and some cheerleaders. UCSB's coaching staff is camped out behind one of the rims scouting.

20:00 1st: UCD 0, UCR 0: As Dr. Naismith intended, the game will being with a jump ball, Mintun vs. Lott. The tap goes to UCR and we’re under way.

18:39 1st: UCD 5, UCR 2: After Cox opened with a jumper, UCD fed Donaghe on back-to-back possessions, beating Waddell and getting to the foul line twice, once to complete a 3-point play.

15:58 1st: UCD 7, UCR 5: UCD’s defensive rebounding leaves a little to be desired in the early going, but the pressure is having the desired effect. Riverside opened 1-for-6 before Cox drained a 3-pointer. Highlanders have seven shot attempts to UCD’s three.

13:54 1st: UCD 9, UCR 5: Aggie pressure is causing problems. Commins’ steal leads to easy basket for Bates on the other end. UCD is generally finding its way to rim on the offensive end.

13:26 1st: UCD 9, UCR 5: Donaghe has been fouled three times, all going to the basket. She’s 3-for-5 from the line.

11:29 1st: UCD 9, UCR 8: Neither team has scored in a while. Deflection-happy UCD is removing all flow from the Riverside halfcourt offense. On the other end, the Highlanders are allowing UCD to the hoop, but the Aggies aren’t finishing. The rebounding has evened out. Cox still has all UCR’s points. That changes as Friend hits two free throws.

11:00 1st: UCD 12, UCR 8: UCD’s drought breaks with its first 3 of the game, by Costello from the elbow

9:32 1st: UCD 12, UCR 12: Lott ties the game with a layup, then picks up her second foul, a block on the other end. Lott appeared to get the worst of the exchange and had to helped off the court.

7:27 1st: UCD 16, UCR 14: UCD continues to open the back door against the Riverside defense, but its finishing is suspect. It is earning foul shots though and Bates hits two from the line. Meanwhile, the Aggies are being outrebounded 14-7, although the second-chance points aren’t really factor yet.

6:43 1st: UCD 16, UCR 14: Commins picks up her second personal, bringing in Anna Harp. Harp immediately forces a turnover along the sideline.

5:50 1st: UCD 18, UCR 14: Harp’s knee appears to give way as she fights for a rebound. She’s getting attention on the bench. Then she heads to the bike behind the Aggie bench. Porshneva hits two free throws.

3:36 1st: UCD 19, UCR 20: Lot of action, but all the scoring has been from the foul line. Riverside is being physical with UCD’s cutters and the officials aren’t being particularly generous with calls way from the ball. On the defensive end, the Aggies are tipping a lot of a passes, but then coming in second in the races to the loose ball. Donaghe has picked up her second personal on a scramble for a loose ball near halfcourt. Foster gives the Highlanders their first lead in a while. Harp has returned.

3:24 1st: UCD 19, UCR 21: Harp picks up two quick fouls and the Highlanders are in the double bonus. UCR has extended its defense, and giving the Aggies plenty of trouble.

1:29 1st: UCD 22, UCR 22: Costello fires the Aggies back into the lead from the corner. On the other end, Bates picks up her second personal. Gbewonyo splits free throws to tie it.

0:04 1st: UCD 24, UCR 22: Campbell hits a jumper to put the Aggies ahead at the intermission.

Halftime: 20 minutes of basketball, 12 total field goals. Honestly, this is a UC Davis sort of game. The Aggies have won four games in which they’ve hit 17 or fewer field goals this year. Riverside is 10-for-48 in its last 40 minutes of basketball against UCD.

The Aggies are struggling against Riverside’s defense. The Highlanders are extending pressure well beyond the NBA 3-point line and forcing UCD to initiate its offense from further away then it would like. That has created some of the trouble. Riverside is also doing a solid job of not submitting to the Aggie pressure. There have been a lot of tips, but UCD isn’t coming up them.

From the stat sheet: Donaghe and Gbewonyo lead their teams with seven points each.

UCD has five players – Harp, Commins, Bates, Donaghe and Porshneva with two fouls. Riverside had three – Friend, Lott and Campillo.

20:00 2nd: UCD 24, UCR 22: Riverside will restart play from halfcourt.

17:07 2nd: UCD 26, UCR 31: Cox hits a 3, Bates answers with a backdoor layup. Then Gbewonyo beats the shot clock with a 3. Wadell adds a 3 as Riverside threatens an honest-to-goodness run. Donaghe, who has been UCD’s most effective player offensively picks up her third foul on a charge call.

15:58 2nd: UCD 28, UCR 31: Riverside’s recent offensive outburst has brought its field-goal percentage to 25 percent (8-for-32). UCD’s two baskets this half have come off Heather Bates’ drives to the rim. UCD has attempted just 19 shots

15:18 2nd: UCD 28, UCR 31: Bates has picked up her third foul, also on a charge.

14:16 2nd: UCD 30, UCR 31: UCD has committed three offensive fouls this half. Porshneva gets her third as she tries to get position in the post.

13:28 2nd: UCD 30, UCR 34: Now Commins has her third personal, a 3-shot foul for hitting Waddell as she airballed a 3-pointer. Commins didn’t agree, but suddenly the Aggies appear to be rocking every so slightly. The fouls are mounting and the preferred rotation only goes eight deep. Waddell hits the first two, waits out a full timeout and then hits the third.

11:47 2nd: UCD 34, UCR 37: Waddell hit another 3 to extend the lead to five. UCD offers a quick answer, with a Donaghe deflection leading to a Costello layup. Simpson appears to be dialing up the defensive pressure, a dangerous game with fouls mounting.

11:02 2nd: UCD 38, UCR 37: Now it’s Riverside’s turn to almost get a key turnover. After multiple deflections Donaghe hits a layup as she’s fouled. Donaghe misses the free throw, but Bates rebounds and that leads to a Porshneva hook shot to put the Aggies back in the lead.

10:00 2nd: UCD 41, UCR 39: Cox hits a jumper, but Campbell answers, converting a 3-point play to put the Aggies back in the lead. Friend misses a jumper on the next trip and Riverside takes a timeout after the rebound squirts out of bounds to UCD. It has two remaining.

7:26 2nd: UCD 46, UCR 45: Just when it feels as though UCD is danger of pulling away, Riverside hits a big shot. Down 43-39, Waddell cans a 3. Harp answers with a triple and then Gbewonyo hits another one from the elbow. UCD has tied the rebounding margin and starting to find room offensively. But Highlanders won’t go away without a fight.

6:33 2nd: UCD 49, UCR 47: Gbewonyo hits a runner to put the Highlanders in front. Then Harp converts a 3-point play. Big play by the sophomore.

6:17 2nd: UCD 50, UCR 47: Donaghe makes a steal and is fouled as she goes in for the lay up. She missed the front end, her fifth straight missed free throw, before converting the second to make a three-point game.

5:29 2nd: UCD 52, UCR 47: Lott missed a bunny on the low block. UCD answers as Donaghe finishes against the shot clock. Now Riverside is wobbling.

3:57 2nd: UCD 52, UCR 47: UCD turns the ball over, survives two open looks from outside before getting the rebound and then turns the ball over again. The Aggies are a couple of plays away, but they still haven’t made them.

2:38 2nd: UCD 55, UCR 47: Bates hits an open 3 to make it an eight-point game. Friend misses a jumper and UCD rebounds. It now has a 28-25 edge. Timeout UCD. This could make things really tricky for Riverside.

2:25 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 47: Donaghe is tripped as she drives to the hoop and is awarded two shots. She misses the first short and hits the second.

1:12 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 49: UCD was close to finishing it off, but a turnover down low led to a quick break and basket by Friend. Campbell misses the jumper, but Riverside can’t convert on the other end. Ball is out of bounds to UCD. The Aggies are within touching distance of what the English would call a famous victory.

54.3 2nd: UCD 56, UCR 49: Aggies run the shot clock down to nine seconds with the possession. Bates gets in trouble and UCD uses a time-out.

44.7 2nd: UCD 58, UCR 49: Harp hits a stunning runner against the shot clock that I can only hope Wayne Tilcock, our photographer, caught.

19.4 2nd: UCD 61, UCR 51: Campbell seals it with two from the line.

Final: UCD 63, UCR 53

Game time note

I've gotten word from Anaheim to expect UC Davis' semifinal against UC Riverside game to tip off 30 minutes after the end of the Santa Barbara-Cal Poly game. That very likely could be at 2 or 2:15 rather than 2:30, which is the time we had been getting from the Big West all along. Time is of the essence because the men's semifinals are being televised by ESPNU.

We'll be blogging from Anaheim tomorrow and will put up a page you can follow a little later tonight.

It's Riverside

UC Riverside gutted out a 59-47 win over Cal State Fullerton in what read like an absolutely awful game on the Internet. The Aggies and Highlanders will meet in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament at 2:30 tomorrow, a game that you can follow live on this blog.

UC Santa Barbara will face Pacific or Cal Poly.

BREAKING: Hanson leaves UCD men's basketball team

Shane Hanson, the Aggies’ second leading scorer this season, has left the team for personal reasons UCD said Tuesday.

For more see Thursday's Enterprise.

Update (noon, Thursday): UCD is generally tight-lipped with personal information, and this instance is no different. From my initial reporting it sounds as though "personal reasons" are just that. It's not immediately clear whether Hanson's withdrawal from the team is permanent or temporary, or whether he will switch schools or not.

Big West Tournament events

For those of you not going to the Anaheim, here's a rundown of what will be happening in town in relation to the women's run in the Big West Tournament. These will be hosted by the Aggie Pack.

• Thursday:A send-off in The Pavilion parking lot at 11:15 a.m.
• Friday: The Grad (Russell and Anderson in Davis) will be showing the game, against an opponent to be determined, starting at 1:45 p.m. UCD plays the second semifinal, which is listed as starting at 2:30 on all the press information.
• Saturday: The final will be televised at The Grad starting at noon. The team is slated to return home that evening. Should the mood be celebratory, there are events planned as well.

For those unable to get to the Grad or listen at work, we will attempt to live blog the semifinal from courtside on this blog.

What if they gave a play-in game and no one came?

RIVERSIDE -- Greetings from the Inland Empire and what I think rates as the least pleasant gym in the Big West. It's 23 minutes to tip-off and there are exactly two people beside the band sitting in the student section. Perhaps that will change. Our pregame notes are minimal given that what really matters tonight is the result. What's at stake here is eighth place and the right to play UC Irvine in the first round of the Big West Tournament. So the absolute value isn't a ton.

But from where I sit -- five feet to the left of the mid-court line -- this is a pretty big night for the UCD program. It comes to this: people in the administration believe that program's biggest goal should be establishing itself as a force among its peer institutions in California. Failing to score an invite to the league's signature event -- the men's basketball tournament -- would suggest that the program is not ready to do that. Athletically, maybe its not. The funding's not at 100 percent (although that hasn't been a problem for women's basketball) and it's only just the first year. But in a two-year process, milestones are important. Squirting through here would count, although it wouldn't rule anything out for next year.

Our study of the early warm-up suggested that UC Riverside appeared the looser group. That means that UC Davis is either 1. tight or 2. so locked into the business trip mentality that it's focus is unshakable. We believe reading body language is a dubious proposition at best.

A primer for Saturday

IRVINE – In case you were wondering, and if you’re reading this blog you might have been, Saturday’s game against UC Riverside will be UC Davis men’s basketball’s first elimination game since March of 2000. The Aggies lost the Division II West Regional final to Seattle Pacific 68-61 in Seattle after beating BYU-Hawaii in the first round. Just about everyone that will dress for the Aggies on Saturday against the Highlands last played in an elimination game during high school with varying results. It's worth noting that UCD head coach Gary Stewart likes to recruit players from winning programs, and maybe some of that experience will come in handy.

I asked UC Irvine head coach Pat Douglass, whose team has lost to both the Aggies and Highlanders to break down the match-up. Here’s what he said:

“Except for Fullerton, Riverside’s played everyone tough at their place. It was 49-all (in the second half on Wednesday) against Pacific. They played Northridge well. They’ve played everyone really good at home. They have good overall size and they play good defense. I guess the key would be, they sometimes struggle to score if you shut down (Larry) Cunningham a little bit. He’s been one of the better players the second half of the league. The key would be shutting down Cunningham. But they do play the man sometimes, so if Davis is making their 3s that could be a big key. Davis’s guards are pretty big. We’re smaller at the guard, so it’s tough for us to match up with Riverside. I think Davis matches up pretty good at the guards.”

I watched a large portion of that UCR-Pacific game on Wednesday night and think Riverside’s defense is going to create major problems for the Aggies. It's just so active and good at forcing turnovers. The Highlanders made Pacific look tenative for large sections of the game, which is impressive. The question will be whether UCD can do enough defensively to slow the Highlanders down. They did in the first meeting by taking Larry Cunningham out of the game for long periods. My guess is that with everything on the line Saturday, he’ll force things a little bit more. The could be good or bad for the Aggies, depending on whether those shots go in. Dominic Calegari didn’t play in the first meeting and his multi-faceted game could give Riverside some trouble they didn’t encounter in the first meeting. Certainly he’s going to open up the middle for the Aggies, who need to get to the foul line and score points with the clock stopped.

Here are the updated scenarios at the bottom of the league for Saturday:
UC Davis wins, Long Beach State wins: Long Beach finishes 4-12 in the conference, a game ahead of the Aggies and Highlanders at 3-13. The Aggies advance to the tournament on the basis of a season sweep of the Riverside.
UC Davis wins, Long Beach State loses: Long Beach, UCD and UCR finish in a three-way tie for seventh at 3-13. In a three-team mini-league between those teams, the 49ers take seventh place by virtue of going 3-1 against the Aggies and Highlanders. The leaves us with the two-team tiebreaker, which UCD wins by virtue of its season sweep.
Riverside wins, LBSU wins: Riverside and LBSU finish tied for seventh at 4-12. LBSU takes seventh by virtue of its win over Santa Barbara.
Riverside wins, LBSU loses: Riverside is seventh at 4-12. Long Beach finishes a game ahead of UCD at 3-13.

We'll check in from the Inland Empire on Saturday.

Live from Bren

IRVINE -- One update this evening before the Aggies' sort-of meaningless game against the Anteaters.

Shane Hanson reaggravated his dislocated shoulder this week in practice and did not make the trip south. That leaves the Aggies with eight players for this crunch trip.

Other scores to watch include Cal Poly-Long Beach 25 minutes up the 405 from where I now sit. The Mustangs are locked into the sixth seed so they might not be as motivated. If the 49ers lose twice and the Aggies win twice, UCD would finish as high as seventh. Perhaps more important, if the 49ers lose twice, Riverside can lose to UCD on Saturday and still make the tournament. Also of note Long Beach-Santa Barbara is a 4 p.m. tip, so the Highlanders will know what they need to early on Saturday. I live for this.

The possibilities

NOTE: The Sacramento Bee had this wrong this morning. So I've updated this.

IRVINE -- I'm going to the Big West Tournament next week. The question is whether the UC Davis men's basketball team will be coming with me. UC Riverside played Pacific really tough tonight before losing, which leaves three scenarios for the Aggies this weekend. Here they are, as best as I can tell, in no particular order.

• UCD loses to Irvine and beats Riverside: The Aggies would finish eighth in the Big West and earn a date with UC Irvine on Wednesday in the first round of the tournament.
  
• UCD beats Irvine and loses to Riverside: The Aggies would finish ninth in the Big West, one game behind Riverside and tied with Long Beach (assuming the 49ers don't beat Cal Poly or Santa Barbara this weekend). The 49ers swept UCD this year and would win the first tiebreaker.
• UCD beats Irvine and beats Riverside: The Aggies would finish seventh or eighth in the Big West, depending on what happens with Long Beach this weekend. If the 49ers beat either Poly or UCSB, they'll finish tied with UCD and, by virtue of their season sweep of the Aggies, finish seventh. If Long Beach loses both its games this weekend, it will fall out of the tournament on the second tiebreaker. Riverside's win over Irvine trumps Long Beach's two wins over UCD and one against the Highlanders.
  

UCI Preview, Part 2

IRVINE – On the way out the door this morning, I grabbed the December issue of Atlantic Monthly that I bought for a plane trip from New York to L.A. but never got around the reading. The two top stories are about the Democratic presidential nomination contest – one touts Barack Obama as a transitional political figure while lamenting the upcoming Giuliani-Clinton race and the other positing Hillary Clinton as the only one of the three Democratic candidates with the will to win.

So it’s funny how much things change in a short amount of time, especially given what was gospel a couple of weeks earlier.

I re-read my story from Jan. 18 following the Aggies’ 74-57 win over UC Irvine today in the Oakland Airport. And more and more that result seems like a lightning bolt. The Aggies led 17-0 to start the game and cruised. They hadn’t been that comprehensive before and haven’t been since. Yet, that win was born from intense angst. The Aggies had just come home from an abject trip to Cal State Northridge and Long Beach State. The players were blaming themselves and meeting to discuss it. The coaching staff was frustrated. I thought this thing could spin out of control. UCD head coach Gary Stewart had this to say after the game.

“I felt like I put too much pressure on the guys to win. Now we’re back to ‘let’s get better at this,’ and ‘let’s get better at that.’ The wins will come, but we’ve got to start really thinking about executing properly, being in the right position and executing properly.”

We pick the quotations that seem most reasonable at the time, and I thought Stewart was on the right track when he said that. I walked out of The Pavilion that night fairly sure the Aggies would reach the Big West Tournament comfortably in seventh place, that this trip would be relatively low stress. But the Aggies didn’t win again for 43 days and 11 games.

Stewart said Monday after practice that he hadn’t changed his approach at all.

“We never talked about the streak and never talked about how many we’d lost in a row,” Stewart said. “We still had the same approach to take things one game at a time, and to have a short memory in terms of the bad things that happened and have a long memory in terms of the things we did right. Obviously there’s nothing like winning. It helps with everything.”

The question to be answered this weekend is what Saturday night meant. It could merely have been a long overdue victory over a bad team – and Sacramento State is surely that. Or it could have been a sign of growing of confidence, as players said this week. They have to say that. The point is that it’s always impossible to tell. That’s part of the fun of the job and why being able to bang out 700 coherent words in an hour about this stuff is an actual skill.

Tonight’s game only matters mathematically if the Aggies win Saturday. It should be noted though that UCD’s last two wins have come on the heels of terrible losses. So make of that what you will.