A top-20 mid major basketball program has just reached its first 20-win season. A future NBA player, the team’s best shooter in school history, is playing in one of his last few home games. The team is inches from clinching the conference championship and beginning a giant-killing playoff run. The only opponents to have beaten the home team in conference play are showing up for a high-stakes rematch.
This situation happens from time to time in the world of big college basketball. But now we’re not talking about Gonzaga or Witchita State or even Saint Mary’s. This momentum belongs to none other than our own UC Davis basketball team, and on Saturday night Davis students have the opportunity to take part in can’t-miss Aggie history.
As alluded to earlier, the Ags are now 10-1 (!!!) in conference play, and that only loss was to the University of Hawaii in a brutal game in Honolulu. (The game ended in an uncomfortable way, as a rowdy crowd throwing stuff onto the court gave the Ags free throws in the final seconds.) Fortunately, we have the opportunity to repay the favor, which is why tomorrow’s game is so crucial.
In order to beat us, Hawaii brought their A-game and a roaring crowd to their arena. In order to have a shot at beating them, we have to do the same. That means that if you’re free Saturday evening, the basketball team needs your help. The Ags have the rare claim to fame of being undefeated at home — the noise from screaming students is a large part of that and makes every game critical to attend.
Not convinced yet? Here are some other exciting things awaiting you at this game:
A chance for a new record.
UC Davis has never had a winning season in Division I before; now, every win we rack up is a new school record. How many will we get to? Twenty one? Twenty five? Also, our success now doesn’t give any indication if we’ll maintain our winning ways for the rest of the season or future years. Serious shots at victory used to be a luxury for the Ags — take advantage of the status quo now and have fun at games while the wind is still with us.
See the stars
These few upcoming home games will be the last chance to see a tremendous — and perhaps one day legendary — group of senior athletes. In addition to starter Avery Johnson, we’re also seeing the final games of coach’s son and clutch long-shooting guard Tyler Les and all-around power forward Josh Ritchart. And that’s not even counting the aforementioned Corey Hawkins, arguably the best distance shooter in the nation.
And that three-point shooting
UC Davis leads the nation in three-point shooting, which makes for some extremely exciting basketball. These Aggie players are talented — more talented than any other team in America in this particular area — and it shows. There’s no greater excitement to be found than watching the Ags come back from virtually any size deficit in just a handful of possessions. You’d be lucky to see a team as efficient and accurate as the 2015 Aggies at any level of play — enjoy it while it lasts.
And of course, it’s just a great way to spend a Saturday night. Regardless of what happens at the game, it’s going to be a fun and historic event. Hope to see you there!
Time: 7:00 PM Saturday, Feb 21
Are we likely to win: We usually win 5 out of 6 games, but Hawaii did beat us once this year. So we’ll see.
Social media: Aggie Sports Talk Thread
Radio coverage: KSAC
Hashtags for this game: #GoAgs #BigWestQuest #PackthePavilion