Chris Eversley earned tournament MVP honors. By Will Parris

For the first time in program history, the Cal Poly men’s basketball team is going to play in the NCAA Tournament.

With the Mustangs down by two and just 14 seconds remaining, Ridge Shipley drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key. On the ensuing possession, Zach Gordon took a charge to get possession back for Cal Poly with just four seconds left.

After losing in the semifinals of last year’s tournament on a last-minute tip-in, Cal Poly turned the tables this year in dramatic fashion. After Kyle Odister missed the second of two free-throws, Northridge dribbled the ball up the court. As time ran out, a sea of green and gold-clad fans stormed the court.

Senior forward and tournament MVP, Chris Eversley, was raised onto the shoulders of fans. Students, alumni, and even former players were amongst the mass of humanity sharing hugs and celebrating with the first-time conference champs.

“It was surreal, it felt like a Disney movie,” said Eversley, who finished with a game-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds. “These guys never quit. People that drove down and supported us, this isn’t for us, this is for them. They stuck with us and we played our hearts out for them.”

Eversley is the embodiment of school spirit. His love for the band and everything Cal Poly has been well-documented over the past few years. During the postgame celebration, he made sure to bring the band out on the floor for pictures and celebration.

Cal Poly almost let the game get away in the second half. They established a four-point advantage on a Brian Bennett and-1 with 13:11 left in the second half. But Reggie Theus’ Matadors weren’t going down without a fight.

Tre Hale-Edmerson and Stephen Maxwell clawed and fought down low to keep Northridge in the game. With 1:32 left, Maxwell pushed Northridge’s lead back to four points (59-55) with a left-handed post move. His two points were Northridge’s last of the season.

It’s likely Cal Poly will earn a 16-seed and play in a first-round game in Dayton, Ohio this week. The winner of that game would play a one-seed in the “second round” of the tournament on Thursday or Friday. With a 13-19 record, it’s unlikely Cal Poly would earn anything better than a 16-seed.

Callero, who is one of 16 children in his family, said he wants a 16-seed.

“I’ll be pissed if they make us a 15-seed,” said Callero after the game, with a smile on his face.

After the nets were cut-down, the team huddled one last time before heading to the press conferences and catching the bus back to San Luis Obispo. Joining them was the band, the cheerleaders, and dance team. The chant: “Family!”

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Cal Poly, a seven-seed, played three historical games over the course of the past three days. Here are some photos from the tournament that has college basketball fans in San Luis Obispo dancing.

Photos by Will Parris

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The machine that has been the Cal State Northridge Matadors women’s basketball team beat defending tournament champion Cal Poly in the Big West Tournament final on Saturday.

Jonae Ervin drives in the 2014 Big West Tournament championship game. By Owen Main

The Mustangs, playing in their second consecutive final, got down by double-digits early in the first half and never really recovered. The Matadors held Mustangs center, Molly Schlemer, to just nine points on 3-16 shooting. Ariana Elegado got hot in the second half as the Mustangs went on an 11-0 run to get within six points with 4:23 remaining. Elegado reeled-off eight straight points to end the run.

“Ariana was carying us on her back,” said Schlemer. “No one else’s shots were falling really but she was just hitting everything… . It was exciting, but we didn’t capitalize on the defense, we didn’t get stops when we needed to, I didn’t get rebounds when I needed to, so you can’t really celebrate when you’re still down six.”

CSUN’s Camille Malknecht hit a jumper to stave off the Mustang charge and push the Matador lead back to eight points. Cal Poly would never be as close.

“It sucks,” said Elegado. I thought, like coach said, we came up with a good game plan. We felt really good before the game. We thought we had that. But then this feeling brings back memories to the first or second year…. just… that should have been us.”

Schlemer concurred.

“Credit Northridge for coming out and doing a lot of things right, but it’s just not a good feeling at all,” said Schlemer

Photos by Owen Main

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Cal Poly head coach Faith Mimnaugh seemed to join her team in a defensive stance during every possession on Saturday. by Owen Main

On every glance at the Cal Poly bench, coach Faith Mimnaugh was either giving an order to her team, pumping her fist, or in what looked like a defensive stance.

When the final horn sounded Saturday afternoon at the Honda Center, Mimnaugh’s intensity turned to tears and smiles after the Mustangs came out on top of Pacific 63-49 to win the Big West Tournament Championship.

The game was one that Pacific, the regular season champs, could never quite get their arms around. Each time it looked like they had Cal Poly on their heels, the Mustangs got a bucket. Just when it seemed a Cal Poly player was trapped, the double-team would be split, or the Cal Poly player would draw a foul. It was a matter of one team matching the other’s aggression and welcoming the physicality that was sure to come.

Pacific played as hard as they could, generally kept the ball out of Molly Schlemer’s hands, and executed a good game plan. In the the final analysis, though things just didn’t go their way (the same can be said of the Cal Poly men’s team, who lost to Pacific the previous night in the tournament semifinal). Instead, in her 16th season at the helm for Cal Poly, Mimnaugh got her first Big West tournament title. Next week, Cal Poly will go to its first NCAA Tournament since the program moved to Division I.

Mimnaugh reflected after the game on what it took to get the Mustangs to this place. When she started, the coaching staff included just her and one other volunteer coach who also had a job as a sorority house mother to help pay the bills.

“To go from [a] place, where we were two people running this thing, to build the program to this level, it’s just, it’s a lot of work. More than I thought it’d take,” said Mimnaugh after the game. “I think when you’ve been doing it as long as I have and you keep dreaming and you keep pushing and kind of wondering if it was ever going to happen, that’s where the real satisfaction comes in for me.”

Molly Schelemer lets out a Shaq-like scream of joy after a basket late in the Big West Championship game. Schlemer averaged 16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in the tournament. By Owen Main

To get to the game Mimnaugh’s team beat UCSB in the semifinals on Friday afternoon, setting-up a rematch with Pacific. UCSB did all they could to challenge the inside presence of Molly Schlemer, but couldn’t find an answer as Schlemer, the Big West Player of the Year, scored 26 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

In the championship game, Schlemer’s presence continued to be felt. Double and triple-teamed from the beginning, Schlemer managed only 7 points in the final but managed to gather 16 rebounds, crucial after senior Kayla Griffin went down with a season — and career — ending injury.

While Pacific shut-down Schlemer’s offense, Ariana Elegado made the Tigers pay, scoring 22 points including three 3-pointers. Seniors Caroline Reeves and Nikol Allison stepped in and each scored 10 points as Pacific dared Cal Poly to beat them with someone other than Schlemer or the injured Griffin.

Cal Poly’s defense, a much-improved part of their game this season, held Pacific to 20-61 shooting in the game (32.8%).

Last year was supposed to be the year for Cal Poly. The tournament draw seemed just right, Kristina Santiago was healthy, and all signs pointed to Cal Poly as the tournament favorite. Instead, they didn’t even make the finals, bounced in their first game by an intrepid Long Beach State squad. The loss seemed crushing for a team that was losing a player who was clearly the best in the Big West.

Seniors Nikol Allison (13) and Caroline Reeves (22) had big contributions in Cal Poly’s first-ever Big West Tournament Championship. By Owen Main

Enter this year’s less-heralded bunch. Last season guard Jonae Ervin led the country in Assist-Turnover Ratio, but she was injured coming into the season and there were a fair number of questions marks. Ervin eventually made it back and those question marks were answered by break-out performances.

This year’s team has played better defense and has had break-out performances by Schlemer, a junior, and Ariana Elegado, a talented sophomore guard. While Schlemer earned Tournament MVP honors (16.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in the tournament), Elegado also was named to the all-tournament team. It was a fitting way to cap a season where Elegado has been asked to play both point guard and off-guard and be a source of points throughout the year.

The defensive stance by coach Faith Mimnaugh broke only once all game, when senior forward Kayla Griffin, a team leader and Cal Poly’s only player to start every game this season, tore two ligaments in her knee while chasing down a loose ball. Griffin collapsed on the baseline in front of the Cal Poly bench and, while Pacific went the other way, scoring a bucket about 10 seconds later, Mimnaugh’s total attention was on the senior forward, consoling her until the referees finally blew their whistle so that medical staff could attend to Griffin.

“That’s just the type of lady Coach Faith is,” said Schlemer. “She cares about us as human beings, not just her players… . I wasn’t surprised at all. It’s just the kind of thing she does and it’s amazing.”

In a year where a team finally found their identity, a coach not caring about what was going on on the floor may have been all you need to know about this year’s Big West Tournament champs.

See more photos of the championship game and celebration on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fansmanship .

Some video is now also up at www.youtube.com/fansmanship.

Some photos by Will Parris of the first round of the Big West Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.

First round winners were the four top seeds: Long Beach State, Pacific, Cal Poly, and UC Irvine.

Photos By Will Parris – Parris Studios

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The Big West Tournament is here and, while others may get more glamour or publicity, the Big West’s match-ups will be exciting and are sure to bring some March Madness to the Honda Center. In the spirit of true fansmanship, you might find a homer pick or two in here, but nothing is outside the realm of possibility in this tournament. Here are the brackets for the games, all of which will be played at the Honda Center:

ROUND 1 – Thursday, March 14

Pacific (2) vs. UC Santa Barbara (7), 12:00 PM

Season Series split 1-1

Pacific has been one of the most consistent teams in the conference. They have played solid team basketball all year and have only one player — senior guard Lorenzo McCloud — who averages double-figures in scoring on the season. This makes Pacific tough to plan for, but it also makes winning the tournament tough for the Tigers, who are trying to send head coach Bob Thomason out with a bang in his 25th and final season at the helm. For UCSB, it’s all about Alan Williams. To the extent that Williams can control the inside and find open shooters when he is double-teamed, UCSB can stay in this one. Williams, a sophomore from Arizona and an All-Big West First Team selection this year averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game this year. Pacific will play their game and, while I’m sure Williams will find open shooters, they won’t be named Boswell. If UCSB’s guards like Michael Bryson and Nate Garth can make 3-pointers, this game will be close, but I can’t see Pacific going one-and-done in their head coach’s last year. Look for their experience to wear on UCSB, who will definitely have a much more friendly seed in next year’s tournament. Winner: PACIFIC

Chris Eversley is one of the players to watch in the Big West Tournament

Cal Poly (3) vs. UC Davis (6), 2:30 PM

Season Series split 1-1

For all the consistency the Mustangs showed during conference play and for how much better it still seems they’re getting, people might still think they overachieved in earning a third seed in the tournament. Without a tournament title, they may not be viewed as a true contender until they prove they can make it back to the championship game, where they haven’t been since the Derek Stockalper– led team lost to Long Beach State 94-83 in the 2007 final. To win Thursday’s game, and the tournament, Cal Poly will have to shoot very well and play their trademark grinding defense that has established them as the conference’s best defensive team. UC Davis has also never won a Big West Tournament since joining the conference in 2007. The addition of Corey Hawkins (son of 13-year NBA veteran Hersey Hawkins) has bolstered the Aggies this year. If Hawkins and sharpshooter Ryan Sypkens have great shooting games, they can open-up the inside for big-man and fellow all-conference selection J.T. Adenrele. Both of these teams have a lack of experience at key positions, but Cal Poly has shown more consistency this year and, in the first round, that should put the third-seeded Mustangs over the top. Winner: CAL POLY

Long Beach State (1) vs. Cal State Fullerton (8), 6:00 PM

Season Series – Long Beach State 2-0

Long Beach State is Long Beach State. They are athletic, long, and imposing. At times, they can play suffocating defense. For the past few seasons, they’ve had cold-blooded leaders like Casper Ware with the ability and persona to be a conference tournament hero. The question for this year’s 49er team is whether Big West Player of the Year James Ennis and first-team all-conference selection Mike Caffey have a tournament hero in them. Fullerton has had a weird season. Picked to compete in the regular season, the Titans were never quite able to put everything together. With a rash of injuries and a tough road trip, Fullerton dropped to the number-8 seed on the final day of conference play. For them to have a chance, guard Kwame Vaughn will have to probably score 30 points and everyone else from Fullerton will have to play great. In the end, Long Beach always seems as comfortable in Anaheim as they do at home. Their defensive intensity always kicks-up a notch in the postseason too. While Fullerton might keep it close for a while, look for the 49ers to pull-away late and punch their ticket to Friday. Winner: LONG BEACH STATE

UC Irvine (4) vs. Hawai’i (5) 8:30 PM

Season Series split 1-1

The nightcap of this year’s first round is, on paper, set to be the best game. Both teams won at home during the regular season by four and six points. Hawai’i, led by all-Big West first team selection Christian Standhardinger, fell to the fifth seed after holding one of the top-3 spots in the standings for most of the year. UC Irvine has the outside-shooting edge, so this game will be about how effectively Adam Folker and Will Davis can hold down Hawai’i’s big front line of Isaac Fotu, Standhardinger, and Vander Joaquim. This matchup is not a great one for Irvine and I see Hawai’i’s inside presence proving too much in the first round for UC Irvine in the only “upset” of the first round. Winner: HAWAI’I

Round 2 – Friday, March 15

I won’t go into excruciating detail here, but I see Hawai’i making a run in this tournament. They play in a big arena regularly, so their shooting won’t be negatively affected and Long Beach State is vulnerable. Hawai’i is the only team that can give Long Beach State problems physically, and I see them pulling the second round upset. The Cal Poly- Pacific matchup would also be an interesting one. The Mustangs lost to UOP early in conference play in Stockton, but didn’t seem to have a TON of trouble with the Tigers when they played them at home later in the year. Pacific travels farther to get to the tournament and Cal Poly has been playing really well coming in, so I’m going to pick another mini-upset here with the Mustangs winning a tight one. Chris Eversley, who CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish picked as one of the top-three players to watch for in the tournament, could be the difference here.

Final – Saturday, March 16

Cal Poly vs. Hawai’i. I can’t believe I picked Long Beach State to not make the finals. I can’t believe I picked Cal Poly to make the finals. But I did. UCSB and Long Beach State have each made the final every year for the past three years. I’m not going to pick a winner here. If I end up being right by Saturday, I’ll pick a winner on that day.

What do you think about my predictions? Who is your pick? Respond below.

On Thursday night, Fansmanship.com was in attendance at the Honda Center as the men lost an overtime thriller to UC Riverside. While they had got the better of the Highlanders twice during the regular season, Riverside started the game hot, while the Mustangs didn’t seem to get any easy first-half shots. Cal Poly overcame the deficit and led the game at the end before two free throws sent the game into overtime.

“There was no crying in the locker room because these guys played their butts off,” said Callero after the game.

While there is nothing anyone would have liked more than to advance in the tournament, the team didn’t leave anything on the court and doesn’t seem to have any regrets about the game. It’s what a coach should hope for from student-athletes and for that, they should all be proud.

The women’s team was in attendance, enthusiastically cheering for the men on Thursday.  On Friday, the women won their semifinal game before being beaten by UC Davis in the Big West Final on Saturday.

Like the men’s team, the women’s loss came largely due to a sub-par first half. Despite a late-run, Cal Poly couldn’t overcome a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the Aggies.  Though they probably won’t be an at-large invitee to the NCAA Tournament, they automatically qualify for the Women’s NIT tournament.

While neither team accomplished everything they wanted to this week, the future is bright. Kristina Santiago will return to a women’s team with postseason experience who will lose only two players, though one of those is Big West Player of the Year Rachel Clancy.

The men’s team will return next season with a lot of experience. All-Big West First Team player Shawn Lewis is a sizable loss in both scoring and general explosiveness, but next year’s team will feature seniors Will Donahue, David Hanson and Jordan Lewis. Along with senior leadership, the Mustangs’ roster will include six guards with experience, which could prove vital in late-season conference and tournament play. The Mustangs should also see the return of Will Taylor, who red-shirted this season.

Next November is far away still, but signs point to both programs being on the upswing. There were many “firsts” this year for the men’s and women’s teams, and there will an additional dynamic leading up to the 2011-12 season – something Mustangs teams have not experienced in some time – excitement building up before the season and higher expectations.

The women’s team, which is the number one seed in the Big West Tournament, received the most awards. Senior Rachel Clancy, who is a great student too, was the second Lady Mustang in two years to garner the Conference Player of the Year Award. In 2009-10, Kristina Santiago was the conference’s best player. In Santiago’s absence, Clancy has paced Cal Poly with 16.3 points per game and was also third on the team in rebounding.

Also receiving postseason awards were Clancy’s teammates Abby Bloetscher (2nd Team) and Jonae Ervin (Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team).

Women’s Head Coach Faith Mimnaugh, in her 14th season at cal Poly, earned the Big West Coach of the Year honor by leading the Lady Mustangs to a share of the Big West regular season title despite losing the reigning conference player of the year during the first game of the season.

The Lady Mustangs start the conference tournament at home on Tuesday night. As the number one seed, they earned the right to host eighth-seeded Cal State Fullerton at Mott Gym. The game starts at 7:00 pm.

The men’s team also collected some hardware on Monday. Senior Shawn Lewis, who averaged 15.1 points per game to lead the Mustangs, earned First Team All-Conference honors.  Minnesota native, junior David Hanson, (15.1 points per game), earned All-Conference Second Team recognition and guard Maliik Love was the second Mustang guard in a row to be named to the All-Freshman team. Last season, Kyle Odister was named to the All-Freshman team. Odister has sat out this season due to injury. Love shared Fresman of the Year honors with Josh Ritchart from UC- Davis.

Coach Joe Callero’s team finished the regular season with a 15-14 record (10-6 in the Big West Conference) after finishing 12-19 (7-9 in the Big West Conference) in 2009-10. After being picked by many to finish the season near the bottom of the conference, Callero may have been deserving of coach of the year. The award, however, went to Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson. The 49ers, with Big West Player of the Year Casper Ware, finished in first place in the regular season.

The Mustang men start the Big West Tournament as the two-seed. They face 7th seeded UC Riverside on Thursday night at 6:00 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.