With the clock expiring in overtime, Cal Poly forward Mark Crowe banked in a three-pointer and the Mustangs beat Bethune-Cookman on Saturday night in Mott Athletics Center. After scrapping back from a late multi-possession deficit in regulation and once again in overtime, it was a finish fitting of the somewhat frantic game it was. Donovan Fields led all scorers with 28 points. Marcellus Garrick finished with 13 points and Crowe’s game-winning three pointer gave him 10 points on the night.

The game on Saturday was the Mustangs’ only game over a two-week span (Dead Week and Finals Week are to thank for that), but we did get to see some improvement in-person for the Mustangs.

Bethune-Cookman beat the Mustangs last season and won what is probably the weakest conference in all of Division I college basketball. Still, they took the Mustangs to the wire in a game that was really fun to watch. The win moves Cal Poly’s record to 3-5 on the young season. 

Find the box score from the game here. 

Chef Don

With 28 points on Saturday, Donovan Fields earned his first Big West Conference Player of the Week award.

Donovan Fields was flat-out cooking early in the game. The senior point guard from Newburgh, NY showed off from three point range, mid range, and off the dribble inside. For his 28-point performance, Fields earned himself the Big West Athlete of the Week award. The last Mustang to earn that was Victor Joseph last season.

Fittingly, Joseph was in the crowd on Saturday night with Fields and fellow senior Marcellus Garrick verbally engaging him throughout the game, resulting in a number of wide grins for all parties.

The win was Cal Poly’s third overall this season. 

The Crowe

Cal Poly hosted Bethune-Cookman at Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, CA 12/8/18

Mark Crowe has been developing steadily since his redshirt freshman season last year. In 2017-18, the Texas native scored just over 2 points per game and shot 25 percent from three-point range. With some work in the offseason, Crowe has been a much bigger contributor so far this year, averaging nearly 11 points per game (good for second on the team) while shooting 47 percent from deep.

Crowe’s versatility on the defensive end paired with improved shooting have earned him the second most minutes on this year’s Mustang roster, one that is probably as set in its rotation and roles as it has been at this time during any of the past few seasons.  

Who’s getting better?

A team picked in the preseason to finish eighth out of nine teams in the preseason, the question I’m always asking is, “Who is making little improvements game-to-game?”

Two players I noticed who finally seem confident and totally engaged are freshmen Daxton Carr and Junior Ballard. Ballard made his first three-pointer at home and Carr’s energetic dunk in the first half helped keep the Mustangs out in front. Freshman Tuukka Jaakkola has also shown some improvement in video streams that have been available. All three will need to be real contributors for Cal Poly to play the way they want to on both ends come conference play. 

The Road Ahead

After taking finals this week, Cal Poly will head to Haas Pavillion in Berkeley to take on Cal on Saturday, followed by a quick trip to Bakersfield next Tuesday to play future conference opponent CSU Bakersfield. The next home game will be the Saturday before Christmas, when the Mustangs host UTA. The Mavericks, who beat Cal Poly easily 77-56 last season are just 3-6 this year. 

Photos by Owen Main. For more photos, visit photos.fansmanship.com . 

On Saturday, Cal Poly hosted 17th-ranked Montana. The Mustangs came into the game 1-3 on the season, having won just two of their past 16 games overall. 

So, not a great trend. This year hasn’t been easy though. The four games Cal Poly has lost (including to Montana) have all been against opponents ranked in the top-17 in the nation. 

For me, one of the fascinating things about college sports — or any athletics at a really high level — is that there sometimes isn’t MUCH between a team that seems down in the dumps and a team that is in the top-20 in the nation. Saturday’s game, for me, was a fascinating case in point.

Cal Poly moved the ball like they wanted to and played basically as well as you can in a game you lose by 20 (the final score was 48-28).

There were 149 total plays in the game, and here are four that went a long way toward determining the outcome:

The first fouth-and-one

Cal Poly is a triple option team that goes for it on fourth down. A lot. If you depend on rushing the ball and can’t get a yard or two when you need it, then you’re probably not going to win anyway. Also, head coach Tim Walsh has long preached that touchdowns are what win games, not field goals. 

After picking up one first down on their opening drive, Cal Poly had the ball at Montana’s 48 yard line on fourth down and 1. Cal Poly handed the ball to senior fullback Joe Protheroe, but the Grizzlies sniffed it out and stopped Cal Poly short. 

Early fourth down plays can have lasting impacts on momentum in the trenches. 

THE OUTCOME – Well, Cal Poly’s defense forced a Montana three-and-out, forcing a punt. Things looked OK until…..

J’uan Campbell rushed for 31 yards on four carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

The Muff

Since the Mustangs had gone for it on 4th down, Montana had good field position to pin Cal Poly back toward their own end zone. The Montana punter angled a high kick toward the corner. Cal Poly junior return man J’uan Campbell waved his teammates away as the ball bounced and rolled nearly out of bounds. Inexplicably, Campbell made a last second effort to pick up or dive on the ball. 

Instead, Campbell simply touched it and Montana took possession at the Cal Poly 7 yard line.

THE OUTCOME – Two plays later, Dalton Sneed found Gabe Sulser for a six-yard touchdown and Montana led 10-0, less than seven minutes into the game. 

The pitch-6

Down 10-0 early-on, Cal Poly still had to believe they could get back into the game by sticking with their initial game plan. While the Montana defense HAD earned one stop, Cal Poly’s offense hadn’t even started to roll. Khaleel Jenkins and co. put together a drive that was vintage Cal Poly offense for the first 13 plays of the drive. Protheroe found some rhythm up the middle. Jenkins was making good option decisions. Campbell got back on track. Chuby Danu even caught a ball out of the backfield. Cal Poly used the first 13 plays of the drive to go 60 yards. At the Montana 16 yard line, it seemed like the Mustangs were ready to score a touchdown of their own and get back into the game. 

Instead, the wheels fell off. 

On an option play toward the Cal Poly sideline, Jenkins’ pitch to Danu careened off Danu and right into the waiting arms of Montana defender Josh Buss, who returned the fumble 80 yards for a Montana touchdown.

THE OUTCOME – Instead of the score being maybe 10-7, it was 17-0 Montana with 1:31 to go in a disastrous first quarter. 

To their credit, the Mustangs didn’t hang their heads. Jenkins, Protheroe, and newly installed running back Drew Hernandez kept the Triple Option chugging. Cal Poly responded with a drive of over six minutes in the second quarter, culminating in a Protheroe touchdown, but Montana scored on their ensuing drive and once more before the half to go up 31-7 at halftime. 

When you do the math on the 14 point swing of the pitch-6 and what might or might not have happened with the Muff, you might think about somewhere between 14 and 21 points being made-up. That means that instead of being boat-raced at 31-7 going into halftime, Cal Poly might have been within striking distance at something like 24-14. That’s a big difference. 

Again, Cal Poly’s offense seemed to respond in the second half. They scored on each of their first two drives in the 3rd quarter, but so did Montana. Even trading a touchdown for a field goal, Cal Poly wasn’t making up ground. Down 41-21 early in the fourth quarter, the offense needed to keep scoring.

The fourth down, part deux

I hesitated putting this one in here. By the time you’re depending on conversion of a fourth and four, down by 20 points in the fourth quarter, maybe you’re grasping at straws. Still, Cal Poly had life. with 12:16 left in the game, on fourth and four from the Montana 22, Jenkins called his own number. He tried to cut upfield on an option play. He slipped and was smothered for no gain. 

THE OUTCOME – Montana got the ball back on downs and scored on a 68 yard rush three plays later. It was a dagger for a Cal Poly team that rallied for a touchdown late to keep the score within 20. 

****

Each of the above plays creates the circumstance needed for the next one to even take place, but when you put them all together, it makes up for most of the score difference between the two teams. I guess the good news if you’re a Mustang fan is that high leverage situations like fourth downs, special teams plays, and turnovers are things that can improve.

Drew Hernandez (27) was a pleasant surprise for Cal Poly fans, rushing for 135 yards on 14 carries Saturday against Montana.
Photo by Owen Main

Cal Poly out-gained Montana 512 yards to 468 yards and dominated time of possession (38:40 to 21:20). Cal Poly ran 95 plays to Montana’s 54. But two early turnovers weren’t something Cal Poly could overcome.

Cleaning up their play in those high-leverage areas could give the Mustangs a chance to win in the state capitol this weekend against Sacramento State. 

You’ll also notice I didn’t mention the defense yet. Cal Poly’s defense wasn’t horrific, but it wasn’t great. They made some good third down stops (Montana was just 5/10 on third downs), but they also let some big plays happen, including Adam Eastwood’s 68 yard dagger. By the time the defense forced a turnover from the Grizzlies, an interception by Carter Nichols, the game was well in-hand.

The receivers throughout the Big Sky are really good and so are most of the passing quarterbacks. Sacks are hard to come by as quarterbacks are getting rid of the ball quickly. If the offense and special teams play a clean game, Cal Poly’s defense doesn’t have to do huge things with turnovers, sacks, and tackles for losses. If the Mustangs are behind by 20 points though, then the pressure on Josh Brown’s unit becomes higher. With a young defensive front, changing the game plan and becoming more urgent might lead to some of the late breakdown we saw with the long Eastwood touchdown run. 

So, what’s next?

Look this weekend for high-leverage plays and whether they go Cal Poly’s way. Can the Mustangs convert on some fourth downs when they only have 1-3 yards to get? Can the offense keep from giving away possession and points and still run smoothly. 

Smart football is good football in so many cases. With nearly 150 plays last game, there are lots of opportunities to slip-up, but if Cal Poly can play sound football this weekend, they’ll have a chance in the Hornets nest. 

Photos by Owen Main. Click here for all photos

Day two of Cal Poly football camp began a little after 9:00am on Saturday morning. As the morning sun bathed over Doerr Family Field, Cal Poly’s offense, specifically the skill position players were the most vocal and energetic. 

Coming off injury

Quarterback Khaleel Jenkins looks as though he hasn’t missed a beat after missing most of last season due to injury. Cal Poly actually has five quarterbacks in camp, including Jake Jeffrey — who took most of the snaps last season — and redshirt freshman Kyle Reid. 

A new addition

Preseason All-American Joe Protheroe was not at practice, and for good reason. His wife gave birth to their third child this week. I don’t think Cal Poly fans will lose any sleep over Protheroe knowing the plays. He is expected to begin practicing in plenty of time to be available for their first game.

Hold onto the ball

It’s clear from talking with Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh and others around the program that ball security is a priority this season. Things happening in practice also made that apparent to anybody watching. Fumbling is a weird beast, but here’s hoping the added conscious awareness can help the Mustangs win the turnover battle. When they don’t, things can go downhill fast. 

Odds and ends

• Bradley Mickey, a redshirt sophomore from Arroyo Grande who missed the beginning of last season with an injury, has switched his number to 17 this season. Seventeen is the number of Mickey’s friend Ryan Teixeira, who passed away in March 2017. It is also the namesake of the charity — 17 Strong — that he started. You can find it at seventeenstrong.org .
• A few freshman were interesting to see out on the field. As they start practice at the college level for the first time, it’s always fun to observe who is still wide-eyed and who comes into camp with a college football mentality. Among the guys I caught a glimpse of, quarterback Jalen Hamler (Lawndale) was probably the one I watched the most. He looks fast. 
  This season, freshmen can play in up to four games and still keep their redshirt. This is a big deal for a Cal Poly program that has traditionally redshirted a LOT of their players. If the rule had been in place a season ago, Cal Poly might have used players like quarterback Kyle Reid alongside Jake Jeffrey as the season wound down. 
• Cal Poly will play their first game on September 1st in Fargo, North Dakota against the best FCS team in the nation — North Dakota State. The Bison seem like they win the national championship every season. The Mustangs’ schedule, start to finish, is probably more difficult than last year’s, despite having no FBS opponents on the slate (a rarity). In conference play the Mustangs will take on Montana at home and Montana State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona all on the road. 
• I taped a podcast with head coach Tim Walsh last week that I’m hoping goes up before the weekend is over. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher — just search Fansmanship. 

Photos by Owen Main. Browse the gallery online and purchase photos here. 

You can also just contribute to the cause via Paypal (owen@fansmanship.com) or Venmo

Coming into this past weekend’s Big West Conference baseball series, there was still an outside shot for both Cal Poly and UC Irvine. After the Anteaters won the series two games to one, both teams fell in the standings and, barring a complete collapse, the split series secured Cal State Fullerton’s spot as the frontrunner in this season’s Big West title chase.

The Mustangs dropped the opener on Friday night, scoring just a single run and failing to back-up a solid pitching performance from lefty Trent Shelton. On Saturday evening, Cal Poly got on the board early with the help of a fly ball that was lost in the lights in the first inning and went on to win 4-3. On Sunday, the Mustangs lost the rubber game, scoring just a single run again in a 4-1 loss. 

The series loss to UC Irvine evened Cal Poly’s Big West record at 9-9 with six conference games (two weeks) to play. It also dropped them from a second place tie to a fourth place tie in conference play. UC Irvine moved to 10-8, four games behind Cal State Fullerton in the loss column (3 games overall).

Giving up 10 runs in three games is often enough in college baseball, but UC Irvine pitchers shut the Mustangs down to the tune of just six runs of their own in the three games.

Anteaters pound the zone

UC Irvine pitchers did a nice job throwing strikes when they had to. Anteater pitchers walked just six Mustangs all weekend and there were many fairly short at-bats in the innings I saw in-person. Kyle Marinconz didn’t seem to mind, going 7-11 in the series. 

No fun league

One thing Cal Poly players credited their mid-season turnaround to was having more fun. Players (mostly relief pitchers) have been dancing in the dugout and bullpen for nearly two months during rallies. Their coordination has been top-notch and added a really fun element to the game. 

On Friday night, Big West home plate umpire Scott Letendre put an end to all that. Letendre’s attention was on everything from shutting down the dancing multiple times to talking to Mustang starter Trent Shelton about where he needed to put the rosin bag on the mound. Did it make a difference as to who won the game? Almost definitely not. But nobody — opposing players or any of the umpires — has had a problem with it for weeks and it comes off looking like baseball is not a place to have fun. Not a great look for that ump. 

Seven more games

Cal Poly (23-27 overall) has seven games remaining this season, including four at home this week. On Tuesday, they’ll play their final mid-week game at home against Pepperdine. This weekend, they’ll finish their home schedule against rival UCSB, including the senior day game on Sunday afternoon. Seniors on this year’s roster include Josh George, Colby Barrick, Trent Shelton, Elijah Skipps, and Kyle Smith. Other Mustangs who you might have your last chance to see in a Cal Poly uniform include juniors Alex McKenna, Nick Meyer, Kyle Marinconz, and Michael Clark. Juniors are eligible for the Major League Baseball draft, which will take place June 4-6.

The Mustangs will finish their season next weekend (May 24-26) at UC Riverside. 

Photos by Owen Main

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Victor Joseph was really good last Thursday. By Owen Main

With their win over CSUN and the happenings in the Big West over the weekend, Cal Poly is now guaranteed a spot in the Big West Conference Tournament. Whether they’re a 7 or 8 seed is still to be determined, but we know some things already. 

Twice as nice

Having already played a triple-overtime game and an overtime game at Mott this season, the Mustangs bridged the gap and played a double overtime thriller against CSUN in their only game last week. Victor Joseph scored a career-high 36 points in the senior night win. 

Fellow senior Aleks Abrams grabbed 18 big rebounds for the Mustangs, who notched their fourth conference win of the season. 

The game looked like it was Cal Poly’s to take until CSUN forced some turnovers in the second half and got themselves a four-point lead late in the game. But three pointers by Joseph and some clutch play down the stretch allowed Cal Poly to emerge victorious.

Cal Poly isn’t likely to play late on Thursday

Thursday is SO much fun at the Big West Tournament. Four games in a row at the Honda Center. Usually the late games feature local teams, so if Cal Poly earns the 7 or 8 seed and plays UC Davis or even UCSB, they’re likely to play in the noon game. If they play UC Irvine, the Mustangs could play in game 2 or 3 — probably not the late game. 

Lucky number 7?

The last four seasons, Cal Poly has finished in 7th place in the regular season. The first of those years, the Mustangs went 6-10 in Big West play and ran through the tournament en route to an NCAA Tournament bid. In fact, three of the past four seasons have seen the Mustangs notch a 6-10 Big West record. The outlier, 2015-16, saw Cal Poly earn their 7-seed with a 4-12 record. If they beat UC Riverside on Thursday, Cal Poly will be assured the seventh seed for the fifth season in a row. 

What’s next?

I’m probably getting ahead of myself with the conference tournament talk, but Cal Poly plays two games this week. The first game will be at UC Riverside on Thursday night at 7pm. After their coach was fired and their best player was suspended to start conference play, the Highlanders have tried to right the ship. Dikymbe Martin, one of the best guards in the conference, is back and the Highlanders have gone 3-3 over their last six games and hope to secure their own Big West Tournament spot with a win. 

After the Riverside game, Cal Poly will finish their conference regular season like they started it — against rival UCSB. This time, the game will be in Goleta and you know the Gauchos will be looking for blood after the Mustangs knocked them off at home in the conference opener in SLO. Game time Saturday night is also 7:00pm on UCSB’s senior night. 

Joseph earns Athlete of the Week

For his senior night exploits, Victor Joseph earned Big West Athlete of the Week last week. It’s more difficult to win that award when you only play one game in the week, but 36 points is a strong statement. 

Women heating up

Cal Poly women’s team is also heating up. Faith Mimnaugh’s squad has been squarely in the second tier of the Big West this year (UC Davis is on a tier of their own at 13-1 in Big West play). Going into the final week of Big West play, Cal Poly has a 1/2 game lead over UC Irvine and UCSB for second place. Cal Poly has just one game in their final week and it’s a tough one — Saturday night at Hawai’i. 

In the women’s bracket, the seedings matter quite a lot. The top two teams receive byes into the semi-finals of the tournament, while the third and fourth seeds (of nine) receive a bye into the quarterfinals. Winning their final game and finding a way to get into second place means that Cal Poly wouldn’t play a tournament game until Friday in the semi-finals in the Honda Center. 

If Irvine beats CSUN this week and win out, I think they’d have the inside track in a tiebreaker over UCSB and Cal Poly for second place. If they lose to CSUN, then Cal Poly and UCSB might be up for a tiebreaker. It’d be a messy tiebreaker. Let’s see how the early part of this week goes before we jump to conclusions. 

At any rate, the women’s hoops seniors are coming down the home stretch of their careers. Dynn and Lynn are going to go down in the Cal Poly record books when it’s all said and done and when this team is rolling, they have a legitimate shot against anyone in the Big West. 

Lynn’s AOTW

Lynn Leaupepe joined Victor Joseph on the men’s side to sweep the Big West’s Athlete of the Week awards in basketball. Her games of 16/14 and 18/14 helped Cal Poly into second place in the standings going into the final week. After being injured early in conference play, it seems Lynn has rounded back into form. That has to be a scary sight for Big West opponents. 

Photos by Owen Main

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

In the longest game in their history in Division I, Cal Poly hung close with Big West rival UC Davis, but the Aggies scored 17 points in the third overtime period to pull away and win 92-84 on Thursday night at Mott Athletics Center.

The loss drops Cal Poly’s record in Conference play to 3-9, tied for 7th place, but just one game ahead of the 9th spot in the conference. With games against CSUN (next Thursday) and at UC Riverside (a week after that) on the horizon, Cal Poly nearly clawed out of the hole and vaulted themselves into sole posession of 7th place. Instead, the Mustangs were left wondering what happened. 

Cal Poly shouldn’t have been in the game at all. After failing to make a field goal for nearly eight minutes in the game, the Mustangs, miraculously, were only behind by nine points at halftime — a reasonable deficit for a team that only scored 18 points in the period. 

In the second half, Cal Poly seemed to have snatched the momentum. With 3:10 left in the game, Aleks Abrams made a layup to put Cal Poly up by five points. — their largest lead. Just 19 seconds later, UC Davis got Michael Onyebalu an open look from deep that he knocked down. After a missed shot, the Aggies’ Rogers Printup made another three. In two possessions, Cal Poly’s five point lead had turned into a one point deficit.

The triple overtime game was the first since the early 80’s for a program that moved to Division I in the 90’s. 

Clutch moments

There are bound to be tons of clutch moments in a triple overtime game. Down by two points with 11 seconds left, Siler Schneider made two free throws for UC Davis. The first two overtimes featured the two teams going a combined 10-10 from the free throw line. After another Onyebalu three pointer put Davis up by three points in the final minute of the second extra frame, Luke Meikle answered with an open triple with 36 seconds to go to effectively earn the third overtime. 

Third time’s a charm

After scoring just 11 points total in the first two overtimes, UC Davis exploded for 17 in the final period. Siler Schneider scored the first four points of the third OT. Schneider had 8 of his 16 points during the third OT. Onyebalu finished with a game-high 24 points on 5-7 from three point range for UC Davis.

No Chima, no problem

Still without the preseason player of the year favorite Chima Moneke, UC Davis was outrebounded 53-41 (17-9 on the offensive glass), but still managed to hold onto the win. One reason was the turnover disparity. Cal Poly committed 21 — three games’ worth just a few years ago — while UC Davis turned it over just 13 times. The Aggies also held a 27-12 advantage in points off turnovers. 

Mustang leaders

Luke Meikle led the Mustangs with 21 points. Victor Joseph shot just 2-7 from three point range, but managed 19 points and three assists. Donovan Fields, who was hobbled with foul trouble all night, shot just 1-8 from the field for 4 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Kuba Niziol came to play, shooting all 12 of his shots from distance and making five of them for 15 points and seven rebounds. 

Two unlikely sources of production and crunch time minutes were Aleks Abrams and Trevor John. Abrams came off the bench to notch his first career double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds). The junior from Oaks Christian High School also notched three blocks in the game. John made a two-pointer, 2-3 from deep, and a pair of free throws for 10 points. 

Davis D

UC Davis’ defense was pretty well-executed in this game. The Aggies worked hard for 55 minutes to deny Cal Poly passes. There were possessions late in the game after Fields fouled-out where the Mustangs had a difficult time moving the ball beyond their three point line. 

The proof is in the numbers too. Cal Poly shot just 34.7 percent from the field for the game and just 32.5 percent from two point range. 

No rest for the weary

Cal Poly will host UC Irvine (8-4, 13-15, second place) on Saturday night. The Anteaters will be stinging still from a low-scoring loss at Hawai’i. Cal Poly fans will hope that UCI is road-weary — there are no direct flights to SLO from Hawai’i. 

Cal Poly out-rebounded UC Davis on Thursday night, but UC Irvine is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. Look for Cal Poly’s big-man play on Saturday. It could be the fulcrum of Cal Poly’s ability to leverage their way into another home conference win. 

Photos by Owen Main.

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

For the first time since 2015, Cal Poly won a pair of weekend home games in Big West play.*

For a team that was 1-6 in Big West play and had lost six straight games coming into the weekend, the pair of wins were just what was needed. 

Sizzling from 3

Cal Poly was red-hot from three point range this weekend. The Mustangs shot 11-16 on Saturday including 5-5, while making their first eight triples. On Wednesday against UC Riverside, Cal Poly was 11-21 from deep. That’s 22-37 on the weekend. In case you’re wondering, that’s an average of 59.5 percent and yes, that will get the job done. Something even close to 40-45 percent will get the job done for a Cal Poly team that depends on penetration and good three-point looks for its offense to be successful. 

We know Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph are good outside shooters, but for their part, Kuba Niziol shot confidently (7-15 from downtown) and so did Luke Meikle (3-5). 

Listen, a pessimist might say that Cal Poly couldn’t possibly shoot over 50% from deep in a three-games-in-three-days scenario, but they just did it in two straight games and, if you’re attached to the Mustangs, you would probably ask why the hell not?

Clear it out for Don

Cal Poly guard Donovan Fields gets to the basket against a Hawai’i defender on Saturday night. By Owen Main

Donovan Fields continues to prove he can get to the bucket and score against just about anybody. After nailing a go-ahead jumper on Wednesday night against UC Riverside, Fields got to the basket for a late left handed and-one play that helped seal the game. Fields turned, yelled, and flexed to the crowd, a grin spreading across the diminutive guard’s face. 

All smiles

Fields’ smile wasn’t the only display of pearly whites either. Looking at photos from throughout the game, it was clear that the Mustangs were engaged and taking joy in execution. Maybe it’s easier to smile when you’re winning, but the Saturday night Mustangs’ team had their highest score on the Official Fansmanship Body-Language Test of the season, coming in at 94/100.

For what it’s worth, the Chris Eversley-led Mustangs had the all time best Fansmanship Body-Language Test score of 96 when they stormed through the Big West Tournament. Smiling and being joyful isn’t the only measure of the FBLT, but it does account for a significant portion. (In case you’re wondering, the formula is still proprietary). Body language isn’t only a predictive measure or an outcome-based measure. For what it’s worth, both are factors. 

Matching-up

The return of Joe Callero’s matchup 2-3 zone could be a trump card down the stretch for Cal Poly. The calling card of Callero’s teams early-on in his Cal Poly career, the 2-3 zone has been something the Mustangs have moved away from over the past few years. The reasons are probably many. Personnel. Pace of play initiatives and new rules. A shorter shot clock.

But the ability to stymie a team like Hawai’i who struggles down the roster making three-pointers is something Cal Poly could use more and more, especially against other like teams. In the Big West, there are a few teams who would rather not shoot tons of three-pointers. Callero and co. might have something they can use against those squads in the second half of Big West play and into the tournament. 

Don’t think Dedrique Taylor and Dan Monson aren’t pulling out tapes from 2013 and 2014 to break-down some Callero matchup zones of yesteryear.

Deja vú all over again

Cal Poly now sits in a familiar place in the standings — seventh place (3-6 in Big West play). It’s the place the Mustangs have finished in the Big West for each of the past four seasons. The first of those four, the number seven was lucky indeed as Callero’s team went to the NCAA Tournament. Since then, Cal Poly has not fared as well, bowing out to the 2nd seed in each of the past three Big West Tournaments. With the win on Saturday, Cal Poly put themselves a full game up on CSUN and 2 1/2 games ahead of 0-8 (and 9th place) UC Riverside. 

Cracking the top-six may be tougher than getting into 7th place. Cal Poly is still 1 1/2 games behind sixth place Hawai’i (4-4) and two games back of Cal State Fullerton (6-4). Cal Poly will play the Titans in Orange County on Thursday night (ESPN3, 7:00pm) before traveling to Long Beach State on Saturday evening (FSW, 8:00pm). 

A win or two on the road — especially Thursday against Cal State Fullerton — could put the Mustangs in a position to take advantage of three straight home games after that and maybe get into the top-six. A pair of losses makes 6th place a lot harder to fathom, though anything could happen in this year’s edition of the Wild West.

* Cal Poly has had 7 weekends since they’re weekend sweep in 2015 where they’ve hosted two games in a row at home.

Photos by Owen Main.

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

A lot can happen in one second. 

On Thursday night in a crowded-for-the-students-not-being-there Mott Athletics Center, Cal Poly overcame a 21-point first half deficit and a two-point deficit with one second to play to beat rival UCSB 80-79 in their Big West Conference opener. 

With fifteen seconds to play, Cal Poly’s Donovan Fields scored on a knifing left-handed layup to tie the game at 77. On the ensuing posession, UCSB’s Max Heidegger canned a long jumper to put the Gauchos up by two points with just a second left. 

The Gauchos celebrated. UCSB’s Jalen Canty gave a “shhh” signal to the Cal Poly fans. It was Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally all over again. Or so it seemed. 

Luke Meikle made three big free throws with the game on the line. By Owen Main

After a Cal Poly timeout, Fields used a Marcellus Garrick screen on the man guarding the in-bounds pass, and threw a length-of-the-court pass to Luke Meikle, who hesitated before shooting. It was less than a second, but enough to get the desired result. Meikle’s hesitation got Canty in the air. Canty bumped Meikle as he shot the ball and time expired. After a lengthy review, the officials determined that Meikle was fouled before time expired and awarded the fifth-year senior three free throws. Meikle made all three, sealing Cal Poly’s unlikely Blue-Green Rivalry victory. 

The win over the potential conference favorites moves Cal Poly to 1-0 in Big West play and dropped the Gauchos to 0-1. 

Blue start

I’m like 300-plus words in and I haven’t talked about the start. It was ugly for the home team. UCSB started the game up 23-2 and 27-6 with 11:09 left in the first half. Gabe Vincent couldn’t miss. Gaucho big men were getting to the line. Cal Poly was turning the ball over and getting really bad looks at the basket.

Joe Callero tried everything for about five minutes. He put Mark Crowe in the game and tried a 1-3-1 defense. Heidegger drained a three-pointer. He put Karlis Garoza in. Players rotated in and out like crazy, and it was hard to get traction. Trevor John came in and made a three-pointer. Things started to look up. Donovan Fields and Victor Joseph started to push the ball and not worry about running half-court offense. 

UCSB missed a few shots and the Mustangs inched closer. A single digit deficit at halftime would have been a huge win for Cal Poly. But the Mustangs did better than that, cutting the lead to four points at the break. less than a minute into the second half, Cal Poly tied the game. 

Second half rock fight

The second half went something like this. Cal Poly had no answer for Jalen Canty. The sophomore had just four points in the first half, but managed 17 in the second. UCSB had no answer for Donovan Fields. Fields played a great floor game with 22 points, 6 assists, and no turnovers.

Back and forth they went — the lead changed thirteen times in the final half, and twice in the final second of the game. 

Green Finish

Cal Poly doesn’t usually win these kinds of gams. I can remember distinctly a UC Irvine player open in the corner for a pass from Mamadou Ndiaye at the buzzer, a James Nunnally buzzer beater, and an Orlando Johnson shot that bounced off the rim, hit the moon, and barely touched the net as it went in at the buzzer. 

For once, Cal Poly found a way to win a game like this. It’s safe to say that this is a game fans will be talking about for a long time. 

Cal Poly hosts Cal State Fullerton at Mott Athletics Center on Saturday night. Tip-off is 7:00pm.

Photos by Owen Main

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Here are five questions I’m wondering as Big West Conference play gets started this week:

How did pre-conference season go?

Well, it went all right. Not great. There were a few good wins. Cal Poly got some victories away from Mott when they beat Santa Clara and College of Charleston to kick off the Great Alaska Shootout. They also beat Pepperdine at home. While they scrapped and made it close at Cal, the Mustangs didn’t really give themselves much of a chance to win in five of six games against top-100 opponents.

One reason is they had a hard time stopping opponents’ three-point shooting. While their two-point defense isn’t bad, the Mustangs have struggled to stop opponents from behind the arc this season. Maybe that’s an understatement. Let’s put it this way – there is only one other team in Division I college basketball whose opponents are shooting a higher percentage from three point range than teams than Cal Poly (Division I opponents only). UCSB is 34th in the country in three-point shooting percentage. 

The one game that got away is definitely Bethune-Cookman, where they almost certainly should have won. That’s one that everybody would probably like to have back. (They’ll get it back when Bethune-Cookman returns the trip). The Central Michigan game, when they scored 53 points and only lost by three. That’s another one they’d like back. So, yeah. They maybe could have won two or three more games. 

If they play exactly like they did in the first half, they’ll be a bottom-four Big West team in the regular season. 

Consistent scoring?

Early-on it seemed Joe Callero’s team had a rhythm between Donovan Fields, Victor Joseph, and Marcellus Garrick on the perimeter. After the Great Alaska Shootout, the team had a three-point percentage above 40 percent and looked like they’d be able to shoot their way into a lot of games. 

Things have fallen off though. In their past four games against Division I opponents, Cal Poly averaged just a hair over 58 points per game. They’ll have to do better than that in conference play if they want to compete night-in and night-out. Unless Callero somehow brings back the 2-3 matchup zone. Then 58 might be plenty… . 

Sharpshooters or nah?

Cal Poly’s shooting is a huge key for them. It’s a key for everyone really, but how much are the Mustangs playing in synch and in rhythm offensively has a lot to do with who’s getting good shots and whether they’re taking advantage of the good looks they get. 

Joe Callero will point to guards Victor Joseph (20) and Donovan Fields (3) to help get Cal Poly off to a positive start this week at home. By Owen Main

This is a streaky and sometimes mercurial Mustang squad. Their ability to stay engaged offensively for a full 40 minutes and avoid major shooting slumps within games could be the difference in staying with some of the best Big West teams. 

What role will Marcellus Garrick have in Big West play?

The Hancock College transfer started the season with hot shooting and high-scoring games. Sure, teams have gotten a scouting report on Garrick, but I don’t believe we’ve seen his entire offensive game. Garrick has moves off the dribble as more of a slasher than he’s shown through much of the season so far. Look for him to attack defenders who overplay him and think of him as a spot-up shooter because of his hot shooting early in the season. 

When Garrick is getting to the free throw line and displaying his athleticism knifing to the basket, he’s at his best. 

Bonus: Health

Joe Callero always says health is a major factor. Cal Poly has enough rotation players to withstand some injuries, but that doesn’t mean that health won’t play a factor in how this team fares.

Bonus #2: Big Hank coming into his own

Hank Hollingsworth has turned himself into a regular rotation player and interior defensive stalwart for Cal Poly. The redshirt sophomore continues to develop on both ends of the court. Consistent contributions from Hollingsworth will give Cal Poly a shot to win games in Big West play. 

Cal Poly starts their conference schedule on Thursday night at home vs. UCSB and hosts Cal State Fullerton on Saturday evening. Both games tip at 7:00pm. 

Photos from Cal Poly vs. Notre Dame de Namur by Owen Main. 

For more photos click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com. 

Coming off a 20-point home loss to Fresno State, Cal Poly shot 3-25 from three point range and lost to Bethune-Cookman Tuesday night in Daytona Beach, FL 67-53. The Mustangs are now 4-6 on the season.

Is there a draft in here? 

The Mustangs never led against the Wildcats, shooting just 33 percent from the field in Moore Gymnasium. You might think the Mustangs would do well in a small arena — Moore holds fewer people than Mott Athletics Center’s 3,032 capacity. But the Mustangs managed just 1-15 shooting from downtown as they tried to come back in the second half after going 2-10 in the first half. For a team that depended heavily on three-point shooting early in the season in wins over Santa Clara and College of Charleston, the Mustangs have gone cold in recent games. Just a week ago, Cal Poly was shooting 41 percent from downtown as a team. After going 7-45 (15.6 percent) over the past two games, that overall percentage has cooled to 36 percent.  

Hank Hollingsworth has been getting starts at center of late for Joe Callero’s squad. By Owen Main

Scrooges all around

Speaking of taking a lot of three pointers, Cal Poly isn’t getting to the charity stripe much this season. They make the ones they get, but as a team they take a very low number of free throws, and that trend has continued this week. In each of the past two games, Cal Poly’s opponent has made more free throws than Cal Poly has attempted. While free throw numbers like that aren’t everything, they can be an indicator of how much margin for error a team’s offense has in other areas. Like three point shooting. 

Ivy League coming to SLO

Cal Poly will face Princeton on Saturday night in Mott Athletics Center. On December 31, 2016, Princeton beach Cal Poly 81-52 in a game during which no Cal Poly player scored in double figures. Cal Poly’s game on Saturday will be just their third ever against an Ivy League opponent. 

Princeton has a tie to the Central Coast. Paso Robles native Ray Robins was a standout prep player locally and played basketball at Princeton at the same time would-be Major Leaguers Chris Young (pitcher) and Will Venable also graced the Tigers’ roster. 

Tip-off for Saturday night’s game is scheduled for 7:00pm inside Mott Athletics Center.

Photos from Saturday’s game against Fresno State by Owen Main. To see more photos or to purchase photos, click here. If you just want to contribute to the cause, Venmo @Owen-Main or paypal owen@fansmanship.com.