As a photographer, Matt Brown has covered just about every major sporting event in this country, including the Big West Tournament for most of the past 2-3 decades. Matt was covering the women’s side of the bracket early last week and preparing for four games at the Honda Center last Thursday morning when the news came that the sports world was at a standstill. Matt talked to Owen Main and Chris Sylvester about the feeling inside the Walter Pyramid earlier in the week and what the scene was as the decision came down at the Honda Center on Thursday.

Nick and Owen break-down the end of the Cal Poly men’s basketball season, what’s ahead for next year, and impressions from a fun Thursday at the Honda Center for the first round of the Big West Tournament. 

As you’ll hear in the jump, we taped this minutes before Josh Martin’s intention to transfer was announced. 

The first three games of the 2018 Big West Tournament were close, hard-fought contests. The final game was basically over a quarter of the way through. The Gauchos made three pointers on their first two possessions and on three of their first four possessions to lead 9-2 less than three minutes into the contest. Eventually, they built-up to a 41-14 lead late in the first half and went to halftime leading by 27 points, 45-18. The final score was 75-52.

For a 7th-place team that has managed to stay close in many conference games this season, Cal Poly was not close in this one. Facial expressions went from confusion to frustration. From a deer in headlights to a bull in a china shop. Nothing was working for the guys in green. 

Players on the outside of the timeout huddle looked around the Honda Center, trying to process the blue freight train running through Cal Poly’s upset dreams. Mustang fans hollered with a tone that seemed both upset and disbelieving. 

In an arena that had seen three hard-fought games to start the tournament, people looked around and wondered what was going on.

Luke Meikle was the late-game hero when Cal Poly beat UCSB in January. By Owen Main

It wasn’t just one thing that Cal Poly didn’t do well. Sure, Cal Poly missed shots, going 0-6 from three-point range in the first half.

As the third-worst two-point percentage team in the nation (vs. Division I opponents), pulling off an upset against the bigger, stronger, and faster UCSB team without making tons of three-pointers was never going to be possible. 

The Mustangs didn’t defend well either — UCSB got a number of open looks. The Gauchos more than doubled Mustang rebounds (23-11) and assists (12-4) in the first half and seemed like they got whatever they wanted. UCSB shot 10-22 from downtown for the game, bringing the three point percentage of Division I Cal Poly opponents up to 40 percent for the season (6th worst in the nation). 

Cal Poly played a little harder in the second half, but were never really in it. They made an 11-0 run at one point to cut the lead to 20. In the end, it was too much to overcome. Frustrations mounted. Kuba Niziol, who received a technical foul early in the game, received a Flagrant-2 for not playing the ball on a hard foul and was ejected. In the end, the deficit was 22 points as UCSB rested their regulars for the final five minutes or so. 

Maybe it was the late-night Honda Center atmosphere and the exhale of fans who had seen three close games. Maybe it was the body language of players on both teams. For whatever reason, the whole thing just seemed surreal. 

The loss ends the worst season of the Joe Callero era. Cal Poly finished the season 9-22 overall (4-12 in regular season conference play). Cal Poly lost seven of their final eight games. They didn’t win a conference road game and didn’t win away from Mott Athletics Center after November 22nd, when they beat a top-100 College of Charleston team that won their conference regular season title and CAA tournament. That game came after the only road game the Mustangs won all season — at Santa Clara. Cal Poly finishes the season ranked 322 (out of 351 Division I teams) on KenPom.com. 

When asked about what they learned about Cal Poly in the first matchup — a 83-82 Cal Poly win in early January — UCSB coach Joe Pasternak said it was more about what UCSB learned about themselves. 

“It really wasn’t about Cal Poly, it was about ourselves,” said Pasternak. “We had to tighten our defense up and I think sometimes a loss does that — it wakens your guys up to listen more. I think that we had an incredible film session the next day to really dissect our defense and from that point on we’ve taken a huge step.”

For Cal Poly, Callero talked after the game about UCSB’s shooting being the key to their victory. 

The 7-seed in the tournament was the fifth straight year Cal Poly has held that spot. The first year, they won the tournament, but the Mustangs have bowed-out in the first round each of the past four seasons. 

“Top to bottom, the parity is incredible,” said Pasternak after the game, when asked about the close early games. 

For Cal Poly fans, a close game probably would have been just another loss. Instead, the non-competitive blowout loss is going to be a really tough pill to swallow, and the taste is going to be hard to wash out. 

In this episode, Owen and Nick recap postseason awards and talk about the really fun matchups on Big West Tournament Thursday. 

Okay, day one of the Big West Tournament is in the books and I went 2 for 2.  I am a .500 prognosticator.  But, as we say in show business, “The show must go on”! (I have literally never heard anyone say this). Here are my picks for Round Two of the Big West Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Game #1: #1 Hawaii vs #4 UCSB

UCSB has won nine games in a row, and Hawaii is just really good, so this has the potential to be a really great game. I think Hawaii is the better team, but this is the right time of the year for a team to be hot, and UCSB has some momentum. Their mascots are really cool (Gauchos vs. Rainbow Warriors), so I can’t give an advantage there. So, let’s move on to notable alumni. One of the biggest alumni of UCSB is the great actor Michael Douglas. He has been a myriad of great films, and was excellent recently in “Ant-Man”. For Hawaii, we have the man who created the man, Barack Obama, Sr. To be fair, Daddy Obama wasn’t always there for Barack, in fact, he was not there at all, but he is still responsible for giving us our current President, so I think that gives a little bit of an edge

Winner: Hawaii

Game #2: #2 UC Irvine vs. #3 Long Beach State

Justin Bibbins has tangibly improved his game by leaps and bounds over the past two years for Long Beach State. By Owen Main

This also looks to be a good game, as the classic LA vs. OC rivalry is ignited. This means a lot to me because I was raised in Orange County, but now I live in LA County. I am kind of repping LA until I die now, so for me it is hard to go against Strong Beach, especially since their alumni game is mad strong (Steve Martin, Steven Spielberg). However, UC Irvine, and it’s notable alumni, John Lovitz, in the end is just going to be too much for them. It pains me to say it because I left the OC fifteen years ago, and have never looked back.  There’s a lot of pain there.  And don’t get me started about the Irvine Spectrum!!!!!

Winner: UC Irvine.

Yeah, that’s the ticket…

That’s it for today.  Stay tuned for tomorrow’s championship pick!

Hi,

So the Big West Tournament starts in about four hours, and I am hoping to give my daily picks as to who is going to win each game, and I have a hunch, each game is going to be chosen for some insane reason, because I am a crazy person (which I have said several times in my posts).  Okay, no time like the present, so let’s get to some picks.

The longest-tenured Big West head coach, Bob Williams looks to avoid an upset at the hands of his former team. By Owen Main

Game #1: #4 U.C. Santa Barbara vs. #5 U.C. Davis

The Bob Williams Bowl!  Yes, Bob Williams used to coach at UC Davis, and led them to the (Division II) National Championship in 1998 as you can read about here A guy I played with in high school actually started on that team.  That means nothing to what I am currently writing, just felt like saying it.

This was like twenty years ago now, and I am sure there is almost no bad blood between the two teams, so this one is kind of a toss-up.  That being said I have to pick someone, so I am going to say the Aggies get revenge on the man who created them a la Kylo Ren killing Han Solo (this is no longer a spoiler when the film makes billions of dollars).

pick: UC Davis

Game #2: #1 Hawaii vs. #8 Cal State Fullerton

This doesn’t need to take long.

pick: Hawaii

Game #3: #2 UC Irvine vs. #7 Cal Poly

Now, as a “journalist” (that just sounds weird when talking about myself), I need to be unbiased here, and call this game the way I see it, but as a Cal Poly alumnus, it’s really hard to go against the Mustangs.  In reality, UC Irvine is the pick here.  They have a legit argument for making the tournament if they don’t win the conference tournament, and they will be playing post-season basketball regardless.  They have NBA talent on their team, and the Mustangs really don’t have anyone who can match up with their big three.

pick: Cal Poly

Game #4: #3 Long Beach State vs. UC Riverside

The nightcap, which features probably the greatest mascot match up, which is saying a lot based on the other match ups, but I mean 49ers vs. Higlanders (seriously why have I not written a post about the Highlander mascot and the Highlander movies.  That’s coming). That being said, Pound State (LBS) would be the top team in the conference if UC Irvine or Hawaii didn’t exist, so…

pick: Strong Beach

Those are my picks for today!  Check back tomorrow for the next round.  Now as my homegirl Heidi Klum says: Let’s start the show!

Will another first-time champion be cutting down the nets at the Honda Center on Saturday? By Owen Main

Last season, Cal Poly proved that seeding doesn’t have to matter in the Big West Tournament, especially if you get hot at the right time. This year, the Mustangs are seeded in the same place, but upstart UC Davis earned the one-seed and numbers 2-4 are perennial top-four teams. What does the path to the tournament title look like for each team?

Jim Les has done a spectacular job this season. UC Davis only lost two games in conference play. By Owen Main

1) UC Davis

The Aggies were the biggest surprise in the conference this season. Prior to this season, UC Davis had finished in eighth place in the conference three of the past four years. With hindsight, we might have seen their big push coming. Two years ago, they finished 9-9 in conference play and the four seniors on this year’s team have all been key cogs in the past.

Corey Hawkins is the Big West’s player of the year in 2014-15, and Josh Ritchart is a really tough matchup for some of the conference’s best teams. This season, the Aggies went 14-2 in conference play, including wins in 10 of their last 11 games.

They were rewarded with Cal State Northridge in the first round — a team that was a few plays away from winning last season’s tournament.

Keys to victory – Davis has given fans no reason to doubt them, winning close games at home and on the road. To win the conference tournament, they’ll have to maintain their hot shooting. One key will be how well J.T. Adenrele and Josh Ritchart can defend the paint, especially in a potential matchup with a team like UC Irvine or UCSB. Davis is also the second-farthest campus away from the Honda Center, making games against Los Angeles-area teams more like road games. What will their fan support be like as the tournament progresses?

“Big Al” Williams has a super-mature post game that is fun to watch. UCSB is going to be a tough out this year. By Owen Main

2) UC Santa Barbara

UCSB has had an impressive last few weeks. The Gauchos, who played preseason games at Oregon, Oregon State, and Kansas, are battle tested and playing probably their best basketball of the season. They come into the tournament with a five-game winning streak, including wins over top-seeded UC Davis and third-seeded UC Irvine.

Alan Williams continues to be a beast in the middle, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds. While Williams is the centerpiece, the key to their chances might be junior Michael Bryson. Standing at a long 6’4″, Bryson joined Williams on the all-conference first team this year because of his play on both ends of the floor. Bryson averages 12 points per game and can slash or spot-up for the corner three-pointer.

Keys to victory – As long as Alan Williams stays out of foul trouble — he fouled-out in last year’s first round blowout loss to Cal Poly — UCSB is in just about every game they play. That said, their shooting from the outside has been sneaky-good and might a reason for head coach Bob Williams to feel more comfortable going into this year’s conference tournament. Conference-leading UC Davis shot an incredible 45 percent from 3-point range this season AS A TEAM, but UCSB’s top-four 3-point shooters combined for a respectable 38.6 percent, and they are streaky.

If UCSB wins this tournament, shooting from players like Bryson, freshman Gabe Vincent, and senior Zalmico Harmon will be a huge deal.

Mamadou Ndiaye is a major presence in any game he plays in. His health will affect the style UCI plays in the tournament. By Owen Main

3) UC Irvine

Last year’s regular season champs and this year’s conference favorite, UC Irvine and head coach Russell Turner are still searching for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Anteaters are probably the deepest team in the conference. Eight or nine of their guys could and would start on most other Big West rosters.

That said, Irvine is also somewhat enigmatic. Their best-known player, 7’6″ Mamadou Ndiaye, has been injured for much of conference play. With Ndiaye in the game, UC Irvine plays a little slower out of their zone defense, but it extremely difficult to score on in the paint.

With Ndiaye out of the game, Irvine can pick up their tempo some and play with a better rhythm at times.

A team that has lost two of their final three games in conference play, the Anteaters will probably rely on senior Will Davis III. The All-Big West first team selection has been a steadying force for UCI over the past few seasons and will need to have three very good games if UCI is to survive and advance.

Keys to victory – The ability of Luke Nelson, Alex Young, and Travis Souza to control tempo when they need to is key. Shot selection and turnovers are huge keys for the Anteaters. Teams will be scheming hard against UCI’s size, but at the end of the day, taking good shots and maintaining an offensive rhythm will go a long way toward setting-up their big guys on defense on the other end. A potential second-round matchup between UCI and UCSB would be as good as any recent Big West Championship Game in terms of quality and talent of the teams involved.

Dan Monson will need some improved play from senior Tyler Lamb if Long Beach State is going to make a serious run. By Owen Main

4) Long Beach State

Long Beach State is a top-four seed. Of course they are, they’re Long Beach State. Dan Monson’s team hasn’t been quite as consistent this year as years past, but they have a senior first-team all-conference point guard and enough talent to do all kinds of damage.

The big question-mark remains their front-court play. David Samuels is second on the team, scoring 10.5 points per game, but the rotation I saw in their game against Cal Poly was more matching with a coach who was trying to figure out who else was going to play in the post.

Their non-conference schedule was brutal once again. They played Kansas State, UCLA, Texas, St. John’s, Syracuse, and Louisville before conference play even started. Once Big West play began, Long Beach State was a fireball, winning eight of their first nine conference games.

Keys to victory – All eyes are on Mike Caffey — for good reason — but what about former UCLA transfer Tyler Lamb? Lamb, who was a heralded recruit at UCLA out of Madre Dei, is third on the 49ers in scoring on the season, but has been underwhelming in conference play. The senior has been in and out of Dan Monson’s starting lineup, only managing seven minutes in a loss at Cal Poly. Lamb’s numbers and minutes continued to dwindle in the second half of conference play. In thier final game of the regular season, Lamb was back in the 49ers starting lineup. In order for Long Beach State to make a serious run in this tournament, Lamb is going to have to be the yang to Caffey’s yin. Either player can take over a game at any time. If they can finally figure out how to flow together, Long Beach State could be very dangerous. If not, a first-round exit against an improving Hawai’i team is a very real possibility.

Benjy Taylor has done a great job after what his program went through right before the season began. Hawai’i is a dangerous team in Anaheim. By Owen Main

5) Hawai’i

Just days before the season started, the Hawai’i program was in shambles. They lost their best player and coach and beat writer Brian McInnis and I were both pondering what life could be like in ninth place in the Big West.

If Jim Les hadn’t have won coach of the year, I think Hawai’i interim coach Benjy Taylor would have been in the running. The Rainbow Warriors beat Colorado and Nebraska, and lost by just a point to Wichita State. A crazy frenetic defensive press and some timely scoring helped them to an 8-8 record in conference play.

Four Rainbow Warriors averaged between 12.1 and 12.5 points per game in conference play, so it’s not as if other teams can just key on one guy. If they could key on a few, I think it would be 6’11” center Stefan Jankovic and swing-man Aaron Valdes. Guards Isaac Fleming and Garrrett Nevels give Hawai’i a pair of quick guards who provide relentless defense and get open shots because of the style they play.

Hawai’i hasn’t fared very well in the Big West Tournament since joining the conference a few years ago. Maybe, with the pressure off, this is the year they make a little noise.

Keys to victory – Hawai’i needs to control the tempo in order to come out with a tournament victory. Long Beach State has never shied away from high-scoring games, so this 4-5 matchup could be the game to watch in the first round. The other key for Hawai’i will be getting great half-court offense from their leading scorer, Aaron Valdes. Valdes’ numbers dropped-off somewhat in conference play, but that allowed Hawai’i to utilize its greatest strength — the unknown. Along with Cal Poly, Hawai’i is just not a team I’d want to play in this year’s tournament… .

Taylor Johns is a star in the Big West. Can his supporting cast help UC Riverside to a first-round upset? By Owen Main

6) UC Riverside

Behind junior Taylor Johns, UC Riverside was always going to be improved this year. Transfer Jaylen Bland has raised their level even higher. The junior who spent his freshman year as a Murray State Racer before transferring to a Junior College last season was second on the team in scoring and won the Big West’s Newcomer of the Year. Bland averaged 15.5 points, almost five rebounds, and shot nearly 40 percent from three-point range.

Johns is a strong leader with a solid all-around game, averaging 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest. The game-plan against the Highlanders is probably to hold down at least two of their top-three scorers (Johns, Bland, and Steven Thornton), and force the rest of the team to beat you.

Keys to victory – UCR has lost their last three games after beating Cal Poly 48-44 in Riverside. In a 70-63 home win against first-round opponent UC Irvine, the Highlanders got matching 21-point efforts from Bland and Johns while shooting 11 more free throws than UCI (Bland shot 12 all by himself). Irvine’s Will Davis III was held to nine points and only shot two free throws all game.

That game didn’t include UCI BIG man Mamadou Ndiaye, so UCR will have him to contend with, but the formula is still the same. If UCR can get to the free throw line and frustrate UCI, they might have a shot. All that said, I don’t particularly like this first-round matchup for UC Riverside.

A second-team All-Big West Conference player, Brian Bennett can score facing the hoop or with his back to the basket. By Owen Main

7) Cal Poly

After last season, nothing would really surprise me from this group. Everything sets-up exactly like last season for Cal Poly, with the exception of an established leader like Chris Eversley. As a side-note, Eversley told me on my podcast that the Mustangs ran zero/very few offensive plays in last year’s tournament championship run. I’m not sure if that can work with the current team and personnel Cal Poly has to rely on this season.

Listen to Eversley re-live the championship run on the Fansmanship podcast.

Perhaps this tournament can be Brian Bennett’s coming out party. Bennett scored 27 points at UC Davis and has shown he can play with the other talented big men in the conference. Big offensive performances from Ridge Shipley and Reese Morgan could also be a formula for Cal Poly to make a tournament run once again. As unlikely as it is, the fact that everything sets-up similarly could mean some comfort zone for Cal Poly. The Mustangs’ signature win of the season probably came when they beat Colonial Athletic Association champs Northeastern on a neutral floor at Santa Clara.

Cal Poly has a few things going against them. First, they played much of the conference season with only six players getting significant minutes. Second, the Mustangs went 1-7 against the top four teams in the Big West in conference play. Third, question marks abound on this team. Can the offense flow enough to get Ridge Shipley and Reese Morgan open looks from three-point range? Can David Nwaba find ways to get to the basket? It’s been tough sledding for him since he returned from illness as he gets his feet under him. Cal Poly’s defense is pretty consistent, the question will be where scoring is going to come from and how deep their bench actually can go.

Keys to victory – There isn’t one guy on Cal Poly’s team who has to have an awesome game or tournament for the Mustangs to be successful. That said, Joel Awich should be a tough matchup for a lot of Big West power forwards. Awich can shoot it from three-point range and is athletic enough to get his own shot virtually any time. It will be interesting to see whether it’s Awich or Bennett who Cal Poly goes to in the post late in games. Awich had a nice stretch in the middle of conference play, but Bennett probably passes out of a double-team better and has been more consistent throughout the season.

To win a game or multiple games, Cal Poly is going to have to do two or three things at a really high level. What I mean is that in statistical areas like three-point shooting, turnover margin, rebounding, free throw shooting, or just straight-up field goal shooting, Cal Poly will have a tough time winning games where they don’t do at least a few of those things really well. Turnovers are a good place to start. Guards Maliik Love and Shipley will have to hang onto the ball and make good passes and post players Bennett and Awich are going to have to make timely shots for Cal Poly to upend UCSB for the second straight year. Reese Morgan is someone I’ll be watching. Cal Poly’s sixth man for most of the season, Morgan’s career high came two years ago in Isla Vista and he seems like a guy this stage was built for. Again, Big Al and the Gauchos will be harder than ever to get through, but nothing would surprise me this year.

8) Cal State Northridge

The Matadors played Cal Poly in last season’s Big West Tournament final, and returned most of their key players. Along with school record-holders Stephen Maxwell and Stephan Hicks, head coach Reggie Theus returned Tre Hale-Edmurson and got good contribution all season from sophomore Aaron Parks.

Hale-Edmurson, Parks, Landon Drew, and Devonte Elliot are all talented players around the cornerstones of Maxwell and Hicks, but the team just hasn’t been able to put anything together this season. Elliot, a 6’10” senior transfer from Nevada is an important role player. His ability to play alongside Maxwell and Hale-Edmurson down low seems to be something CSUN is still figuring out late in the season.

UC Davis has had an amazing run, but their tournament history is limited. Reggie Theus’ team is experienced and you know he’ll have those guys ready to play in a familiar environment. I’m not going to pick an 8-1 upset, but like the 7-2 game, nothing would surprise me in this league.

Keys to victory – Know thy role.

CSUN has struggled to pass the “body language test” at times this season. Hicks and Maxwell are the focal points, but if Theus can get a few other guys to play just a little cleaner games and make timely shots, CSUN could be dangerous.

Predictions

I’m not going to predict rounds, because that’s silly when teams are re-bracketed after the first round. Also, if you told me the final would be Hawai’i vs. UCSB, I would not be surprised. I’ll repeat myself — anything can happen in Anaheim.

That said, I think UC Davis finds a way to get to the final, where they’ll play UC Irvine. Because of Davis’ relative inexperience in the postseason and Irvine’s ability to defend all over the floor, I’m picking the Anteaters to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of their men’s basketball program. Jim Les and Russell Turner have gone down different paths, but the “new regime” of Big West coaches have all upped the level of play in a conference I believe will have two teams in the NCAA tournament sometime in the next four to eight years.

It was almost too late.

Watching this team all season, it seemed as though these players would never all find their comfort zone, at least not all at the same time. Sure, role players like Ridge Shipley (at UC Riverside), Anthony Silvestri (at UCSB) and Jamal Johnson (vs. CSUN and Hawai’i at home) had shown flashes of brilliance. But those flashes never seemed to come at the same time or at exactly the right time.

Until last week.

Point guard, Jamal Johnson, has been Cal Poly’s ultimate role player for the past four years. By Will Parris

Offensive flow

Cal Poly finally found an offensive confidence and flow that has been working for them. Gone are early shot-clock misses that lead to fast breaks on the other end. Somehow, getting deep into the shot clock didn’t force a lot of last-second heaves from the eventual conference champs either.

Reading driving lanes has been of particular importance. David Nwaba, the most athletic player in almost any game he plays in, has been of particular note with improved court vision. In Cal Poly’s 31-point drubbing of Santa Barbara, the sophomore scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished three assists. The rebounding and assist numbers were both team-highs.

In the championship game, Nwaba’s line was 17-6-2. He slashed to the hoop in a controlled and timely fashion. When he read that help was coming, he passed just enough to keep the driving lanes open. Nwaba shot 52 percent from the field this season, but it’s his court vision and willingness to move the ball during the Big West Tournament that made both him and his team more dangerous.

Defensive intensity

Joe Callero’s calling card has always been his teams’ defense, but the Mustangs’ D looked flummoxed at times this season. Maybe their opponents tightened-up some during conference play, but I saw more shots taken at the end of the 35-second clock by opponents over the past three games than I had all season.

Maybe it was a matter of matchups, but Cal Poly didn’t mess around with any 3-2 kinds of defensive schemes in the conference tournament. Instead they mixed man-to-man pressure with the matchup zone that has made them so difficult to score against in seasons past.

No matter what defense they played, the energy and defensive intensity from the Mustangs definitely picked-up. Nwaba, whose game Callero describes as “edgy,” is the on-ball defensive leader in that case. Energy from defensive role players like Joel Awich and Zach Gordon finally all lined-up right too.

For a few minutes on Saturday night, Cal Poly senior Kyle Odister’s role went from making deep three-pointers to helping mop up a wet spot on the floor. By Will Parris

Know your role

I feel like I could take 500 words to describe the odyssey of each of the 12 players on this year’s team who have seen significant minutes, but for now I’ll say this. When Joe Callero arrived five years ago, the thing I was most impressed with was that all the players on the court — whether or not they were physically outmatched — looked like they knew what they were doing and were put in a position to succeed. Everyone clearly knew their role and could execute it with intensity.

This year’s team didn’t always look like that, but once they got healthy and got into the Big West Tournament, this year’s Cal Poly team finally, improbably, found their rhythm. They found their roles.

On Wednesday, in Dayton, Ohio, they’ll try to find their 14th win.

SEE ALL OUR CAL POLY TOURNAMENT PHOTOS POSTED AT FACEBOOK.COM/FANSMANSHIP

A conference tournament celebration is a wonderful thing to behold.

Last night, after its first ever conference tournament win, fans who drove the 220 miles were treated with an opportunity to storm the court and celebrate with the team.

Celebrate they did.

It’s really hard to describe being in the middle of a scrum like this, so I won’t try too hard. Instead, here are a bunch of photos. We’ll have more videos up over the next 24 hours on our YouTube page, so you can check there. In the mean time, here are a bunch of pictures, starting with “THE SHOT” that Ridge Shipley hit.

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]

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!”

[See image gallery at www.fansmanship.com]