With the NCAA regular season at a close and the NCAA Tournament Selection Show over, it is time to look back at the regular season for the UC San Diego Tritons. 

Non-Conference Play 

In the preseason preview about the Tritons, it was expected that UC San Diego would go into their conference season 7-2; they would enter 11-2. UCSD started the season 7-0, winning the ESPN Terry’s Chocolate Invitational in November.

The Tritons managed big wins over Mountain West opponent, Fresno State, an Idaho Vandals squad that made the NCAA tournament, and a 10-point win over WCC opponent LMU. They lost on the road to a solid 22-12 Nevada Wolf Pack squad for their first loss of the season. Going into conference play, the Tritons were looking to be in a solid position. They hoped to make a run like they did last year when they went 30-5. 

Big West Conference Play:

Unlike last year, the Big West was more prepared for Clint Allard’s squad. They opened Big West play against a subpar Cal Poly San Luis Obispo squad and lost on the road. UC San Diego would get their revenge a few months later in March.

The underlying statistics for the Tritons pointed to more wins than they had. In the entire season, UCSD averaged 5.4 more points per game than its opponents. They were better than their opponent in field goal percentage, field goals per game, 3-point percentage, 3-pointers per game, and free throws per game. They did, however, have a lower free-throw percentage than their opponents. For the season, they averaged more rebounds, more assists, and fewer turnovers than their opponents. Unfortunately for the Tritons, it is impossible to have a great season on percentages alone. 

The Tritons let a couple of close games against Cal Poly, CSUN, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton slip through their fingers. They did manage to go 8-6 in close games this year (a game decided by six points or fewer). One sinking factor for the Tritons was a stretch where they lost three straight games. In those games, they managed only 57 points per game and allowed 68. In one of those losses against UC Santa Barbara, the Tritons squeaked out only 48 points. 

Conference Tournament:

The Tritons still had a terrific season, with strong wins, and ended up tied for fourth place in the Big West. Though for conference tournament purposes, they were the fifth seed because CSUN swept the regular-season series.

The Tritons opened the conference tournament with a close win against Cal Poly. Hudson Mayes and Hawaii transfer Tom Beattie led the Tritons with 23 and 20 points, respectively. Mayes’ 16 second-half points helped rally the team from an 11-point second-half deficit.

CSUN ended the Triton season in the Big West Tournament, winning 80-70. UC San Diego gave up a nine-point second-half lead and lost by 10. Afterward, first-year head coach Clint Allard said, “I would hope we would have a chance at an NIT bid”.

After the NCAA Selection Show, the NIT did not choose the Tritons for their tournament; they do, however, still have a chance to play postseason basketball at the College Basketball Crown. 

Clint Allard and Co. had a good season with things to build on as they approach their last season in the Big West before heading to WCC in 2027.

Max Montoya

A Southern California kid from San Clemente, he attended Gonzaga University and obtained a degree in sports management with minors in digital marketing and public relations. Max has been a San Diego sports fan for life.