The UC San Diego Tritons basketball team is off to a great start at 7-0.

They are using an offense that scores about 86 points per game and a defense that holds teams to 71 points per game.

On the glass, they use a 35.6 to 33.9 advantage to help them get out to a great start. An earlier article predicted that the Tritons could be 7-2 coming out of the nonconference, and they are well on their way. 

How They Got Here-

The season started with the Tritons squeaking out an OT win over Cal State San Marcos, 74-72. In their first official game of the year, the Tritons’ offense blitzed La Verne for a 105-73 win. The Tritons had five players in double figures and outrebounded La Verne 47-25. Houston Christian came to LionTree Arena next and met a similar fate. A 21-4 run for the Tritons at the end of the first half propelled them to the win. They led by as many as 31 points in the game before eventually winning by 18 points.

The first test of the season for the Tritons came on the road against Mountain West opponent, Fresno State. This game was different for the Tritons as they saw their 13-point lead evaporate. The Fresno State Bulldogs used a 15-2 run to claw back into the game. With the Tritons down two with two minutes left, Alex Chaikin’s three gave the Tritons the lead back, and they never relinquished it again. Leo Beath had 22 points in the win (14 in the second half).

The Tritons travelled home from Fresno to face the Idaho Vandals. The scrappy Vandals squad raced out to a 13-point halftime lead, turning the Tritons over eight times. This Tritons squad did not waste home court advantage, using an 8-0 run to start the second half. Within four minutes, the Tritons tied the game up at 38. The Vandals refused to go quietly as the game featured six ties and three lead changes. In the end, the Tritons’ free-throw shooting sealed the win. The Tritions improved to 4-0.

ESPN MTE-

The Tritons travelled to Kissimmee, Florida, for the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. First up for the undefeated Tritons, a tough Temple squad out of the American. Junior Leo Beath played a terrific game, scoring 29 points to lead the Tritons to a 91-76 win. The team shot 62.5% for the game, which is the second-highest in its Division 1 existence.

In the semifinal game of the tournament, UC San Diego faced Bradley out of the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley forced the Tritions to overcome a nine-point first-half deficit. The Tritons took an 11-point cushion into the break and held it for most of the second half. The Bradley Braves did not go away and whittled the Triton lead to three points with under three to play. The Tritons’ offense stepped up, scoring nine points down the stretch to pull away. UC San Diego advanced to the title game of the tournament to face Towson.

The Tritons’ offense was scorching hot to start the game, going 11-18 from deep in the first half. The great offense helped the Tritons to a 50-31 lead at halftime. But, as is the story with most of UC San Diego’s opponents, Towson made it a tight ballgame. Some solid offense for Towson saw the Triton lead diminish to eight points with 10 minutes to play. The Tritons lead 63-55 at that point and then rattled off 24 more points to push past Towson. With their title game win, the Tritons captured back-to-back MTE tournament titles. The win against Towson has now brought the Tritons to 20 consecutive regular-season wins dating back to last season. Additionally, the Tritons improved to 34-0, dating back to the 2002 campaign, when leading at halftime. 

What’s Next?

Coming off an MTE title game win, the Tritons travel to another Mountain West opponent, the Nevada Wolf Pack. Nevada is 5-3 with two wins in their last three games against tough squads in UC Santa Barbara and San Francisco. The last time the two teams met was in 2022 in Reno. In that game, former Wolf Pack player Kenan Blackshear scored 19 points to lead Nevada to a 64-56 win. Despite UC San Diego’s unbeaten record, the ESPN Analytics favor the Wolf Pack significantly. UC San Diego should lean on their high-scoring offense to lead them to an upset in Reno on Tuesday, December 2nd at 7 pm. After Reno, the Tritons continue nonconference play, the Tritons travel to Long Beach and Los Angeles for showdowns with Long Beach State and LMU, respectively. They will close out nonconference play at home against USD and Stanton.

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.