UC Irvine & UC San Diego Lead Big West's Historic Season
The Big West is thriving in 2025, ranking 12th nationally. See how UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and others are elevating this once-overlooked conference.
In 2017, the Big West ranked 29th out of 32 conferences in the country. UC Irvine finished first with a record of 21-15, however, UC Davis won the conference tournament with a 23-13 record, earning a bid as a 16 seed to the NCAA Tournament. Just one other team finished with a .500 record that season, in Cal State Fullerton with a 17-15 record. Needless to say, it was a rough season.
Fast forward to 2025 and the Big West is currently ranked 12th out of 31 conferences, which is the highest ranking in the conference’s recent history dating back to 1997. Right now, UC Irvine is 14-2 and 63rd in KenPom, with UC San Diego 60th in KenPom at 14-2 and riding a 12 game winning streak.
The Big West has had two teams finish in the Top 100 of KenPom just one other time since 2005 when Pacific finished 40th and Utah State finished 21st, which came in 2016 when Hawaii finished 60th and UC Irvine finished 84th. How has this historically small conference overcome poaching from the WCC and Mountain West, pull from the non-Division I ranks, and become one of the most premier mid-major conferences in the country this season?
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First let’s take a quick look at the two teams standing out this season:
UC Irvine
The UC Irvine Anteaters have been a member of the Big West since 1988 and it took a bit to get things rolling. From 1988 to 2001, the Anteaters finished above .500 on the season just one time. Starting with the 2000 season, they went on a bit of a run, winning 20+ games three years in a row behind then head coach Pat Douglass. Since the start of this run, UC Irvine has never finished below 11 wins and they’ve had nine 20+ win seasons, including a 31-6 season in 2018-2019. Despite this success, they’ve made the NCAA tournament just twice, in 2015 and 2019, both as 13 seeds. Tis the life of a one-bid league. This season won’t be a guarantee either as UC San Diego is right on their heels.
Defense is the name of the game for head coach Russ Turner, as the Anteaters have finished in the top 100 defensively four years in a row and they’re on track to make it five years. 2025 has been their best year yet, as they rank 13th in the country in defensive efficiency per KenPom. They’ve allowed more than 65 points just five times this year and they even held the MAC favorites in Kent state to just 39 points back in November.
Statistically, they rank 23rd in defensive effective field goal percentage, holding opponents to just 45.8% shooting. They block out better than nearly any team in the country, where they rank 14th in opponent offensive rebounded. Plus, they just don’t let teams get shots off. They rank a remarkable second in free throw and field goal attempts. This is legitimately one of the best defensive teams not just in the mid-major ranks, but in the country.
Their two losses came from Oregon State 67-55 and Duquesne 70-54. Prior to the Duquesne loss, there was a reasonable conversation to be had around whether or not the Big West could be a two-bid league. Duquesne started off the year rough, but they’ve looked better as of late and it could do wonders for an at-large bid for the Anteaters if Duquesne could go .500 or better in the A-10. Needless to say, Anteater fans should be rooting for the Dukes.
Moving forward, they have their biggest test so far…UC San Diego this Saturday. You are not going to want to miss this game as the Tritons are projected to win 71-69, in which this is the only game the Anteaters are projected to loss for the rest of the season.
UC San Diego
UC San Diego has been in the Division I ranks for just five years since transitioning out of the Division II ranks where they were a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Tritons were one of the more premier Division II teams, making the tournament five years in a row between 2016-2020, including two sweet 16 appearances. In year five of their Division I history, head coach Eric Olen has them rolling with a 14-2 record, a 12 game winning streak, and the highest KenPom rating in school history at 60, just three ahead of UC Irvine.
The Tritons are currently 57th in offensive efficiency and 72nd in defensive efficiency, but what’s the most notable statistic is the fact they lead the nation in turnover margin. They’ve allowed just 147 turnovers while forcing 278 for an 8.2 margin. They also rank 36th in offensive rebounds allowed and 2nd in steals per game. They lock down the turnovers and block out opponents to ensure that they have limited opportunities to score in transition or crashing the boards.
Looking at the results this season, their only two losses came in a five point loss to San Diego State to open the year and a 13 point loss to Seattle U. The Seattle U loss was just a piece into a confusing season for the Redhawks who are 5-10 with wins over UC San Diego and Washington. However, the Tritons have picked up some solid wins over Utah State, James Madison, and UC Santa Barabara.
How can the Big West continue to climb?
While UC Irvine and UC San Diego are the talk of the Big West across college basketball, they aren’t the only teams helping out the conference. Cal State Northridge is off to one of their best seasons in nearly two decades and is currently ranked 141st in KenPom. UC Riverside is also above average, ranking 185th, while UC Santa Barbara sits at 135th and Hawaii is 165th. That’s six teams in the top 185 teams in the country and two in the top 65. Across the board the Big West has improved in an era where many mid-majors are struggling to keep talent.
For the top teams, UC Irvine has a remarkable 49.6% minute continuity from last year, which is 67th in the country. UC San Diego sits at 42.4%, for 120th, while UC Riverside had 56.9% continuity, for 33rd in the country. In the era of the transfer portal and NIL, it’s tough for teams like those that compete in the Big West to retain talent, but they are find a way to do so and it’s helping the conference’s prestige.
Rounding out the notable trends in the conference is the stout defense. We highlighted how UC Irvine and UC San Diego have differing, but strong defenses, but they aren’t the only ones. The Big West has seven of their eleven teams in the top 175 teams in the country in defensive efficiency. Cal State Northridge and UC Davis are both close to the century mark. UC Irvine and UC San Diego aren’t defensive outliers, they highlight a trend of just how tough it is to spark offense in this conference.
The Big West has been a fun story to watch unfold this season. In a world where it’s harder than ever to compete as a smaller conference, these schools have found a way to not only compete, but thrive. If you aren’t already, you need to tune into this up-and-coming conference and pencil in a future bracket buster for your bracket in March.