Game 32

2015 National Invitation Tournament

UC Davis Postseason Central | NIT Digital Game Program

No. 7 UC Davis Aggies (25-6)
at
No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (19-13)

Tuesday, March 17 - 8 p.m. (PT)
Maples Pavilion (7,233) - Stanford, Calif.

TV: ESPN2 - Dave Flemming (PBP), Corey Williams (Analyst)
Video Stream
Radio: KSAC (105.5 FM) - Scott Marsh (PBP)
Internet Audio
Live Stats
In-game Twitter Updates

Game Notes


DAVIS, Calif. - A historic season for UC Davis men's basketball continued last Sunday afternoon when the National Invitation Tournament announced the Aggies' opponent for their inaugural postseason appearance as a Division I program. In its first-ever NIT game, UC Davis will face the Stanford Cardinal.

UC Davis will compete as a No. 7 seed, Stanford enters tournament play as a No. 2 seed in the Colorado State quadrant.

ESPN2 will broadcast Tuesday's opening-round game from Maples Pavilion, located on the campus of Stanford University, starting at 8 p.m. Due to the NIT's rules and regulations, an internet radio broadcast is available only at ucdavisaggies.com. KSAC (105.5 FM) is not allowed to stream Tuesday's game on its website and will air Scott Marsh's call over the airwaves only.

Other quadrant-specific teams, besides UC Davis and Stanford, are Colorado State (No. 1 seed), Rhode Island (No. 3), Saint Mary's (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 5), Iona (No. 6) and South Dakota State (No. 8).

Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #GoAgs when interacting on Twitter throughout UC Davis' postseason run.

Series Record: Stanford leads 17-1
Last UC Davis Win: 64-58; 12/4/05 in Davis
Last Stanford Win: 83-56; 12/14/13 in Stanford
Series Streak: Stanford +5

LET'S PAINT MAPLES PAVILION AGGIE BLUE AND GOLD
Tickets for Tuesday's NIT game can be purchased online at www.gostanford.com, by calling 1-800-STANFORD or in person at the Stanford Athletics Ticket Office (9 a.m.-4 p.m. PT Monday-Friday). Courtside seating is priced at $30, lower level reserved seating is priced at $15 and upper level general admission is $10 ($8 for children and seniors).

SNEAK PEEK
The winner of Tuesday's Farm vs. Farm matchup will advance to the second round and play whoever wins between Rhode Island and Iona. That No. 3-No. 6 contest will tip at 4 p.m. (PT) on Tuesday.

POSTSEASON SNAPSHOT
This past weekend's announcement officially marked the first postseason appearance for the Aggies since the 1999-2000 season and the 13th in the 104-year history of the men's basketball program. UC Davis qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1967, `68, `69, `75, `76, `78, `95, `96, `97, `98 - a year that saw the Aggies finish as national champions, `99 and 2000.

WHERE IS MY CALENDAR?
National Invitation Tournament first-round games are scheduled for March 17 and 18, second round matchups will be played from March 20-23 and the eight quarterfinal contests will be played March 24 and 25.

ABOUT THE NIT
The NIT is the oldest tournament in college basketball and was started in 1938. It was the first national postseason collegiate tournament to be played in the country; the NCAA followed one year later with a tournament of its own.

Madison Square Garden was the location of all NIT games until the opening rounds were moved to campus sites starting in 1977. As has been the case since the event's inception, MSG will host both semifinals and championship game on March 29 and 31.

Any regular-season champion from a NCAA Division I conference not otherwise selected to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship automatically secures a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. The NIT Selection Committee will then select the best available teams to fill the 32-team field, seed and place tournament participants in one of four eight team quadrants.

THIS IS A SPECIAL SEASON; THE NUMBERS NEVER LIE
UC Davis earned its NIT berth by winning a Big West Conference championship - the first in school history. Including a perfect 14-0 home record, a new Div. I high, this year's team also set additional school marks with its 25 overall, 14 conference and 10 road wins.

Men's basketball's 25 victories is also the second-highest total in school history, trailing only the 1997-98 Div. II national championship team's 31.

TOP TURNAROUNDS
UC Davis leads the nation with its +16 win differential.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE
The Aggies are the third Big West program to go from single-digit wins one season to 20 the next. Utah State went 4-23 in 1981-82 and 20-9 in 1982-83, while Fresno State was 7-20 in 1976-77 and 21-6 in 1977-78.

20 GOING ON 39
On March 13, when UC Davis faced Hawai'i in the semifinal round of the Big West Tournament, Corey Hawkins set a new school record by collecting the 39th 20-plus point total of his career. The previous program record of 38 was originally set by Audwin Thomas (1975-79).

Preston Neumayr and Mark Olson share the record for the most 20-plus point games in a season at 17; Hawkins has scored 20 or more in 15 games this year.

UC DAVIS WON THE RACE TO NOTHING
By winning their final two home games of the season, the Aggies posted the school's first undefeated home record (14-0) as a Division I program and the team's first since the 1997-98 season - one that ended with UC Davis winning a Division II NCAA title.

The 1997-98 team won all 17 home games, a total that includes four postseason contests.

UC Davis is the first Big West team to run the table at home since Long Beach State finished 12-0 in 2011-12.

WE LIKE THE VIEW MUCH BETTER FROM HERE
The Aggies are the third team in conference history to jump from last place, to first place, in a span of two seasons. The other two teams are:

• Fresno State (1-11, last) in 1976-77, tied for first in 1977-78 at 11-3 with San Diego State
• UC Santa Barbara finished last in 1997-98 (4-12) and first in 1998-99 at 12-4

However, the Aggies are the first to do so outright in a single division setup. The switch from two divisions, to one, took place prior to the start of the 2000-01 season.

AGGIES DOMINATE BIG WEST AWARDS LIST
UC Davis men's basketball received a league-high six awards when the Big West announced its all-conference teams and specialty award winners on Monday. In addition to senior guard Corey Hawkins, who was selected to the conference's first team for the second time in his career, senior guard/forward Josh Ritchart earned second team recognition and junior forward Josh Fox received honorable mention.

In addition to their all-conference selections, Hawkins received Big West Player of the Year, and Fox collected Sixth Man of the Year. Rounding out the Aggies' awards haul, their biggest since joining the league in 2007, was Jim Les who earned Coach of the Year accolades.

Hawkins and Les are the first Aggies to receive Player and Coach of the Year recognition.

THE CHAMP WEARS AGGIE BLUE AND GOLD
By finishing the regular season with a 20.6 points per game average, Corey Hawkins is the conference's scoring champion for the second time in the last three years.

TIME TO KEEP CLIMBING
At 25-6, UC Davis needs two wins to post the conference's highest win total since former league member Pacific finished 27-4 in 2004-05.

WELCOME TO THE TOP 10
Senior Josh Ritchart enters the National Invitation Tournament with 1,328 career points, the No. 10 all-time scoring total in program history. Ritchart jumped past Joe Harden (2008-11) and his total of 1,326 points in the Aggies' semifinal game at the Big West Tournament on March 13.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
For the 10th straight week, UC Davis is the No. 1 team in the country (out of 345 Div. I teams) with its three-point percentage. The Aggies sport a .450 clip from long range.

ALMOST 50/50 ODDS? I'LL TAKE THAT
UC Davis is also ranked No. 4 in the nation with its .494 field goal percentage. The Aggies were the only Division I team in the country to hold a top five three-point and field goal percentage until Gonzaga cracked the top five with its field goal percentage on Sunday.

Before then, the Aggies were the only team that could brag about this accomplishment - one the team held since the start of league play.

CLIMBING THE MID-MAJOR LADDER
UC Davis earned a top 25 ranking when CollegeInsider.com released its final mid-major poll of the season on March 9. In that listing, the Aggies were ranked No. 9. As has been the case since Jan. 12, UC Davis was the only Big West team to receive a national ranking.

On Nov. 24, UC Davis made its inaugural Division I appearance on CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Top 25 poll when the Aggies received one vote. Five weeks later, UC Davis earned its first-ever, D-I national ranking when the media outlet listed the Aggies as the No. 25 mid-major team in the nation in its Dec. 22 poll.

HE'S NUMBER ONE! HE'S NUMBER ONE!
For the first time in the program's Division I history, a UC Davis player leads all players in the nation from behind the arc with his three-point percentage. Corey Hawkins is that individual, and for the sixth week in a row, holds a NCAA-high .490 figure though games played on March 9.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Corey Hawkins and his father, Hersey, are one of the top scoring father-son duos in the NCAA. Together, the pair are ranked No. 2 all-time with 4,653 points (and counting).

The Hawkins are sandwiched between the Currys; Dell and his son, Stephen, lead all father-son combinations with 5,020 points. Dell and his other son, Seth, are ranked No. 3 with 4,501 points. The McDermotts, Doug and Greg, are No. 4 with their total of 4,183 points. Rounding out the top five are Anthony and Antoine Mason (4,009 points).

YOU SIMPLY CANNOT STOP HIM
Senior guard Corey Hawkins is ranked No. 9 among all Division I players in the nation with his 20.4 points per game average through games played on March 9.

HAWKINS EARNS BIG WEST HAT TRICK
For the third time this season, senior guard Corey Hawkins was selected as the Big West's Men's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the league on March 9.

Of his 21 points scored on March 5, against UC Riverside, it was the last two, recorded with three seconds remaining in the game, that turned a one-point cushion to three, and helped UC Davis win its first-ever Big West title. Two days later, the senior guard posted the eighth 30-point game of his career to help the Aggies top UC Irvine and finish their home schedule with a perfect 14-0 mark.

In his final game on Hamilton Court, Hawkins shot .563 percent overall and made all 11 of his free throw attempts to set a new season-high. His success at the line also helped him tie a school record for the most 20-plus point games in a career (38).

Hawkins has now been named Big West Player of the Week on five occasions as an Aggie - a program high.

SHOOTING TO THE TOP OF THIS LIST, LITERALLY
Ranked No. 1 in the country with its .450 mark from three, UC Davis has an opportunity to post the highest percentage from long range since the NCAA pushed the three-point line back to its current position at 20 feet, 9 inches.

Instituted before the start of the 2008-09 season, Northern Colorado shot. 444 (199-for-448) to set the current all-time high from this distance.

The previous distance of 19 feet, 9 inches was utilized by the NCAA from the 1986-87 season, when initially introduced, through the 2007-08 campaign.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN
Before it ended at UCSB (2/26) UC Davis' seven-game win streak was the longest in the program's Division I history. The Aggies last won seven in a row during the 2003-04 season - UC Davis' final year as a Division II athletics program.

FIRST ONES THERE
By defeating Long Beach State on Feb. 19, UC Davis collected its 20th victory in a season for the first time in the program's Div. I history. The 1999-2000 campaign marked the last time UC Davis won 20 or more games in a season when that team won 22.

ROAD WARRIORS
By defeating Cal Poly on Feb. 28, UC Davis collected its 10th road win of the season. That tops the previous D-I program high of six set by Coach Les' 2012-13 team.

UC Davis is the only Big West team with a winning road record; the Aggies' five road losses are a conference-low total.

CONGRATULATIONS COACH LES
UC Davis head coach Jim Les collected career victory No. 200 when the Aggies defeated CSUN with their 68-55 road win on Feb. 7.

IMAGINE IF HE PLAYED ALL FOUR YEARS IN DAVIS
Currently in his third, and final season at UC Davis, Corey Hawkins continues to stamp his name throughout the team's records book. The senior guard is now ranked No. 2 in school history with 1,660 points.

Audwin Thomas is school's all-time record holder, he scored 1,821 points from 1975-79.

ADENRELE HOSTS AGGIES' BLOCK PARTY
Junior forward J.T. Adenrele is ranked No. 2 with 86 career blocked shots. Jason Cox (1996-2000) is No. 1 all-time with 154 blocks

THE DEFINITION OF CONSISTENCY
UC Davis has shot .500 or higher in 17 games, and shot no worse than .435 in any game until its title-winning matchup against UC Riverside. On March 5, the Aggies shot a season-low .372, but still erased their 16-point deficit to sweep the Highlanders and win the school's first-ever Big West championship.

HE'S THEIR TOP DEFENDER, AND CAN SHOOT?
Known for stifling opponents' top players each and every game, Avery Johnson has canned 31 threes this season to surpass his total from last year (18).

TOP 25 TALENT
Just a handful of days after grabbing the nation's attention after scoring 28 points and collecting 10 rebounds in Jan. 10's ESPNU home game against Long Beach State, Corey Hawkins was named one of the nation's best college basketball players by ESPN. The senior guard was ranked No. 25 in college basketball pundit John Gasaway's annual hype-free, performance-based listing of the top 25 players in the country.

A FIVE-TOOL PLAYER IN BASKETBALL?
As the numbers indicate, that's the best way to describe Corey Hawkins since the senior guard can defend, score, protect the ball, create open looks for teammates and force turnovers. Hawkins' NCAA and Big West rankings include (through games played on March 15):

NCAA
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 1/.490
Points Per Game - 9/20.4
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game - 30/2.85
Field Goal Percentage - 67/.500
Total Three-Point Field Goals - 75/77
Total Points - 57/552

Big West Conference
Points per Game - 1/20.4
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage - 1/.490
Three-Point Field Goals Made - 2/2.85 per gm.
Free Throw Percentage - 5/.815
Steals - 5/1.41 per gm.
Field Goal Percentage - 6/.500
Assists Per Game - 8/3.44 per gm.
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio - 10/1.12
Rebounding - 13/4.9 per gm.

IT'S GOOD TO BE DIFFERENT
The Aggies have experienced a plus-16 win differential from last season to this season, tied for one of the best in Big West history. UC Davis is one of just 16 teams to have made at least a 10-win improvement. The all-time biggest improvement in league history is 16 wins.

Utah State is the team with the +16 differential - that group went 4-23 in 1981-82 and improved to 20-9 in 1982-83.

HE'S DEFINITELY ON THE LIST
Corey Hawkins is on the Lou Henson Mid-Major Watch List - an award that is presented to the best mid-major player in the nation. Including his NCAA-high .490 percentage from three, the senior guard also holds numerous top-100 individual NCAA rankings.

Hawkins' 20.4 points per game scoring average is the best in the Big West Conference and the ninth -highest among all Division I players through games played on March 15.

YOU CAN'T STOP THEM ALL
UC Davis leads all Big West teams by averaging 8.55 three-point field goals per game, holds the highest success rate from distance with its .450 percentage, and sports four of the league's top 10 shooters from behind the arc in seniors Corey Hawkins, Tyler Les, Josh Ritchart and Avery Johnson through games played on March 15.

Hawkins leads all league players with his .490 three-point percentage; Les is No. 3 and shooting .477 from three; Ritchart is No. 5 with his .460 clip; Johnson completes the list at No. 7 with his .413 figure.

THEY ARE WITHIN RANGE ONCE THEY CROSS MIDCOURT
Seniors Josh Ritchart and Corey Hawkins also hold top 10 field goal percentages. The former is ranked No. 2 among all Big West players with his .508 percentage, the latter sits three spots behind with a .500 clip through games played on March 9.

YOU KNOW WHAT IS COMING AND YOU STILL CANNOT STOP HIM
Among all active Big West players, senior guard Tyler Les is ranked No. 2 with 207 three-point field goals. Of his 233 career field goals, 89 percent were made from distance.

THE AGGIES' 1-2 PUNCH FROM THREE
Three-point sharpshooter Tyler Les is No. 2 in the Big West Conference among all active players with 207 three-point field goals. So who is the only player preventing Les from claiming the top spot? Teammate Josh Ritchart and his 233 threes.

KEEP YOUR HEAD ON A SWIVEL
That's the best piece of advice for all Aggie players on the court whenever sophomore guard Darius Graham, or senior guard Corey Hawkins possess the ball. The pair lead the team with 101 and 93 assists respectively - a collective 47 percent of the team's total.

SOMEONE IS ABOUT TO BE BUMPED
Numerous school, and Big West records, are on the verge of being rewritten. Marks that may fall by the end of the season include (through games played on March 15):

UC Davis
Scoring Avg. (season): Corey Hawkins, 20.4 ppg - (Preston Neumayr, 21.3, `82-'83)
Scoring Total (three-year career): Corey Hawkins, 1,660 - (John Frost, 1,346, 1965-68)
Career 20+ point games: Corey Hawkins, 39 - (Audwin Thomas, 38, `75-'79)
3FG Pct. (season): Corey Hawkins, .450 - (Matt Cordova/Fowzi Abdelsamad, `89/'01, .500)
3FG Pct. (season): UC Davis, .450 - (.446, `88-'89)

Big West
3FG Pct. (season): UC Davis, .450(New Mexico State, .455, `87-'88)