Follow UC Davis: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
It seems when the light shines brightest, Big West "friends" UC Davis and UC Irvine seem to take center stage.
Such will be the case again Thursday when the Anteaters and Aggies square off at The Pavilion in a contest that could solidify UCI's status atop the conference standings or help UC Davis take another step up the ladder in the locals' late-season surge.
Whatever the outcome, the effort in getting to the result probably will add to the lore of what has become one of the West Coast's most-contested hard-court rivalries.
And national broadcasters know a good thing when they see it...
For the third time in recent history, the contest will be televised on ESPNU. Special-time tipoff is at 8 p.m.
A capacity crowd is expected as Irvine (23-5, 11-1), ranked No. 6 on CollegeInsider.com, aims to cool down the Aggies (10-16, 6-6), who have gone 6-3 since starting conference play 0-3 and 4-13 overall.
As contrasting as the schools' records are at this point, with Irvine and Davis on the floor, nobody is paying attention to records. And when folks like ESPNU have turned their cameras on the Aggies, UC Davis has won six of its last eight BWC closeups (including three in overtime).
In those games, UC Davis plays before a packed house. It's part of the Aggie psyche: Big crowds mean big efforts.
"It's something you've been talking about since you were kids," UC Davis senior forward Garrison Goode explains. "You always wanted to be on national television.
"It's an honor. Games like this, especially against Irvine, we don't take that for granted. That's what we're made for and that's why we seem to give these games our best efforts.
"We are proud to have been able to put Davis on a national level."
Goode says he and his Aggie teammates have trained for moments front and center, seeming to play their very best when the spotlight is shining the brightest — "again, especially when it's Irvine. Those are our biggest games of the year and we can't shy away from that."
Already this season, an ESPNU audience saw what Davis has when it went to UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 9 and won, 61-57, before 2,316 Gaucho faithful. It was the cornerstone victory in UC Davis' recent five-game streak.
Senior guard Siler Schneider, who scored a season-high 27 points last Thursday at Cal State Fullerton, seems to have his game back after a brief dry spell.
The former Kansas prep Mr. Basketball believes the entire Aggie squad is gelling at the right time:
"I came in with a bunch of really talented guys. It's been a blast, on and off the court, these past four years," Schneider says. "It's pretty exciting what we've done here — and I don't think we're finished yet."
Getting everyone playing well together has been important, Schneider continues, adding:
"That will be big for us. I don't think we've really had that yet this year — everyone playing well together."
In addition to Schneider, the Aggies have recently been sparked by the play of other guards — St. Mary's transfer Stefan Gonzalez and junior Joe Mooney.
Since UC Davis stopped Long Beach State, 77-73, on Feb. 16, Gonzalez has scored 49 points. Mooney, inserted into the starting lineup on Feb. 2, has been averaging 12.3 ppg since.
Meanwhile, Goode agrees with Schneider, these Aggies have more juice left for a late run and some tournament mischief.
He remembers that postseason week in 2017 when UC Davis avenged a 30-point loss seven days before to, yep, UC Irvine, to win the Big West Tournament and head to the Big Dance.
Goode used the term "surreal" in remembering a First Four win over North Carolina Central before meeting then-No. 3 Kansas. The game came with a TV audience estimated at 10 million.
"It was something special … being my sophomore year, it was like, 'Man, OK, I'm blessed, but let's take advantage of it, let's get that win' — like we did in the tournament by beating North Carolina Central," Goode says.
"That whole experience was giving more fuel for the next year and now my senior year. These big games are building blocks and that NCAA trip ... showed us we belong here.
"Let's try to get back."
Indeed.
— Bruce Gallaudet is the former sports and managing editor of The Davis Enterprise, who for much of the past 40 years has covered or contributed to UC Davis sports. Reach Gallaudet at bgallaudet41@gmail.com or call 530-320-4456.
