DAVIS, Calif. — The UC Davis men's basketball team hits the national spotlight, as the Aggies host UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to begin conference play.

The week ahead for the Aggies features the highly anticipated ESPNU showdown Thursday night between two Player of the Year contenders: Ajay Mitchell and the Gauchos, who will visit the University Credit Union Center to face off against Elijah Pepper, the Big West's top scorer, and the Aggies.

UC Davis will also play host to Cal Poly Saturday as apart of their opening week of Big West play.

Dec. 28 vs. UC Santa Barbara | 6 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPNU
Dec. 30 vs. Cal Poly | 2 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPN+
LAST TIME
In a dominating 80-57 win to close out non-conference play, Elijah Pepper became the Aggies all-time leading scorer in career points.

With his 21-point performance, the senior from Selah, Washington claimed his spot atop the record book, breaking a previous record which was held by Audwin Thomas (1975-79) for 44 years.

In the contest against the Bobcats, the Aggies used a blistering 15-24 effort from three point range to control the contest. The 15 three pointers marked the second most among any Big West team this season.

AGGIES IN THE RANKINGS

• #12 in NCAA in Turnovers Forced Per Game.
• Pepper ranked #21 in NCAA in Points Per Game, and #18 in Free Throw Percentage.
• Ty Johnson and Pepper entered season as top returning backcourt scoring duo in the country and both are top-10 in Big West in scoring this season:
  • Pepper (20.0 PPG - 1st )
  • Johnson (16.1 PPG - 9th)
• #78 in Offensive Rebound Percentage.

ELIJAH PEPPER RECORD WATCH

• Pepper is now the all-time leading scorer in Aggie history with 1,822 points and counting.
• Now with the UC Davis record in hand, Pepper trails the all-time Big West career scoring record by 490 points, a record held by Lucious Harris (LBSU, 122 games - 1989-93).
• Pepper also now only trails the all-time steals record for UC Davis by three as he has 183 in his career with Dante Ross being the leader at 186.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
UC Santa Barbara is powered behind the craft and creativity of lead guard, Ajay Mitchell. This season, the Gauchos are 7-3 with the aforementioned Mitchell and Auburn transfer Yohan Traore controlling one of the country's most efficient offenses. With the sixth ranked field goal percentage in the NCAA, the Gauchos create quality looks on the offensive side of things at one of the highest rates in all of college basketball. The Aggies will look to use their turnover forcing defense to throw the Gauchos out of rhythm.

The Mustangs are led by three-level scorer, Kobe Sanders who ranks fourth in the Big West in points per game, and near the tops of every offensive statistical category. The Mustangs are a team defined by their shot blocking presence which ranks first in the Big West and their ability to convert their attempts from the charity stripe at a high rate.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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