DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis men's basketball (8-7, 3-1) will host the CSUN Matadors (12-3, 3-0) and the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (5-9, 0-3) at the University Credit Union Center this week. Playing host to the Matadors Thursday at 6:00 p.m. the Aggies are looking to give CSUN their first loss in Big West action. 

The Aggies lead the all-time series against the Matadors, 29-21 with the Aggies winning the last five contests. The most recent matchup between the two programs saw UC Davis down the Matadors 73-62 back on Feb. 15, 2023.

Saturday afternoon, the Aggies will face off against the Roadrunners who are 0-3 to begin conference play. The Roadrunners do however hold the all-time series advantage over the Aggies, as UC Davis is 15-29 throughout history against Cal State Bakersfield. The Aggies have had more success as of late against the Roadrunners though, winning the past six matchups with the latest one coming on Jan. 26, 2023, a game which saw UC Davis win, 79-58.

Jan. 11 vs. CSUN | 6 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPN+
Watch 
Listen 
Live Stats 
Tickets

Jan. 13 vs. Cal State Bakersfield | 2 p.m. Tip-off (Davis, Calif.) | ESPN+
Watch 
Listen 
Live Stats 
Tickets

LAST TIME
The Aggies suffered a heartbreaking defeat as they lost 74-71 to the Anteaters in overtime on Saturday, after staging a stunning comeback in the second half. They overcame a 16-point gap with a 19-0 run, sparked by their defense that forced five turnovers during the stretch and the offensive trio of Ty Johnson, Elijah Pepper, and Leo DeBruhl, who all scored in double figures in the game. 

Earlier in the week, the Aggies dominated the Highlanders with a 20-point victory, thanks to a stellar performance by Pepper, who had a game-high 31 points and eight rebounds. He also made five of the Aggies' eight three-pointers, just one shy of his career-high. DeBruhl was also impressive, shooting 100% from the field and adding 14 points and four assists. The Aggies shared the ball well in Riverside, recording 19 assists on 27 made field goals, and shot 60% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc.

AGGIES IN THE RANKINGS

• #20 in NCAA in Turnovers Forced Per Game.
• Pepper ranked #7 in NCAA in Points Per Game, #5 in Three-Pointers Per Game and #18 in Field Goals.
• Ty Johnson and Pepper entered the season as the top returning backcourt scoring duo in the country and both are top-12 in Big West in scoring this season.
• #76 ranked Scoring Defense in the NCAA while being first in the Big West.
• In Conference Only statistics, the Aggies rank first in:
  • Scoring defense (61.3 PPG), and Margin (+14.0)
• Elijah Pepper also is averaging a whopping 27.3 points per game through four Big West contests.

ELIJAH PEPPER RECORD WATCH

• Pepper is now the all-time leading scorer in Aggie history with 1,931 points and counting.
• Now with the UC Davis record in hand, Pepper trails the all-time Big West career scoring record by 381 points, a record held by Lucious Harris (LBSU, 122 games - 1989-93).
• Pepper is also now UC Davis' holder for the all-time career steals record sitting atop the list with 188 in his career. He achieved the feat this past weekend against the Highlanders down in Riverside.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
The CSUN Matadors are a completely turned-around program in the first year under Andy Newman. After going just 7-25 a year ago, the Matadors enter this week's game with a 12-3 overall record and an undefeated 3-0 mark in conference play. Led by De'Sean Allen-Eikens and Dionte Bostick, CSUN is a team known for their rebounding prowess. Ranking fifth in the country in rebounds per game, the Matadors pair their strong rebounding with their ninth ranked defensive field goal percentage unit to control games. 

Cal State Bakersfield enters the week coming off three losses to start Big West play. Facing tough opponents in UC San Diego, UC Irvine and Hawai'i the Roadrunners have had one of the toughest opening few weeks within the league. The Roadunners are led by Rod Barnes who is in his 13th season at the helm. On the court, Kaleb Higgins is the focal point, averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game this season which ranks sixth in the Big West.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Stay in the loop with everything related to UC Davis men's basketball by following the Aggies on all of their social media platforms.
Instagram | X | Facebook