CSUN Opens New Year Visiting UC Davis, Hosting UCSB

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball rings in 2026 with the restart of Big West play this week. The Matadors visit UC Davis on New Year's Day at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ before returning home to face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet. Ghizal Hasan and Alan Zinsmeister call the action in audio broadcasts at GoMatadors.com/Radio.

FOR STARTERS
With non-conference play complete, CSUN (8-6, 1-1 Big West) refocuses its efforts to Big West play for the remainder of the regular season. The team played two Big West games already this season, going 1-1 during Bold Week in early December. CSUN opened league play with an 87-66 win over Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 4 before falling short at preseason Big West favorite UC Irvine, 85-71 on Dec. 6. In total, CSUN has 18 remaining Big West games to play, starting in January.

LAST TIME OUT
In the non-conference finale, CSUN gave Stanford all it could handle, but the Cardinal held on down the stretch in an 88-80 victory on Dec. 27 at Maples Pavilion. The loss against Stanford snapped a season-high four-game winning streak for the Matadors. CSUN led for most of the first half, building as big a lead as nine at 36-27, and eventually a 38-33 advantage at halftime. However, the Matadors could not slow a furious second half start for Stanford, which started with a 13-0 run. After falling behind by 12, CSUN made a run of its own and tied the game up at 69-69 with 7:34 to go. A comeback though was not in the cards as Stanford outscored CSUN 19-11 the rest of the way. In defeat, Larry Hughes II scored a team-high 26 points and made six threes while Joshua O'Garro had 15 points and six rebounds.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
With a win on Dec. 22, CSUN improved its perfect record at Premier America Credit Union Arena to 6-0 this season. The Matadors have not won their first six home games to begin a season since the 2008-09 campaign when that CSUN team started 8-0. Dating back to last season, CSUN has won eight consecutive at home, which is two short of the team's Division I record of 10, set across two seasons from Feb. 13, 1999 to Feb. 3, 2000. Previously, CSUN won a school-record 14 straight at home over three seasons from 1964-66 as a Division II program. Since Andy Newman's arrival at CSUN, the Matadors are 25-10 at Premier America Credit Union Arena.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Senior guard Larry Hughes II continues to enjoy a breakout season with CSUN in 2025-26. Hughes has led the Matadors in scoring throughout the season, scoring 18.9 points per game, which ranks third-best in the Big West. He has been especially effective from 3-point range, averaging a Big West-best 3.6 makes per game. Hughes is also seventh in the league in 3-point percentage (44.2) while he is ranked fourth in steals per game (1.9) and ninth in free throw percentage (84.8). In the nation, Hughes is up to fourth place overall with 50 made from 3-point range. Prior to this season, Hughes had scored in double figures 15 times out of 65 games as a member of Saint Louis, but since arriving at CSUN, he has reached double figures in 13 of 14 total games.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION
Newcomers Joshua O'Garro and Josiah Davis have made a big difference in their respective first seasons with CSUN. O'Garro has emerged as the team's top rebounder, posting 9.4 per game to go with scoring the second-most points per game (13.9). His rebounding average tops the Big West while it ranks 29th overall in the nation. Davis has taken the reigns of the point guard position, posting a conference-leading 6.1 per game, good for 26th in the nation. His 85 total assists also are 17th-best in all of Division I basketball. In the scoring column, Davis has also been impressive, scoring 13.1 points per game.

QUICK HITS
CSUN is once again one of the top rebounding teams in the Big West, pacing the league and ranking 32nd in the nation at 41.4 per game. The Matadors, who have led the Big West in rebounding over the past two seasons, broke the program's Division I record for rebounds in a game with 65 recorded against La Sierra on Dec. 19 ... Larry Hughes II has already made a career-high 50 makes from 3-point range. With the 50 three-pointers, Hughes is just 12 away from reaching the top-10 in a season in CSUN history ... Joshua O'Garro has already posted six double-doubles this season, giving him 10 over his Division I basketball career. His six double-doubles are 16th-most in the nation ... Senior Mahmoud Fofana has quietly put together another strong start to the season, registering career highs in scoring (9.6) and rebounding (6.9). Fofana is also fourth in the Big West in rebounds per game ... Davius Loury has reached double figures in scoring in six consecutive games after not reaching the mark over his first seven games of the year. Loury is fifth on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game with 21 made from 3-point range.

SCOUTING UC DAVIS
The Aggies are 7-5 overall and 0-1 Big West play while the team is 5-1 at home with that loss being a 79-78 defeat to Seattle U. On Sunday, UC Davis won its second straight with an 108-52 victory over Pacific Union. After the team went 15-17 overall last season, UC Davis was picked to finish sixth in the Big West by the league's head coaches. The Aggies lead the Big West in steals per game (8.3) while the team averages 79.8 points and allows 74.3 points. Three Aggies are scoring in double figures led by Nils Cooper at 15.1 points per game. Other double-digit scorers include Connor Sevilla (14.0) and Carl Daugherty Jr. (10.2).

Series History: UC Davis leads 31-23 in the all-time series, but the Matadors are coming off a season sweep of the Aggies last season. Prior to that sweep, UC Davis had won seven in a row in the series. Last February, CSUN won a thrilling 65-62 decision, outscoring the Aggies 19-4 to end the game to win its first game at UC Davis since 2009.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos are 9-4 overall and 2-0 in Big West play. While the team is 6-1 at home, UCSB is an even 3-3 on the road. The team snapped a two-game skid with a 79-61 win over Portland on Dec. 22. After going 21-13 last year, UCSB was picked to finish second in the Big West this season. The Gauchos are the Big West leaders in 3-point percentage (38.2) and free throw percentage (75.6). As a team, UCSB also averages 79.4 points and allows just 71.5 points. Aidan Mahoney leads UCSB in scoring at 14.9 followed by Colin Smith (12.5) and Zion Sensley (10.3). On the glass, Sensley ranks third in the Big West with a 7.5 per game average.

Series History: UCSB leads 48-26 in the all-time series. CSUN won two of three meetings with the Gauchos last season, however, UCSB notched a 78-72 win in the Big West quarterfinals last March. Prior to that loss, CSUN had won four in a row in the series.

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CSUN Opens New Year Visiting UC Davis, Hosting UCSB

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Players Mentioned

Josiah Davis

Mahmoud Fofana

Larry Hughes II

Davius Loury

Joshua O'Garro