CSUN Begins Big West Championship on Thursday in Henderson

Thursday, March 12

Henderson, Nev.

6:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

UC San Diego

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Begins Big West Championship on Thursday in Henderson

3/11/2026 12:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball

MBB Game Notes - March 11

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Men's Basketball kicks off play at the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Championship on Thursday at 6 p.m. inside Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev. The fourth-seeded Matadors have earned a first-round bye in the tournament and currently await their second round opponent, which will be determined on Wednesday when fifth-seeded UC San Diego and eighth-seeded Cal Poly matchup in a first-round game.

FOR STARTERS
CSUN wrapped up the regular season with a 19-13 overall record and 12-8 mark in the Big West to finish in a three-way tie for third place in the conference. The Matadors have now finished tied for third for the second straight season, but by virtue of losing a tiebreaker to Cal State Fullerton, CSUN has earned the fourth seed for the tournament. Head coach Andy Newman has now led CSUN to at least 19 wins in each of his three seasons leading the program.

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Should CSUN advance past its second-round matchup, the Matadors would take on top-seeded UC Irvine in the Big West semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. The other side of the Big West Championship bracket features sixth-seeded UC Davis taking on seventh-seeded UC Santa Barbara on Thursday with the winner set to meet third-seeded Cal State Fullerton in the second round. Second-seeded Hawai'i have advanced to the semifinals and will play the winner of Fullerton against UC Davis or UCSB.

CSUN AT THE BIG WEST'S TOURNAMENT
The Matadors look to advance to the Big West semifinals for the first time since the 2014 conference tournament when CSUN eventually finished as a runner-up in the event. In school history, the Matadors have won one Big West tournament championship crown with that coming in 2009. Overall, CSUN is making its 20th appearance in the Big West tournament this season.

JOSIAH DAVIS NAMED BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
A native of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, senior guard Josiah Davis capped his banner regular season by winning the 2026 Big West Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards on March 10. Davis posted 236 total assists and 7.4 assists per game during the regular season, good enough for third and fifth in the nation, respectively. In the CSUN record book, his 236 assists are the second-most in a season in team history while he tied the game record for assists with 15 in two different games. He would also enjoy a career season on the scoring side, posting 15.7 points per game to rank second on the team and eighth in the Big West. Davis has led CSUN in scoring average in Big West play, registering 17.4 points, highlighted by a career-high 38 points at UC Riverside on Feb. 28, which was the eighth-most points scored in a game in team history. Davis is the second Matador in program history to win Big West Player of the Year award and the first since Lamine Diane in 2019-20.

ALL-BIG WEST MATADORS
CSUN boasted four on the 2026 All-Big West Team, the most for the program since 2007-08. Along with his Player of the Year award, Josiah Davis was named to the All-Big West First Team while senior Larry Hughes II was placed on the second team and the senior forward tandem of Mahmoud Fofana and Joshua O'Garro earned honorable mention accolades. Hughes led CSUN in scoring throughout the season, posting a career-high 17.6 points to rank fourth in the Big West while he topped the league in three-point field goals made per game (3.1) and three-point field goals made (95). Fofana, who also claimed the Big West's Best Hustle Player award, was third in the Big West in rebounds per game at 7.9 while he scored a career-high 11.3 points per game on a Big West-best 63.2 percent shooting. O'Garro was the top Big West rebounder in the regular season, averaging 9.4 to go with scoring 14.4 points per game, which ranked second-best on the team.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
UC San Diego (22-10, 12-8 Big West) also finished tied for third place with Cal State Fullerton and CSUN. The Tritons have won six of the last seven games. UCSD is looking to repeat as Big West tournament champion after winning the event in 2025. On the year, UCSD was second in the Big West in scoring defense, holding opponents to 70.0 points while the team averages 76.0 points. Leo Beath is one of four Tritons to score in double figures this season, averaging 12.4 points per game while Bol Dengdit is scoring 11.1 points, Hudson Mayes is posting 10.5 points and Alex Chaikin is registering 10.0 points. Series History: UCSD leads CSUN 8-4 in the all-time series, but the Matadors swept the regular season series this year.

Cal Poly went 14-18 overall and 10-10 in conference during the regular season. The Mustangs won five of the last seven to close conference action. Cal Poly was second in the Big West in scoring at 82.5 points per game while allowing 85.4 points. The Mustangs are also eighth in the nation in free throw percentage (78.6). The team's leading scorer, Hamad Mousa, led the Big West with 20.4 points per game while he shared the team lead in rebounding with Cayden Ward at 6.3. Other double digit scorers on the team include Ward (14.6) and Peter Bandelj (13.2). Series History: CSUN leads the all-time series with Cal Poly 60-57 after sweeping the season series this year. The Matadors last played the Mustangs in the Big West tournament in 2014 when Cal Poly won the championship game.

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