`Runners Welcome UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield's transition to the Big West Conference is a mere eight months away and the Roadrunner men's basketball team will enjoy a pair of preview matchups with Big West opponents this season. Both of those contests will happen in December with the latter a road game at Cal Poly Dec. 21. The first preview of a future BWC rivalry will come tomorrow, Dec. 3, when CSUB hosts UC Santa Barbara at the Icardo Center.

"Santa Barbara has a really good basketball team," said Rod Barnes, CSUB's Head Coach. "Being our first opponent this season that's in the Big West, we want a great showing here as far as fans and also, as our team, we want to play well."

Barnes elaborated on the thought process behind Tuesday's preview of a future Big West contest: "I think this is one of the years Coach Pasternack feels like his team can get into the NCAA Tournament. We realize this is a tall task for us. We haven't talked about moving to the Big West; we have talked about them being good as our next opponent."

UC Santa Barbara will make the trip to Bakersfield on Tuesday for a clash in the Icardo Center. The Gauchos have a 4-3 record on the season including losses to UCLA, Rice, and Oregon State, but the visiting squad will ride the momentum of a three-game win streak into Kern County.

Amadow Sow, a 6-foot-9 forward from Mali, leads the Gauchos with 15.6 points per game this season. UCSB features a well-balanced offense with four student-athletes averaging double-digit scoring. The Gauchos convert 49 percent of their field goal attempts, but just 30 percent of those from three-point range.

Tuesday's game is a White Out as CSUB Athletics encourages fans to join the `Runners in wearing white to intimidate the visiting Gauchos. The `Runners will give away white pom poms to the first 1,000 fans and White Out t-shirts to CSUB students. Students will also have the chance to win four tickets to Disneyland during Tuesday night's contest.

Tip off on Tuesday is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the blue Kern Schools Court. If the game does indeed sell out, fans who cannot make it to the Icardo Center can follow along on WatchESPN. For more information on tickets, visit GoRunners.com/tickets.

~GoRunners.com~

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