`Runners Set for Clash with Big West Leader UCSB

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The regular season is winding down as the CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team has just two Big West Conference series remaining. This weekend, the Roadrunners are headed south to face league-leading UC Santa Barbara in a pair of road games, Feb. 19-20. Friday's contest will be broadcasted live on ESPNU, marking CSUB's third appearance on the nationally-televised channel this season.

"[UC Santa Barbara] have a lot of depth" said Bakersfield's Head Coach, Rod Barnes, about this weekend's opponent. "They might be the most talented team in our league. After watching them the last couple days, they present a problem. They have depth and experience, their guards present a problem, they are older and have been through it. They do a lot of things that have me concerned about their team."

CSUB (14-7, 8-4 BWC) entered the week sitting in third in the Big West standings based on win-loss percentage. UC Santa Barbara (14-3, 8-2 BWC) and UC Irvine (11-7, 7-3 BWC) are the two teams ahead of CSUB, which means this weekend's clash between the `Runners and Gauchos has big implications on the title race. UC Riverside (9-5, 5-3 BWC) is also right on the heels of CSUB in fourth place.

UCSB will welcome CSUB to Santa Barbara while riding the momentum of a 10-game win streak. The Gauchos have not lost a game yet in 2021, dropping just their first two league games against UC Irvine prior to New Year's Day. UCSB's limits have been tested, though, as two of their last three wins came in overtime. Last weekend, the Gauchos went on the road and defeated Hawai'i 59-50 on Friday before closing the sweep with an 81-74 overtime victory on Saturday.

Bakersfield entered the week with a much smaller, three-game winning streak, but the `Runners have been hot, too, winning 10 of their last 13 games. CSUB played UC San Diego in the Icardo Center last weekend and handed the visiting Tritons a sweep. The `Runners earned a five-point victory on Friday before wrapping up the weekend with a convincing, 65-50 win on Saturday.

Friday night's game at the Thunderdome is scheduled for an 8 p.m. (PT) tipoff on ESPNU. On Saturday, the `Runners and Gauchos will clash at 7 p.m. with the game broadcasted live on ESPN3. Links to video and radio broadcasts as well as live stats for both games are available at GoRunners.com/mbbLinks.

~GoRunners.com~

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