Men's Basketball Begins Big West Play with UCR, UCI

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – After an up-and-down slate of non-conference matchups, the Cal State Bakersfield men's basketball team will look to snatch some early wins in Big West play. Regardless of this season's 4-7 non-conference record, the `Runners and Head Coach Rod Barnes are confident that these games, especially with so many close results, have prepared the team well for the upcoming season.

Upcoming Schedule

at UC Riverside, Thursday, Dec. 29, 5 p.m. (PT)
vs UC Irvine, Saturday, Dec. 31, 1 p.m. (PT)

Quotes from Head Coach Rod Barnes

"We feel like our team has done a really good job as far as getting better and being prepared for conference play...Obviously, this is an opportunity to win a Championship, so the focus and intensity of practice, you have to step it up to another level and I think our guys have done that."
On UC Riverside and leading scorer Zyon Pullin: "The kid is playing really well. His numbers are off the charts. He actually has All-American numbers. We're gonna have our hands full with him and Flynn Cameron, his runningmate in the backcourt, they may be two of the most productive guards in our league as far as combination. But we can't overlook other guys that are in the mix and allow those guys to have great nights."
On UC Irvine: "They play a lot through their three guards. Each one of those guys can handle the ball, bring it up the court...They always have depth. They always have guys that have been in their program that know exactly what they are doing and they are well-coached."

`Runner Notes

CSUB will go into both of its first two conference games with something to prove, as the `Runners currently have losing records against Riverside and Irvine when playing in The Big West. However, the `Runners will be looking towards the home game against Irvine in particular, because Bakersfield boasts a 96-39 record at the Icardo Center during the Barnes era.
There are plenty of positives to take away from the non-conference games earlier in the season, especially that the team has continued to gel defensively. CSUB, as of Dec. 26, is ranked 15th in the NCAA Division I for scoring defense.
Although the vast majority of the team has not played the entire time that CSUB has been in the Big West, since the 2020-21 season, the `Runners will be looking to emulate that same success in the conference, a year in which they went 9-7 and made the Big West Championship tournament.
Kaleb Higgins is currently the team's best and most consistent scoring threat, with 12.4 points per game, 37 total assists, and 30.6 minutes per game, all of those good for the team-lead. Meanwhile, Modestas Kancleris continues to be one of the most dangerous defensive threats, currently with a team-leading 14 blocks and 73 rebounds.

Scouting the Highlanders

UC Riverside (7-5) is led by second-year Head Coach Mike Magpayo.
All things considered, the Highlanders are enjoying a good season thus far, having wins over some strong opponents, including a 76-65 win over one of CSUB's opponents in Abilene Christian. Their primary losses have come from high-major opponents such as Creighton and Oregon.
In their last win against Portland, Riverside's potent offense featured three players with 15+ points who combined for well over half of the team's total points in the 76-65 victory.
Riverside's leading scorer in that game was Zyon Pullin, who is currently ranked 16th in NCAA Division I scoring with an average of 20.3 ppg. He has logged at least 15 points in 10-of-12 games this year, including six games of 20+ points.

Scouting the Anteaters

UC Irvine (7-5) is led by 12th-year Head Coach Russell Turner.
The Anteaters, under winningest coach in UCI history Russell Turner, have made six postseason tournament appearances in the last decade, including two NCAA tournament berths.
Despite Irvine's glowing success in the last few years, the team has had a very up-and-down start to the season, beating No. 21 Oregon and going undefeated in its first four games, but also losing to Pepperdine, No. 24 San Diego State, Fresno State, Harvard, and Santa Clara.
In their most recent loss to Harvard, the Anteaters primarily relied on starters, all of whom played at least 20 minutes while three of those posted double-digit points. Bent Leuchten was the leader on the court that game with 15 points and 8 rebeounds.

How to Follow the `Runners

CSUB's game against Irvine is one of only two games to be nationally broadcasted this year on Spectrum SportsNet.
CSUB's regular ESPN+ broadcast will still be available outside of the Spectrum footprint (includes a large portion of Southern California)
Links for video, radio, live stats, and tickets are available at GoRunners.com/Live.
Live updates will be shared during games on Twitter @CSUB_MBB.

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

#1 Kaleb Higgins: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#55 Modestas Kancleris: F; 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore; He/Him/His

Players Mentioned

#1 Kaleb Higgins
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#55 Modestas Kancleris
: 6' 9"; Redshirt Sophomore; He/Him/His
: F

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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Men's Basketball Begins Big West Play with UCR, UCI

Players Mentioned

#1 Kaleb Higgins

#55 Modestas Kancleris

Players Mentioned

#1 Kaleb Higgins

#55 Modestas Kancleris