California Baptist University
University of Oregon
MBB Preview: The Lancers Prep for Two Road Contests at Oregon and at UCR
12/8/2023 2:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist University men's basketball team will hit the road this upcoming week for a pair of non-conference matchups with Oregon and UC Riverside.
GAME #1 @OREGON:
The Lancers will travel to Eugene on Tuesday to start the week as they face the Oregon Ducks at the Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks are 5-2 on the season, including a 3-0 mark at home, and have navigated a challenging non-conference schedule with significant wins over Michigan and Georgia. In the latest NET rankings, the Ducks checked in at #66, which was sixth in the Pac-12. The matchup would be the first for the two programs and the fourth time the Lancers have squared off against a Pac-12 foe, having competed against Cal, USC, and Arizona in previous seasons.
The last time CBU played a Pac-12 opponent, the Lancers earned their first-ever victory over a Power-5 opponent, downing Washington 73-64 in Seattle.
SCOUTING OREGON:
The Ducks are led by Jermaine Couisnard and Keeshawn Barthelemy, who are averaging double-figures and leading the team in points and assists collectively. Couisnard scored a season-high 24 points in the loss to Alabama in the Emerald Coast Classic and has scored in double-figures in all but one game this season. Barthelemy, a Colorado transfer, has been steady for the Ducks, averaging 10 points per game on 46% shooting from the floor. The Ducks, in total, have seven players averaging double-figures on the season and are currently sixth in a loaded PAC-12 conference.
The Ducks are 14th in the country at taking care of the ball, turning the ball under ten times per contest, and consequently are 24th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.6. Oregon also shoots the three-ball well, netting 39.2% of their perimeter shots, raking them 24th in the nation in that department. The Lancers will look to combat the Duck's perimeter shooting as they boast the third-best perimeter defense in the WAC, allowing their opposition to shoot just over 31% from deep.
GAME #2 @UCR:
The second matchup of the week will be the Crosstown Showdown with UC Riverside. This game will be on the Highlanders turf, as both teams will meet at the SRC Arena. UCR is 4-6 to begin the season but has endured a challenging non-conference slate, including matchups with #9 North Carolina and UCLA. UCR's matchup with UCLA came down to the wire, and the Bruins managed to escape with a 66-65 victory in Westwood. The Highlanders have also played road games at Washington State and Utah, who are both in the top 50 of the NET Rankings.
The Lancers and the Highlanders will square off for the fifth time since both teams have joined the DI ranks, with CBU winning three of the four previous matchups. In 2022-23, CBU defeated UCR at the Fowler Events Center 65-60 in front of a 4,000-plus crowd and has not lost to the Highlanders at home since 1998. On the road, the Lancers have only defeated UCR once in the all-time series, with that victory coming in 2018.
SCOUTING UCR:
The Highlanders are led by College of Southern Idaho transfer Isaiah Moses, who leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, assists at 4.5 per game, and three-pointers made with 19. Moses has scored in double-figures in seven of the ten contests, including a pair of 20-point outings against Green Bay and UCLA.
The Highlanders also present a challenge for the Lancers regarding perimeter scoring as UCR is 15th in the country in three-pointers attempted at nearly 30 per contest and are second in the Big West in made threes at nine per game.
Both the Lancers and the Highlanders rank highly in the nation in terms of offensive rebounding, with CBU at 33rd and UCR at 42nd. CBU is 6-1 this season when they win the rebounding battle and will look to clean the glass early and often against their crosstown rivals.
CBU AT A GLANCE:
The Lancers find themselves at 6-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, with their two losses coming on a combined six points against Portland State and Utah Tech. CBU began its conference slate with a road win over Southern Utah 91-66, marking the second-largest road win for the Lancers since 2018.
CBU is led by Dominique Daniels Jr., who currently leads the team in scoring (18 ppg) and three-pointers made with 21. Daniels is coming off a season-high 30 points in the loss to Utah Tech, making him the fifth Lancers to score 30 in a single game in the DI era. Daniels has produced five outings of over 20 points this season and is second in the WAC in scoring.
The Lancers rank in the top 50 in the nation in rebounding and are 33rd in rebounding margin. A big reason for the team's prowess on the boards is forward Hunter Goodrick, who is 16th in the nation in rebounding at 10.7 per contest and is the WAC leader in that category as well. Goodrick hauled in a season-high 16 rebounds in the win over Cal Poly and has brought down at least nine rebounds in all but two games this season.
The Lancers have also enjoyed a lot of success on the defensive end of the court, holding opponents to 63.2 points per game, ranking them 33d in the country in that department. Only one team has scored over 70 points on the Lancers this season, occurring in the loss to Utah Tech when the Trailblazers scored 72.
MATCH INFORMATION:
Opponent #1: Oregon
Date and Time: Tuesday, December 12 at 7 PM
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Watch: Pac-12 Network
Listen: FOX AM 1350
Opponent #2: UC Riverside
Date and Time: Saturday, December 16 at 5 PM
Location: UC Riverside- SRC Arena
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: FOX AM 1350
