By Brett Goldman
For the first time in a decade, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are headed to the NCAA Tournament. One of the hottest teams in college basketball is probably going to land around a 13 seed in the big dance after a 79-63 win over UC Irvine in the Big West championship. I'll provide you everything you need to know about the Gauchos before you make your bracket.
1: What is a Gaucho?
A Gaucho is a South American cowboy. How did a South American cowboy became the mascot of a California school? Your guess is as good as mine.
2: How did the Gauchos get here?
The Big West schedule was a little different than most conferences this season. Each weekend, two teams would play back-to-back games. That means that if you played a team in December, you would not see them again unless you were playing them in the conference tournament.
UCSB started out the season losing twice to UC Irvine, the defending champions and powerhouse of the Big West Conference. They then went on a rampage through the rest of the conference, winning their next 13 games (a school record) before dropping one at UC Riverside. They haven't lost a game since, beating Cal Poly in the final 2 games of the regular season and beating Long Beach State, UC Davis, and UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament.
3: Who are the Gauchos?
The Gauchos are a small conference team with big conference talent. They are led by Big West Player of the Year JaQuori McLaughlin, a senior who transferred from Oregon State after a couple seasons with the (PAC-12 champion) Beavers. Alongside him in the starting lineup are Nevada transfer Devearl Ramsey, Oregon transfer Miles Norris, and DePaul transfer Brandon Cyrus. Amadou Sow, the Gauchos second-best player, is the only starter who has not played at another school. Other key players for the Gauchos are Josh Pierre-Louis, an athletic sophomore guard transfer from Temple, Robinson Idehen, a senior who plays the backup 5 role, Destin Barnes, a solid defender and transfer from Jacksonville, and Ajare Sanni, a sophomore guard and 6th man who suffered an ankle injury in the championship game.
JaQuori McLaughlin is the best player in the Big West Conference. You just can't say enough about this guy. He can score at all 3 levels efficiently and plays aggressive defense. The senior had 22 points on 4/7 from 3 point range in 39 minutes in the championship game. When the Gauchos need a big shot, McLaughlin is their go-to guy. He can also be a facilitator, as he averages about 5 assists per game.
Devearl Ramsey is the other guard in the starting lineup for the Gauchos. Ramsey is a floor general who can hit big shots when he needs to. Not only is he one of the best in the country when it comes to assist/turnover ratio, he leads this team in steals as a great on-ball defender. Another senior, Ramsey is one of the best rebounders for any player I've at his size. It might not always show on the stat sheet, but he has an impact on the outcome of every single play.
Miles Norris is one of a few new additions to this UCSB team this season. Norris initially played at Oregon, before transferring to the City College of San Francisco. This season, he has held down the starting 4 position for the Gauchos and has been an elite rim protector and stretch big. Norris is versatile defensively because of his length and athleticism, and he is hitting 38% of his 3 pointers. He may not show it every night, but he can absolutely score the basketball. The junior had 27 points earlier this season against Cal State Bakersfield and poured in 19 against UCI in the championship game.
Amadou Sow is the Gauchos second option offensively. While he may be a tad undersized (6 foot 9 for a center), he makes up for his lack of length in athleticism, physicality, and toughness. Over the last 3 games, he is averaging almost 20 points and 10 rebounds. Defensively, he guards well with his strength and toughness. He has done a great job this season of playing defense without fouling. However, the last few years he has struggled against bigger, longer centers who can counter Sow's physicality with length on both ends of the floor. When Sow comes off the floor, Robinson Idehen replaces him. Idehen has a similar build to Sow. His strength and length are his biggest assets on the court, and he can absolutely hold his own against the best of them. While Sow has a much more versatile offensive repertoire, teams do not get much of a break when he goes to the bench.
Josh Pierre-Louis has been a spark plug for UCSB all season long. One of the most athletic players on this team (It's probably between him, Cyrus, and Norris), Pierre-Louis has been elite on both ends for the Gauchos in the Big West tournament. After averaging around 6 points per game in the regular season, Pierre-Louis exploded for 24 points in the quarterfinal game against Long Beach State. While he's not much of a 3 point shooter, expect him to put pressure on the rim and push the pace with 6th man Ajare Sanni potentially out.
4: So, can the Gauchos pull off a first round upset?
If they play the way they did tonight against UC Irvine, they are going to be a tough out in the tournament. They fought for every loose ball and won almost every 50/50 ball tonight. Defensively, they have a defender for every type of matchup. Quick point guard? Ramsey and Pierre-Louis are on the job. Elite scoring wing?. McLaughlin, Cyrus, and Barnes will slow them down. Great 4-man? Good luck getting easy looks against Miles Norris with his length. Post scorer? Amadou Sow and Robinson Idehen are not afraid to wrestle down low. Their confidence is at an all-time high, and something tells me they might not be done yet.
Expect the Gauchos to make some noise over in Indianapolis.
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