UC San Diego athletics is officially a Division I institution after a four-year transition period that began in 2020.
San Diego will enter the season with longtime head coach Eric Olen at the helm of the program, who has been with the school in its Division II days. Olen will enter his 12th season as head coach of the team.
Mid-Major Basketball is previewing all Big West teams for the 2024-25 season. Up next is the Tritons.
Last season
Despite not winning the Big West regular-season or postseason tournament, the Tritons finished the 2023-24 season as the second seed.
UC San Diego had a 21-12 record, going 15-5 in conference play. The record was the program’s first winning season in the school’s transition to Division I.
Players
All-Big West selection guard Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones returns for a second season at UCSD. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season.
Guard Tyler McGhie is back for his second season with the Tritons. McGhie was the team’s second-leading scorer after transferring from a D-II school. The guard averaged around 14 points per game last season.
Joining the team from the West Coast Conference is Saint Mary’s transfer Chris Howell. He averaged 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game with the Gaels last season.
Schedule
The Tritons will play the two other basketball programs in the San Diego area this season.
They open the season against San Diego State on Wednesday. San Diego State is one of the better mid-major schools in recent years. The Tritons will then face WCC opponent San Diego on Dec. 12.
The UCSD squad will face Mountain West regular-season winners Utah State on Dec. 17, adding championship-quality opponents to the schedule.
The Tritons will host 2023-24 Big West regular-season champions UC Irvine on Jan. 11 and will close its first official conference season on the road against UC Davis on March 8.
UC San Diego will play in its first official Big West tournament on March 12-15 for an opportunity to dance in the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction
The UC San Diego squad has nothing preventing them from becoming one of the best programs in the Big West next season.
Having a winning season last year and momentum on the team’s side, the team is on track to finish in the top half of the conference this season.
In the 2024 Big West preseason coaches poll, the Tritons were selected to finish the season as the third team in the conference.
