UC Davis Aggies: 22-12, 11-5 in the Big West Conference
Head Coach: Jim Les (
Players to watch: Brynton Lemar (16.1 PPG, 38.1 3PT%); Chima Moneke (14.4 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.5 BPG); Siler Schneider (10.5 PPG)
Season recap: After finishing second in the Big West's regular season standings, UC Davis rolled through the conference tournament to earn its first-ever NCAA tournament berth. The Aggies struggled through nonconference play, getting out to a 8-7 start, before scraping out an 11-5 conference record with several close victories.
As it had all season, UC Davis leaned on its defense—which ranked third in the conference in points allowed—to secure its bid. The Aggies’ stout defensive unit held opponents to 52.3 points per game in regulation during the conference tournament, allowing the team to upset top seed UC Irvine and claim the Big Dance bid.
Despite placing in the top half of the conference standings in points scored, the Aggies are ranked a woeful 218th in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted offensive efficiency statistic. Although they have a pair of scorers that can finish both from the perimeter and inside with Brynton Lemar and Chima Moneke, the team lacks scoring depth and balance on offense.
How they make a run: The Aggies win their play-in game against N.C. Central, then stay close to Kansas by taking away their opponent's 3-pointers and getting star performances from Lemar and Moneke.
How they falter: Without enough talented scorers on offense to generate crisp ball movement, the Aggies are unable to compete.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.