March Madness Tips Off Early as No. 1 Seeded UC Irvine Falls Prey to Underdog Story on the Road to NCAA Tournament

Underdogs are taking the ongoing season by storm. Their victories over high-seeded teams have become a recurring theme of the season. Along with upsets, they inject drama into the tournament and make every game worth watching.

Now, that it has reached the Big West too, the underdog effect has valiantly prevailed, as Long Beach State men’s team has defeated the No.1 ranked side in the Big West UC Irvine Anteaters.

Madness begins with big blow

The audience at the Dollar Loan Center was left dumbfounded as Long Beach State swift past Anteaters. They recently thrashed the Big West’s No.1 seeded UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament semifinals.

The underdogs kept Anteaters trailing in the first half with a 9-point lead at 47-38. In retaliation, the trailing Anteaters moved up to a narrow 3-point lead with 41 points. However, they couldn’t make it up to the end for the lost points and hence tasted a 79-83 defeat at the hands of the Long Beach State.

Long Beach’s assist leader and shot-blocker forward Aboubacar Traore scored a team-high 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. The team’s leading scorer and Guard Marcus Tsohonis added 15 along with 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Similarly, Jaden Jones scored 15 off the bench, with 9 rebounds, and 2 assists. While, guard AJ George contributed 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Long Beach State team has had an eventful season with this win adding the thrill to their tournament journey. They have an overall record of 17-9 and are currently ranking at #4 in the Big West Conference.

This season, Marcus Tsohonis has shown his scoring resilience with an average of 17.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, while shooting with a field goal percentage of 40.8%. The off-the-bench talent Jaden Jones has been averaging 12.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, shooting with a field goal percentage of 42.8%. Aboubacar Traore, on the other hand, has been averaging 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists (team-high) per game. Also, he has been shooting with a field goal percentage of 53.9%.

READ MORE: Can Marquette Win The March Madness?

Given that the underdogs were able to pull off this magnificent win against UC Irvine, let’s now explore what the road ahead for the Anteaters would look like.

UC Irvine’s way forward

Anteaters have had an impressive performance this season. They entered the Big West Men’s Basketball Championship as the No. 1 seed. Currently, they hold an overall record of 19-7 and 12-2 in the Big West, hence ranking No.1. Moreover, their overall record in multiple rounds of tournaments has been 38-37, defining their court dominance.

Advancing to the finals, they have a 9-14 and a 3-3 record against the Lon Beach State team. As a result, despite this loss, their consistent play during the regular season has placed them well in the postseason.

They are likely to be participating in the NCAA Tournament with Dylan Thoerner, Andre Henry, and Pierre Crockrell II leading the team in the upcoming games.