Pundits Had Pacific Pegged

The story really isn’t all that surprising. Well, part of it anyway.

College hoops prognosticators picked Pacific among the Big West Conference heavyweights. All those preseason publications figured it would be tough to hold those Tigers.

And it has. But this tough?

Pacific has, in order, beaten up a Big East big-name, won 13 consecutive games and left no doubt about who the Big Dog is in the Big West. Not bad for a start, and without their team leader at that.

“Pacific is head and shoulders above the rest of the conference,” UC Santa Barbara Coach Jerry Pimm said. “They’re just playing on another level right now.”

The Tigers are 15-1 overall and 6-0 in conference, good for first place in the Western Division. They haven’t lost since dropping their season-opener, 75-71, Nov. 22 at Fresno State.

Pacific is either first or second in almost every positive Big West team statistic. Along the way, Pacific has made believers out of doubters. Even ESPN has talked up the Tigers.

Moreover, Pacific has picked up some votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. This is unheard of for recent teams under the Big West banner.

“I’m sure we’re surprising a lot of people around the country,” said Coach Bob Thomason, in his ninth season at Pacific.

“When we’re playing well, we can beat some teams by 17 or 18 points. I don’t think a lot of people expected us to be [13-1], but a lot of people who knew about our team knew we would be good.”

Just how good was driven home Dec. 28. Pacific defeated longtime Big East-power Georgetown, 73-56, at Nevada Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center. Sophomore center Michael Olowokandi, a fast-improving 7-footer, led the way with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

As historic events go, this was the Tigers’ moon landing.

“We’ve had some good wins this season and that was the biggest so far,” Thomason said. “Any time you can beat a great program like Georgetown, people are going to take notice.”

The Tigers, though, haven’t come out of nowhere. Under Thomason, who played at Pacific, they have always been among the conference’s best-coached teams.

“We’ve been close the last three or four years,” Thomason said. “Last season, we win 15 [games] and we had some real close losses, so I felt we were moving up a level. But then you say to yourself, ‘Gosh, if we only had those three or four tough ones, that would be 19 victories.’ ”

Last season, Pacific was the hottest team entering the Big West tournament in Reno. The Tigers finished second to Long Beach State and tied with UC Irvine during the regular season at 15-12 and 11-7--closing with eight victories in their final 10 games.

Then came the car wreck. San Jose State, the eventual tournament winner, routed Pacific, 77-57.

“San Jose was playing real well, too, so losing to them wasn’t a shock. Losing by 20 was a shock,” Thomason said. “That was a learning experience for the team and they really used that to build on for this year.

“This year’s team now knows how to fight through adversity. Last year’s team was fine when things were going well, but they started to worry a little bit when things weren’t.”

Thomason said there aren’t any big secrets to his success.

“Coaching is just the ability to take the players you have and get the most you can out of them,” Thomason said. “You have to put them in a system that allows them to do what they do best.

“The thing about our team is that the players are totally buying into everything we’re doing.”

The only question with these guys is, how good would they be with their best player? Standout senior guard Adam Jacobsen has missed most of the fun after tearing the medial collateral ligament in his right knee Nov. 28. Jacobsen is redshirting after having undergone knee surgery and is expected to return next season.

Several of the Tigers’ biggest contributors are sophomores and juniors. Add Jacobsen to next season’s mix and the Tigers should remain on the prowl for some time.

*

At the other end: The UC Irvine men’s team won its first game of the season Thursday, beating Nevada, 76-74, in overtime at the Bren Center.

Lamarr Parker led the Anteaters (1-14, 1-5) with 22 points.

In their next game, Saturday against Cal State Fullerton at the Bren Center, the Anteaters played poorly in an 89-57 loss. The Titans were without John Williams, their leading scorer and rebounder.

Irvine’s 56-55 loss Jan. 18 to UC Santa Barbara was its 16th consecutive, a school record dating to last season.

“Rod’s fighting an uphill battle, but he’s got guts and character,” Pimm said. “He’s got a lot of young kids, but they will keep fighting.”

Big West Conference Notes

UC Santa Barbara guard Raymond Tutt was selected the conference’s player of the week (Jan. 13-19). Tutt averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and shot 65.6% from the field as the Gauchos won two games. Tutt also moved slightly ahead of Long Beach guard James Cotton in the scoring race, 22.8 points to 22.3.