UCSB MEN

RECORD: 5-5 overall, 0-0 Big West Conference; Lost three straight and 3-of-4 on recent road trip

GAMES THIS WEEK: Monday, at Cal Poly (9-4), 7 p.m.; Thursday, vs. Cal State Fullerton (9-3), 7 p.m.

NOTES:  UCSB heads into 2012 on the heels of a 4-game road trip. The Gauchos won their first at the University of San Diego but then dropped three straight at Washington, Cal, and BYU. UCSB’s first two games in Big West Conference play are the two teams with the best preseason records. Monday’s opponent, Cal Poly, has won nine of its first 13 games while Fullertson has won 9-of-12.

UCSB’s next victory will give head coach Bob Williams his 223rd win at UCSB, which will put Williams ahead of Jerry Pimm on the all-time wins list.

Thursday’s game at the Thunderdome will be UCSB’s first home game since a double-overtime loss to UNLV on November 30, a span of 35 days. Both games this week can be heard locally on 1290 AM or by visiting UCSBGauchos.com.

Fullerton and UC Irvine already have conference wins under their belt, having beat UC Davis and Cal State Northridge, respectively.

UCSB WOMEN

RECORD: 5-7 overall, 0-1 Big West Conference

GAMES THIS WEEK:  Saturday, at Cal State Fullerton, 3 p.m.

NOTES:  The Gaucho women are coming off a tough loss in their Big West Conference opener at Cal Poly. UCSB fell 61-58 on New Year’s Eve, which came on the heels of a quality 49-48 win at UTEP on December 21. They enter 2012 with a 5-7 record but thier last three losses have come by a combined six points.

Despite their losing record, UCSB is in the upper-half of the conference in just about every team category. UCSB lacks an individual offensive star, however, as no Gaucho is among the top-15 scorers in the conference. Kirsten Tilleman and Sweets Underwood are in the top-6 in rebounding and Kelsey Adrian is the conference’s most accurate 3-point shooter at 44.2 percent.