At the end of the fall semester, the CSUN men’s basketball team sat with an 8-4 record and was 1-1 in conference play. Over the winter break, the squad went 4-2 overall. The team currently sits at 12-6 and 4-3 in conference play.
The Matadors started the break with two dominant wins: a victory over La Sierra on Dec. 28 to close out the year and a 30-point blowout win over Cal State Fullerton on the road on Jan. 2. CSUN forward Marcus Adams Jr. and guard Scotty Washington combined for 38 points on very efficient shooting in that win over the Titans.
Following a 12-point win against UC Davis at home on Jan. 4, the Matadors struggled in back-to-back losses at the hands of UC Irvine and Cal State Bakersfield.
On Jan. 9, a slow start in the first half saw the Matadors down 20 points against the Anteaters, ultimately leading to their demise in their biggest game of the season up to that point.
In the following game against the Roadrunners on Jan. 11, CSUN had a 23-point lead in the second half. In a stunning turn of events, CSUB put together the best half of basketball they have played all season and came out on top 94-90.
Just as things seemed to be tumbling for the Matadors, they got right back on their feet in The Aloha State against Hawai’i in an 83-60 win. Backed by Adams Jr. and Washington, the duo combined for 42 points.
Adams Jr. has been the catalyst for the offense all season long, earning Big West Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 6. He averaged 24.0 PPG and 4.5 RPG while shooting 58.6% from the field and 57.9% from three-point land in the two victories over the Titans and Aggies.
In that win over the Aggies, Adams Jr. garnered a career high in points, scoring 28. In terms of averages, Adams Jr. ranks ninth overall in the Big West in PPG at 15.7.
The Matadors have three players inside the conference’s top 15 leaders in points per game. Washington comes in at No. 11 in PPG at 14.2, followed by forward Keonte Jones at 12.9 PPG.
Having three true threats on the offensive end has paid off for the Matadors. The offense as a whole is averaging 81.0 PPG, which ranks as the number one scoring offense in the Big West for the first time in the school’s history.
Jones has been a key player for the Matadors so far this season. He ranks first in rebounds at 9.1 per game in the conference. Not only is he grabbing rebounds at a high rate, but he is also dishing the ball, averaging 3.9, which ranks third in conference.
For the next 12 games, the Matadors truly control their destiny to a top four seed in the Big West Conference tournament, where they would clinch a first-round bye.
With a log jam for the top spot in the conference of six teams, including the Matadors, sitting just three games or fewer behind UCI, CSUN has little margin for error the rest of the season.