CSUN’s basketball programs eye Big West tournament with March Madness hope

Zachary Kilgore, Reporter

March 10, 2026

CSUN men’s basketball head coach Andy Newman speaks to players at a timeout during a game against Cal State Fullerton at the Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. The Matadors defeated the Titans 82-63. Photo by Benjamin Hanson.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have clinched their spot in the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Basketball Championship. They stride into their respective Big West Basketball Tournaments with the hopes of dancing into March Madness.

Both tournaments will be played between March 11 and 14 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, and will be broadcast across ESPN networks.

Women’s Team

Head Coach Angie Ned speaks to players before a game against Bethesda University at CSUN on Nov. 4, 2025. The Matadors won 103-13. (Benjamin Hanson)

The eight-seed women’s basketball team will have their first matchup on Wednesday at noon to take on the No. 5 seed Cal State Fullerton Titans, who previously defeated CSUN in their past three matchups.

The winner of the matchup will play the No. 4 seed Hawai’i, then continue on to play the No. 1 seed UC Irvine in the Big West Semifinals.

The Matadors will need to win four straight matchups to win their third conference tournament title and reach their fourth March Madness tournament appearance in program history.

Head coach Angie Ned looks to shock the Big West and punch their ticket into March Madness. Hopes of starting a Cinderella run before the big dance cannot be ruled out.

After finishing the regular season with a record of 10-19 overall, 6-14 conference, the Matadors will have their work cut out for them looking for a postseason push.

Men’s Team

Head Coach Andy Newman draws a play at timeout during a game against Fresno State at the Premier America Credit Union Arena on Dec. 10, 2025. The Matadors won 89-87. (Benjamin Hanson)

As for the men’s Big West basketball tournament, fourth-seed CSUN will face either No. 5 seed UC San Diego or No. 6 seed Cal Poly on Thursday at 6 p.m.

If CSUN wins the upcoming matchup, they will have a quarterfinal matchup with the top ranked UC Irvine, who have bested the Matadors in their prior two matchups this season.

CSUN will need to win three straight matchups in order to win their third Division 1 tournament title and continue their season. If they succeed, they will make their third ever appearance in the March Madness tournament and their first appearance in 17 years.

The Matadors ended the regular season with an overall record of 19-13 and a conference record of 12-6. Despite this strong performance over the course of the season, they dropped the last three of their four games. The bad form doesn’t throw CSUN into the tournament with a shining light, though could pose as motivation for the squad.

In that 1-3 stretch, the Matadors averaged 16.25 turnovers per game, significantly higher than the 11.4 average they had in their seven-game win streak just before the tail end of the regular season.

If CSUN can hold possession, March might have another bracket buster on their hands.