So my alma mater played my adopted town in a collegiate basketball game last night. UCSB Gauchos vs. Cal Poly Mustangs. In a sign of how dire things are on the hardwood around these parts [and how desperate we are for attention and affirmation for something besides being "second home to the stars" (SB) and the "happiest place on earth" (SLO), it was a big deal up and down the central coast just because the game was going to be shown on live local television. Let's just say the game was played as ineptly as it was broadcast...lots of frozen screens, jumpy action and missed opportunities by amateurs who wouldn't stand a chance in the big city. I believe at one point I heard one of the announcers say Cal Poly has only one new recruit coming in next year. This game did nothing to change that.
If this is the kind of basketball we are graced with around here, they should really consider not televising the games anymore. It can only hurt recruiting. It was that bad. Cal Poly shot 16% from the field in the first half (5 of 31), scoring just 14 points, but they were still only down 5 at the break (19-14) thanks to UCSB's 12 turnovers! In a brief halftime interview with UCSB's coach Bob Williams, he described the first half as "monstrous" (or it might have been "atrocious"). The final score was 49-43. Earlier in the day, I caught a bit of North Carolina beating Duke and the score was 51-39 at the half.
The fact that Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo are both talking excitedly about making it into the NCAA Tournament is the height of comedy. Mark my words, if one of them does make it they'll likely be playing in the 64 v. 65 "play in game." If they both make it, they'll be playing each other.
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