The Pacific men’s basketball team finds itself in the thick of the Big West Conference race heading into the final regular season weekend of coach Bob Thomason’s career.
The second place Tigers (17-12, 11-5 Big West Conference) are about to host third-place UC Irvine (17-13, 10-6) with a chance to set up a championship showdown with first place Long Beach State on Saturday night. Pacific would need a win over the Anteaters and a loss by the 49ers at UC Davis on Thursday night for the dream scenario to become reality.
Beating the Anteaters will be a difficult task, as they come in having won five consecutive games, including a 68-59 manhandling of the Tigers on Feb. 20 led by Adam Folker and Damon Starring. Pacific has shot 50.4 percent at Spanos Center this season and that kind of efficiency will be needed to overcome UC Irvine’s size advantage.
Pacific wins 71-65 with its offensive efficiency being the deciding factor.
