The UCSD Tritons play in the Big West Tournament against the UCSB Gauchos. Friday's meeting will be the third of the season between the two teams.

BOTTOM LINE: UC Davis takes on UCSD in the Big West Championship. The Aggies are 15-7 against Big West opponents and 5-4 in non-conference play. UC Davis ranks third in the Big West with 28.1 points per game in the paint led by Nyla Epps averaging 6.0.

Because the Big West men’s and women’s tournaments are held concurrently in the 5,567-seat facility that is home to a minor-league hockey team, the top-seeded Tritons were allowed only a 25-minute session Friday morning for an abbreviated shootaround to acclimate to dark backdrop and castle turrets behind one basket.