Overview:
UCSB will learn its destination and opponent for next week’s NCAA Basketball Tournament when CBS announces the bracket at 3 p.m. Sunday
HENDERSON, Nevada — UC Santa Barbara’s men basketball team earned an invitation to the NCAA’s “Big Dance,” although their women’s team wasn’t able to make it a twosome.
Ajay Mitchell punched the Gauchos’ ticket to next week’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with a masterful second half in Saturday’s 72-62 victory over Cal State Fullerton in the championship game of the Big West Conference at the Dollar Loan Center.
UCSB (27-7), the Big West’s No. 2 seed, won its seventh-straight game to earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.
Fullerton (20-13), the defending Big West Tournament champion, had won eight consecutive games before Saturday’s defeat.
The Gauchos’ next stop will be revealed when the 68-team bracket is announced Sunday at 3 p.m. on CBS Sports’ NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Selection Show.
Senior Miles Norris hugs an emotional Ajay Mitchell after the Gauchos won the Big West Tournament and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. Credit: Zach Schmidt / UCSB Athletics photo 
Matija Belic points the way to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as UCSB puts the finishing touches on Saturday’s 72-62 Big West Conference Tournament championship victory over Cal State Fullerton. at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. Credit: Big West Conference photo
Mitchell scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half of Saturday’s game to earn the Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player Award.
He was joined on the honor squad by teammate Miles Norris, who scored 10 points on Saturday.
UCSB also got a big second half from Calvin Wishart, who scored 13 of his 16 points after the intermission when the Gauchos increased their 33-31 lead.
Cole Anderson added 12 points while Andre Kelly just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
The Gaucho women suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Saturday’s Big West women’s final when Hawai’i’s Daeja Phillips converted a three-point play with 3.4 seconds remaining to win a 61-59 thriller.
Hawai’i (18-14) earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year.
UCSB (21-12) got 21 points and seven rebounds from Alexis Tucker and 12 points and six rebounds from Ila Lane in her final game as a Gaucho. They were both selected to the all-tournament team.