2025–26 Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball team

2025–26 Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball
2025–26 Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	5–9 (1–1 Big West)
Head coach	Mike DeGeorge (2nd season);
Assistant coaches	Kyle Bossier; Jesse Pruitt; Sam Walters; BJ Andrews; Ron DuBois;
Home arena	Mott Athletics Center; (Capacity: 3,032)

2025–26 Big West Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Hawai'i	2	–	0	1.000	10	–	2	.833
UC Santa Barbara	2	–	0	1.000	9	–	4	.692
UC Irvine	2	–	0	1.000	9	–	5	.643
UC San Diego	1	–	0	1.000	10	–	2	.833
Cal State Northridge	1	–	1	.500	8	–	5	.615
UC Riverside	1	–	1	.500	6	–	8	.429
Cal Poly	1	–	1	.500	5	–	9	.357
UC Davis	0	–	1	.000	6	–	5	.545
Cal State Bakersfield	0	–	2	.000	6	–	8	.429
Cal State Fullerton	0	–	2	.000	5	–	8	.385
Long Beach State	0	–	2	.000	3	–	10	.231

† 2026 Big West tournament winner As of December 23, 2025

The 2025–26 Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball team represents California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mustangs, led by second-year head coach Mike DeGeorge, play their home games at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, California as members of the Big West Conference.

Previous season

The Mustangs finished the 2024–25 season 16–19, 8–12 in Big West play to finish in a tie for seventh place.^[1] They defeated UC Davis^[2] and UC Riverside^[3] before losing to UC Irvine in the semifinals of the Big West tournament.^[4]

Preseason

On October 16, 2025, the Big West Conference released their preseason coaches poll. Cal Poly was picked to finish seventh in the conference.^[5]

Preseason rankings

Big West Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Points
1	UC Irvine	98 (8)
2	UC Santa Barbara	93 (3)
3	Hawai'i	76
4	UC San Diego	69
5	Cal State Northridge	63
6	UC Davis	58
7	Cal Poly	54
8	Long Beach State	31
9	UC Riverside	26
10	Cal State Bakersfield	20
11	Cal State Fullerton	17
(#) first-place votes

Source:^[5]

Preseason All-Big West Team

No players were named the Preseason All-Big West Team.^[5]

Roster

2025–26 Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	00	Jason Scott	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Legacy the School of Sport Sciences	Houston, Texas
G	1	Jess Esso Essis	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	ESSM Le Portel	Le Mans, France
F	2	Braden Freeman	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Moline High School	Moline, Illinois
G	3	Jake Davis	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jr	West Valley College	Walnut Creek, California
G	4	Kieran Elliott	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Jr	West Texas A&M	Lubbock, Texas
G	5	Guzman Vasilic	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Southeastern Oklahoma	Montevideo, Uruguay
F	7	Ali Assran	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Fr	NBA Academy Africa	Cairo, Egypt
PG	8	Jackson Mosley	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jr	Saint Francis High School	La Cañada, California
G	9	Peter Bandelj	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Royal Crown Academy	Ljubljana, Slovenia
G/F	10	Hamad Mousa	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Dayton	Doha, Qatar
F	11	Austin Goode	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Bella Vista Prep	Brampton, Ontario
F	13	Troy Plumtree	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	Wellington College	Wellington, New Zealand
G	14	Cayden Ward	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	St. Mary's High School	Stockton, California
PF	15	Aaron Price Jr.	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Sr	Liberty High School	Las Vegas, Nevada
G	21	Luka Tarlac	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sr	Utah	Belgrade, Serbia
F	22	Eric Brown	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Mitty High School	Los Gatos, California

Head coach

Mike DeGeorge (Monmouth (IL))

Assistant coach(es)

Kyle Bossier (LSU)
Jesse Pruitt (UC Davis)
Sam Walters (Colorado Mesa)
BJ Andrews (Clarion)
Ron DuBois (Arizona State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 27, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025* 11:00 am	Cal State East Bay	W 97–86	–	25 – Mousa	5 – Mousa	8 – Bandelj	Mott Athletics Center (1,222) San Luis Obispo, CA
Regular season
November 3, 2025* 6:30 pm, B1G+	at USC	L 64–94	0–1	13 – Assran	8 – Assran	6 – Bandelj	Galen Center (3,902) Los Angeles, CA
November 5, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Pacific Lutheran	W 101–79	1–1	26 – Ward	12 – Mousa	6 – Davis	Mott Athletics Center (709) San Luis Obispo, CA
November 8, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Seattle	W 73–71	2–1	18 – Mousa	8 – Mousa	4 – Vasilic	Redhawk Center (999) Seattle, WA
November 12, 2025* 6:00 pm, MW Network	at Colorado State	L 79–93	2–2	18 – Mousa	7 – Bandelj	3 – Mousa	Moby Arena (5,908) Fort Collins, CO
November 14, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Montana	L 82–90	2–3	21 – Bandelj	12 – Assran	3 – Elliott	Dahlberg Arena (2,827) Missoula, MT
November 20, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Utah	W 92–85	3–3	28 – Ward	8 – Tied	5 – Bandelj	Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,163) Salt Lake City, UT
November 24, 2025* 5:00 pm, ESPN+	at Northern Arizona Northern Arizona MTE	L 87–93	3–4	20 – Bandelj	8 – Tied	6 – Davis	Rolle Activity Center (344) Flagstaff, AZ
November 25, 2025* 5:00 p.m.	vs. Southeast Missouri State Northern Arizona MTE	L 68–84	3–5	15 – Ward	7 – Bandelj	2 – Bandelj	Rolle Activity Center (86) Flagstaff, AZ
November 29, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Redlands	W 87–81	4–5	21 – Bandelj	9 – Bandelj	9 – Bandelj	Mott Athletics Center (1,497) San Luis Obispo, CA
December 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Fullerton	W 94–91	5–5 (1–0)	37 – Bandelj	7 – Mousa	6 – Tarlac	Titan Gym (919) Fullerton, CA
December 6, 2025 4:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Riverside	L 84–88	5–6 (1–1)	31 – Mousa	9 – Mousa	4 – Mousa	Mott Athletics Center (1,443) San Luis Obispo, CA
December 16, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Montana State	L 80–83	5–7	25 – Ward	8 – Ward	4 – Bandelj	Mott Athletics Center (1,234) San Luis Obispo, CA
December 19, 2025* 7:00 pm, B1G+	at UCLA	L 87–108	5–8	21 – Ward	7 – Ward	4 – Tarlac	Pauley Pavilion (4,123) Los Angeles, CA
December 21, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Idaho	L 80–83 ^OT	5–9	33 – Mousa	10 – Tied	2 – Bandelj	Mott Athletics Center (2,157) San Luis Obispo, CA
January 1, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UC San Diego						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
January 3, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at Long Beach State						Walter Pyramid Long Beach, CA
January 8, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Northridge						Premier America Credit Union Arena Northridge, CA
January 10, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Davis						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
January 15, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Hawai'i						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
January 22, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Santa Barbara Rivalry						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
January 24, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Fullerton						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
January 29, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Bakersfield						Icardo Center Bakersfield, CA
January 31, 2026 5:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Riverside						SRC Arena Riverside, CA
February 5, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Northridge						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 7, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Davis						University Credit Union Center Davis, CA
February 12, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Irvine						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 14, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Santa Barbara Rivalry						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 19, 2026 9:00 pm, ESPN+	at Hawai'i						Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
February 26, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Long Beach State						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 28, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC San Diego						LionTree Arena La Jolla, CA
March 5, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Irvine						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
March 7, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Bakersfield						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
Big West tournament
March 11–14, 2026	vs.						Lee's Family Forum Henderson, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific.

Sources:^[6]^[7]

References

^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ "Koonce scores 18, Cal Poly knocks off UC Davis 86-76 in Big West Conference Tournament". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ "Cal Poly wins again, reaching Big West basketball semifinals for first time since 2014". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ "UCI MBB shoots 50% from deep, eliminates Cal Poly". The New University. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "UC Irvine Predicted to Win The Big West in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". The Big West. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Cal Poly. Retrieved October 27, 2025.
^ "Cal Poly Mustangs 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[1] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[2] "Koonce scores 18, Cal Poly knocks off UC Davis 86-76 in Big West Conference Tournament". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[3] "Cal Poly wins again, reaching Big West basketball semifinals for first time since 2014". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[4] "UCI MBB shoots 50% from deep, eliminates Cal Poly". The New University. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[poll-5] "UC Irvine Predicted to Win The Big West in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". The Big West. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[6] "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Cal Poly. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

[7] "Cal Poly Mustangs 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 27, 2025.

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Cal Poly Mustangs men's basketball
Venues	Mott Athletics Center (1960–present)
Rivalries	UC Santa Barbara
Culture & lore	Mustang Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1941–42 1942–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26