2025–26 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team

2025–26 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
2025–26 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
Resorts World Las Vegas Classic champions
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	8–3 (2–0 Big West)
Head coach	Joe Pasternack (9th season);
Assistant coaches	Brandon Cyrus; Brian Eskildsen; Derek Glasser; Brandon Rosenthal;
Home arena	The Thunderdome; (Capacity: 5,000)

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 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team represents the University of California, Santa Barbara during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gauchos, led by ninth-year head coach Joe Pasternack, play their home games at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California as members of the Big West Conference.

Previous season

The Gauchos finished the 2024–25 season 21–13, 11–9 in Big West play, to finish in fifth place.^[1] They defeated Cal State Bakersfield^[2] and Cal State Northridge,^[3] before falling to top-seeded and eventual tournament champions UC San Diego in the semifinals of the Big West tournament.^[4]

Preseason

On October 16, 2025, the Big West Conference released their preseason coaches poll. UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish second in the conference, while also receiving three first-place votes.^[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

Preseason All-Big West Team
Player	Year	Position
Jason Fontenet II	Junior	Guard
Aidan Mahaney	Senior	Guard

Source:^[5]

Roster

2025–26 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
F	00	Koat Keat Tong	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Jr	Crean Lutheran High School	Bentiu, South Sudan
G	1	Miro Little	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jr	Utah	Tampere, Finland
G	2	Luke Zuffelato	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Santa Barbara High School	Santa Barbara, California
G	3	CJ Shaw	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	Mojave High School	Las Vegas, Nevada
G	4	Marvin McGhee IV	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Cal State Bakersfield	Atlanta, Georgia
F	6	Kyle Haughy	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS Jr	Santa Barbara City College	San Ramon, California
F	7	Colin Smith	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	RS Jr	Vanderbilt	Dallas, Texas
G	10	Jason Fontenet II	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Bella Vista Prep	Phoenix, Arizona
C	12	Evans Kipruto	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	GS	Barton Community College	Nairobi, Kenya
G	18	Isaac Shingange	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	RS Jr	City College of San Francisco	Johannesburg, South Africa
G	20	Aidan Mahaney	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	UConn	Lafayette, California
F	21	John Simcoe	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Sandra Day O'Connor High School	Phoenix, Arizona
F	23	Michael Simcoe	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Fr	Sandra Day O'Connor High School	Phoenix, Arizona
G	24	Zion Sensley	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Archbishop Riordan High School	San Carlos, California
F	34	Hosana Kitenge	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	GS	Louisiana	Crawley, England
F	35	Bryce Bedgood	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	RS Fr	Valencia High School	Valencia, California
G	44	Zachiah Clark	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS Fr	DNA Prep Academy	Los Angeles, California

Head coach

Joe Pasternack (Indiana)

Assistant coach(es)

Brandon Cyrus (UC Santa Barbara)
Brian Eskildsen (Tennessee)
Derek Glasser (Arizona State)
Brandon Rosenthal (St. John Fisher)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: October 28, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 4, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	San Francisco State	W 98–67	1–0	23 – Sensley	14 – Sensley	3 – Tied	The Thunderdome (2,992) Santa Barbara, CA
November 8, 2025* 1:00 pm, ESPN+	San Jose State	W 85–74	2–0	24 – Smith	8 – Little	6 – Tied	The Thunderdome (3,024) Santa Barbara, CA
November 11, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Sacramento State	W 92–87	3–0	17 – 3 tied	7 – 3 tied	8 – Little	Hornets Nest (2,734) Sacramento, CA
November 17, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Loyola Marymount	L 74–78 ^OT	3–1	19 – Little	8 – Tied	4 – Mahaney	The Thunderdome (2,402) Santa Barbara, CA
November 22, 2025* 2:00 pm, MW Network	at Nevada	L 64–77	3–2	13 – Little	6 – Little	4 – Tied	Lawlor Events Center (7,340) Reno, NV
November 24, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Nobel	W 84–49	4–2	23 – Shaw	12 – Sensley	5 – Simcoe	The Thunderdome (1,311) Santa Barbara, CA
November 28, 2025* 1:30 pm, FloCollege	vs. Lehigh Resorts World Las Vegas Classic semifinals	W 72–70	5–2	20 – Little	8 – Tied	2 – Little	Resorts World Events Center Winchester, NV
November 29, 2025* 1:30 pm, FloCollege	vs. Seattle Resorts World Las Vegas Classic championship	W 74–71	6–2	20 – Sensley	6 – Tied	6 – Little	Resorts World Events Center Winchester, NV
December 4, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Long Beach State	W 84–77 ^OT	7–2 (1–0)	26 – Mahaney	6 – Tied	3 – Mahaney	The Thunderdome (2,072) Santa Barbara, CA
December 6, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Bakersfield	W 109–84	8–2 (2–0)	30 – Mahaney	14 – Sensley	6 – McGhee IV	The Thunderdome (1,739) Santa Barbara, CA
December 13, 2025* 11:00 am, ESPN+	vs. Utah Valley Salt Lake Slam	L 53–68	8–3	10 – Smith	10 – Sensley	4 – Shaw	Delta Center (1,987) Salt Lake City, UT
December 17, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Green Bay						Kress Events Center Green Bay, WI
December 22, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	Portland						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
January 1, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Fullerton						Titan Gym Fullerton, CA
January 3, 2026 1:00 pm, ESPN+/SSN	at Cal State Northridge						Premier America Credit Union Arena Northridge, CA
January 8, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Davis						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
January 15, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Bakersfield						Icardo Center Bakersfield, CA
January 17, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Hawai'i						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
January 22, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal Poly Rivalry						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
January 24, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Long Beach State						Walter Pyramid Long Beach, CA
January 29, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC San Diego						LionTree Arena La Jolla, CA
January 31, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Fullerton						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
February 5, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Davis						University Credit Union Center Davis, CA
February 7, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Irvine						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
February 12, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Riverside						SRC Arena Riverside, CA
February 14, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+/SSN	at Cal Poly Rivalry						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 19, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Northridge						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
February 21, 2026 9:00 pm, ESPN+	at Hawai'i						Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
February 26, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Riverside						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
February 28, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Irvine						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
March 7, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+	UC San Diego						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, 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 28, 2025.
^ "UC Santa Barbara defeats Cal State Bakersfield 71-66 in Big West Conference Tournament first round". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
^ "Gauchos Defeat Cal State Northridge 78-72 and Advance to Semifinals of Big West Championship". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
^ "Live Updates: UCSD men's basketball downs Gauchos in Big West semifinal". UCSD Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 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 28, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
^ "UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[1] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". The Big West. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[2] "UC Santa Barbara defeats Cal State Bakersfield 71-66 in Big West Conference Tournament first round". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[3] "Gauchos Defeat Cal State Northridge 78-72 and Advance to Semifinals of Big West Championship". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[4] "Live Updates: UCSD men's basketball downs Gauchos in Big West semifinal". UCSD Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[poll-5] "UC Irvine Predicted to Win The Big West in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". The Big West. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[6] "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

[7] "UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 28, 2025.

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[7]

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's basketball
Venues	Robertson Gymnasium (1959–1979) The Thunderdome (1979–present)
Rivalries	Cal Poly
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–46 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