UC San Diego’s men’s basketball team is eligible for postseason play this spring after making the leap to Division I in 2020 and then going through a four-year probation period.

On Saturday, coach Eric Olen’s team showed they are more than tournament-ready by rolling to an 80-45 victory over Toledo in the championship game of the Boardwalk Battle in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Tournament MVP Tyler McGhie scored 27 points and made 7 of 11 attempts from 3-point range and the Tritons (5-2) shot 56.1% as a team.

The Rockets (5-2) were held to a season-low 30.6% shooting and turned it over 17 times against a swarming Tritons defense.

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 19 points and Hayden Gray finished with 10 points and four steals for the Tritons, who led 34-24 at the half and blew the game open with a 19-2 run to start the second half.

Toledo, James Madison and La Salle entered games against the Tritons with a combined record of 13-3.

Toledo’s 45 points are the fewest the Tritons have allowed to a Division I opponent and the 35-point margin of victory was the program’s largest over a Division I opponent.

The performance showed that not only should the Tritons be taken seriously when Big West Conference play begins at UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 5 but that they also could make some noise come March.

“I’m really proud of this team and the way we competed, this was a complete performance,” Olen said. “Playing three games in three days was a good test for us. We need to be able to get a rest, take care of our bodies, recover and get ready for the next one in these tournament environments – and we did all of that this weekend.”

Originally Published: November 23, 2024 at 6:07 PM PST