Who? The Aggies of UC-Davis.
What? UC Davis started out as Cal's farm, so they were naturally Aggies. Their blue mustang, Gunrock, is named for a thoroughbred back in the '20s who was kept for stud at the school.
Where? Davis, California. They like their bikes there.
When? March 12th, in Anaheim, California.
Why? Because they won the Big West conference tournament.
How? Paige Mintun had 20 points and UC-Davis never looked back as they won 66-49 over Cal Poly.
Surprise? Oh, very much yes. Cal Poly was the top seed in the conference tournament, though the Aggies' lives were made a little easier by UC-Santa Barbara losing in the quarterfinals.Who's driving this thing, anyway? Sandy Simpson, since 1999. But don't remember too much about him; he's retiring after this season, having helped UC-Davis make their way up from Division II.
RPI: 111
SOS: 264
Record: 23-8 (10-6)
Best win: South Carolina (H)
Worst loss: Pacific (H)
Notable results: Kansas State (L, A, 61-41), UCLA (L, A, 65-49)
This team will go as far as senior forward Paige Mintun can take them. She leads the team in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (5.7), with more than a block and a steal per game as well. Senior guard Heidi Heintz will also be crucial to their success. I wouldn't be thrilled about their free throw shooting in a tight game, though (68.1% as a team). Their specialty is variations of a swarming zone defense they call Buzz. (No, Kim, not Buzz.) It requires crazy long rotations and a lot of risks. And if you need to know anything about the Big West, you can ask Frisco, who was my go-to guy for some of the details here.