Titans Look at Pacific, See Themselves Rising in Big West : College basketball: Tigers are coming up at about the same pace and with the same strengths as Cal State Fullerton. The two teams, still in the conference title race, meet tonight.

They were picked in the bottom half of the Big West Conference in preseason polls but are currently tied for third. They don’t have much of a bench but squeeze more than anybody would figure out of their starting lineup. Their defense is as tight as Scrooge’s wallet and they are hoping that a strong finish will bring a rare postseason tournament invitation.

Meet Cal State Fullerton’s mirror image--the University of the Pacific.

Call it the Coach of the Year Bowl. The Titans (14-8, 9-5) face the Tigers (13-9, 9-5) at 7:30 tonight in the University of Pacific’s Spanos Center.

“They’re a lot like us,” Fullerton Coach Brad Holland said. “We shoot about the same percentage (each team is at 46%), we score about the same number of points (Fullerton averages 72.9 points; Pacific is at 68.3) and we each have a balanced scoring attack.”

And each has confounded the critics by pulling into a tie for third place as Big West teams make their final turn and head toward home. The Tigers--one victory away from clinching their first winning Big West season since 1979-- were picked to finish seventh in a preseason poll of conference coaches and media and the Titans were picked ninth.

“I guess I’m just an optimist,” Pacific Coach Bob Thomason said. “My goal at the beginning of the year was to win nine home games and four on the road, and have a chance to win other road games.

“That would put us at 13-5, and that would have been like the perfect deal. We’ve won our four road games (the Tigers are 4-3 on the road in the Big West) but we’ve lost two home games--to San Jose State and to Santa Barbara by one.

“Those are not the games you’d think we’d lose. (Ray) Kelly hit a shot late for Santa Barbara and there were a couple of calls that went against us against San Jose. We’re talking a couple of plays and we’re 11-3 in the conference and half-a-game out of first place.”

As it stands now, though, the Tigers--and Fullerton--are still mathematically in the Big West race. And who would have figured that with four conference games remaining?

Since losing early season games to Western Michigan and Austin Peay in the Indiana Classic, the Tigers are 10-5. They have won seven of nine and have bagged some unexpected game along the way: The Tigers won at Utah State for the first time in 21 tries. And they have already picked off Nevada Las Vegas, New Mexico State and Cal State Long Beach at home this season.

And starting forward Robert Richardson, Pacific’s best defensive player, suffered a knee injury this month and couldn’t even play in the Utah State and New Mexico State games. Thomason is hoping Richardson can return for tonight’s game.

“It’s been real fun to watch,” he said. “When Richardson went down against San Jose State, I didn’t know how we could beat New Mexico State, but we did. Darrell George (Richardson’s replacement) has really been a great asset for us.”

So, too, has senior guard Tony Amundsen, who leads the Tigers and is sixth in the Big West at 16.4 points per game.

“He has been playing super,” Thomason said. “Driving the ball to the basket, shooting well, playing better defense, rebounding the ball. I just can’t ask any more of him.”

Fullerton beat Pacific the first time around this season, 71-58, although Amundsen scored 20 points and Richardson had 16. The Tigers have won four of five, though, since that meeting. And they are 8-3 at home.

Now, looking through the rear-view mirror, Pacific’s surprise appearance in the championship game of last season’s Big West tournament, where they lost to New Mexico State, 74-73, doesn’t look like such a surprise. These guys can play.

“I hope in the future we can be like Santa Barbara has been for the last six years,” Thomason said. “Knocking on the door every year.

“We can’t spend the money of an Indiana or North Carolina, but everything we do, we can do in a good manner. Now, our administration is doing a better job of game management. Our crowds are better--when the crowd is thinking you can win instead of hoping you can win, it makes a difference.

“Our kids are obviously more proud of themselves, just walking around campus. Our recruiting is getting better and better, and the more you get on TV, it will help . . .

“I think the future is going to get better and better. And I hope the immediate future is going to be really good--like (tonight) and this weekend.”