Committee to Consider Changing Format

Big West Conference officials will discuss changes in its men’s and women’s basketball tournament format, Commissioner Dennis Farrell said Wednesday.

The conference’s newly formed championship committee will take up the question this spring. Currently, the top four teams from the Western and Eastern divisions go to the tournament.

“We’re going to take a look at it,” Farrell said. “The championship committee was formed to looked at all the sports.”

Some men’s coaches from the Eastern Division questioned the format because Pacific was the only Western Division team with a winning record this season. Fullerton (11-15), UCI (9-17) and Long Beach State (10-18) made the tournament, but none won more than six conference games.

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Pacific’s Michael Olowokandi and UC Santa Barbara’s Erin Buescher were named the men’s and women’s players of the year in the Big West Conference.

Olowokandi, a 7-foot-1 senior, led the conference in scoring (21.8), rebounding (11.1), field-goal percentage (.623) and blocked shots (2.7).

Cal State Fullerton’s Ike Harmon and Chris Dade were honorable mention all-conference. UC Irvine’s Ben Jones was named to the conference’s all-freshman team.

UCI’s Leticia Oseguera was named to the first team and guard Megan Stafford made the second team. UCI’s Sabrina Roberson and Titans Kriss Sigg and Andrea Thieme were honorable-mention picks.