The University of the Pacific is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 after winning the Big West Championship on Saturday night.
1. They don’t score much. Senior point guard Lorenzo McCloud leads them with 11.4 per game. The rest of the Tigers average under double figures in scoring. Travis Fulton is second on the team at 9.1 points per.
2. They’re Pacific Ocean-deep. See what I did there? Ten guys average at least 11 minutes per game, and because of that, you never know who is going to beat you. Reserve Tony Gill, a 6-8 junior who averages 7 points per game, led the Tigers with 19 in the Big West championship game.
3. This is head coach Bob Thomason’s final season. Thomason has had a terrific run with the Tigers, guiding Pacific to 14 winning seasons in his 25 years as coach. He has also led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament five times and won back-to-back first round games in 2004-05.
4. It is the oldest chartered university in California. Located in Stockton, Pacific also has campuses in Sacramento and San Francisco. It’s also got quite possibly the coolest school name in the country: the University of the Pacific. Drink it in.
5. Pacific has won 7 straight games and owns an impressive early-season win at Xavier. Their numbers might not look gaudy, but this team can be dangerous if not given the respect it deserves.
Sign up for the SheridanHoops/Sportsbook Bracket Challenge. $100,000 first prize.