UC San Diego men’s basketball (30-5, 18-2 Big West) fell to Michigan (26-9, 14-6 Big Ten) 68-65 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on Thursday night.
The first thing Michigan head coach Dusty May did after taking the stand for his postgame press conference was praise his opponent. “Sometimes, when you’re scouting, it’s tough to watch as much tape as we do,” May said. “Watching them was actually fun, to see those guys playing with [joy and togetherness].”
However, the start of last night’s showdown was anything but fun for the UCSD fans watching. The Tritons found themselves in a 10-0 deficit after just a few minutes of play. “I did think the nerves maybe affected us early in the game,” said UCSD head coach Eric Olen. “I also think I didn’t do a great job of getting those guys in the right situations.”
The Tritons shook off the early jitters and kept pace with Michigan for the rest of the half, but they could not overcome their abhorrent start. After going 0 for 4 from the field and turning the ball over four times in the opening four minutes, the Tritons shot a marginally-improved 11 for 28 and only turned the ball over twice in the remaining 16 minutes. They trailed 41-27 as the buzzer sounded.
The second half also got off to a discouraging start for UCSD when senior forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones — Big West player of the year — picked up his third and fourth fouls in rapid succession. Olen was forced to hook his star forward, who was one foul away from being ejected. With their best player on the bench and facing a double-digit deficit, the rest of the Tritons responded valiantly with a 12-0 run that cut the Wolverines’ advantage to 45-42.
“I mean, we knew we were going to make a run,” senior guard Hayden Gray said. “We always make a run.”
The Tritons battled foul trouble for the rest of the game. Tait-Jones fouled out with five minutes remaining, and junior guard Chris Howell played much of the second half with four fouls. The Tritons fought through these limitations to keep the game close — even taking the lead at one point.
In Tait-Jones’ absence, senior guard Tyler McGhie led the Triton offense in the final few minutes. After an ice-cold shooting performance in the first half, McGhie rebounded to carry the Tritons offensively in the clutch. He took advantage of mismatches against Michigan’s 7-footers to score tough baskets in isolation sets.
“He’s capable of making those,” Olen said. “When he gets going like that, we try to get him the right matchups and let him go to work.”
McGhie’s heroics came up just short when his game-tying 3-pointer clanged off the back iron. The buzzer sounded, and UCSD’s 2024-25 basketball season was over.
“I think I got the shot I wanted — step back going left,” McGhie said. “I thought it was in, hit the back iron. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it.”
While it ended in heartbreak, the Tritons’ season was nothing short of magical. Led by Tait-Jones, McGhie, and senior guard Hayden Gray, UCSD became one of the most talked-about stories in college basketball, and its efforts culminated in a Big West regular season and conference championship title. Along the way, the Tritons shattered numerous records, and they nearly swept the Big West end-of-season awards. In their first-ever March Madness game, they fought valiantly and came up only 3 points short.
UCSD was not a sports school a year ago; now, it just might be, thanks to their efforts. In his final press conference as a Triton, McGhie reflected on this team:
“I’m a fifth-year. I’ve been on some pretty good teams. This one is definitely the most special team I’ve ever been on.”
