2021–22 UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball
ConferenceBig West Conference
Record16–12 (9–6 Big West)
Head coach
Associate head coachMichael Czepil (4th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Michael Lecak (3rd season)
  • Rob Jones (1st season)
Home arenaSRC Arena
(Capacity: 3,168)
2021–22 Big West men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Long Beach State12–3 .80020–13  .606
Cal State Fullerton †11–4 .73321–11  .656
Hawai'i10–5 .66717–11  .607
UC Irvine9–5 .64315–10  .600
UC Santa Barbara8–5 .61517–11  .607
UC Riverside9–6 .60016–12  .571
UC Davis5–6 .45513–11  .542
UC San Diego*7–11 .38913–16  .448
Cal State Northridge3–13 .1887–23  .233
Cal State Bakersfield2–12 .1438–19  .296
Cal Poly2–12 .1437–21  .250
* ineligible for the 2022 NCAA tournament and 2022 Big West tournament due to transition period; Big West games not counted in standings
† 2022 Big West tournament winner

The 2021–22 UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team represented the University of California, Riverside in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Highlanders, led by second-year head coach Mike Magpayo, played their home games at the on-campus Student Recreation Center Arena[lower-alpha 1] in Riverside, California, and competed as members of the Big West Conference.

Previous season

UCR finished 14–8, including an 8–4 record in conference play, during Magpayo's first season at the helm in 2020–21. After finishing third in the regular-season Big West Conference standings, the Highlanders defeated Hawaiʻi in the quarterfinals of the Big West tournament before being eliminated in the semifinals by UC Irvine. Their .636 winning percentage on the season was UCR's best single-season mark since the program transitioned to Division I in 2001.[1]

Preseason

Prior to the season, the future of the men's basketball program was placed into doubt, as UC Riverside's leadership were considering cutting the university's entire athletics department in response to financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in May 2021, the university announced that they had decided against eliminating athletics and will continue competing at the NCAA Division I level in all sports,[2][3] thus saving the men's basketball program from extinction.

Roster

For the second straight season, over half of UC Riverside's roster consists, curiously, of players who are from either Australia or New Zealand.

2021–22 UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Dragan Elkaz 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrWestfields Sports HS Green Valley, NSW, Australia
F 1 J. P. Moorman II 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrTemple Greensboro, NC
G 2 Quinton Ford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS SoCopperas Cove HS Copperas Cove, TX
G 3 Kobe Jerome 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrBlue Ridge School New Rochelle, NY
F 4 Daniel Mading 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrSan Jacinto CC Perth, WA, Australia
G 5 Zyon Pullin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrCollege Park HS Pleasant Hill, CA
G 10 Jeffrey Ofoedu 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrSuzanne Cory HS Melbourne, VIC, Australia
G 11 Flynn Cameron 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS JrDePaul Auckland, New Zealand
C 12 Jhaylon Martinez 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)260 lb (118 kg) RS FrUNLV Vallejo, CA
G 14 Wil Tattersall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoCenter of Excellence Melbourne, VIC, Australia
G 22 Dominick Pickett (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) GSRancho Verde HS Moreno Valley, CA
F 23 Angus McWilliam 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS JrTCU Christchurch, New Zealand
G 24 Jaylen Cross 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoCulver City HS Melbourne, VIC, Australia
C 25 Callum McRae 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)295 lb (134 kg) RS JrPalmerston North Boys HS Palmerston North, New Zealand
G/F 40 Niyi Olabode 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
—
 FrMiramonte HS Orinda, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 12 December 2021

Source:[4]

Schedule and results

On November 11, the Highlanders upset Pac-12 school Arizona State on the road, 66–65. As time expired in the game, forward J. P. Moorman II sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer from past half-court to stun the Sun Devils in what a USA Today opinion piece called "one of college basketball's shining moments" and "perhaps the shot of the year".[3]

Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2021*
2:00 p.m.		 Cal State Los Angeles W 90–56  –
  17 – Pullin  11 – Pullin  9 – Pullin  SRC Arena (247)
Riverside, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., YurView		 at San Diego State L 53–66  0–1
  13 – McRae  5 – Tied  4 – Tied  Viejas Arena (11,729)
San Diego, CA
November 11, 2021*
5:30 p.m., P12N		 at Arizona State W 66–65  1–1
  18 – Cameron  11 – Moorman II  8 – Pullin  Desert Financial Arena (7,594)
Tempe, AZ
November 14, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 La Sierra W 72–54  2–1
  18 – Tattersall  12 – McRae  5 – Pullin  SRC Arena (285)
Riverside, CA
November 17, 2021*
7:30 p.m., WCC Network		 at San Diego L 62–74  2–2
  20 – Pullin  10 – Pullin  4 – McRae  Jenny Craig Pavilion (958)
San Diego, CA
November 20, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Bethesda
Homecoming		 W 95–57  3–2
  18 – Tied  11 – Martinez  8 – Pullin  SRC Arena (577)
Riverside, CA
November 22, 2021*
6:00 p.m., CUSA.tv		 at UTEP
Golden Turkey Classic		 W 52–40  4–2
  14 – Moorman II  10 – McRae  2 – Tied  Don Haskins Center (4,037)
El Paso, TX
November 26, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Florida A&M
Golden Turkey Classic		 W 60–49  5–2
  17 – Pullin  16 – McRae  5 – Pullin  SRC Arena (212)
Riverside, CA
November 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., WCC Network		 at Saint Mary's L 50–67  5–3
  12 – Pullin  6 – Pullin  3 – Pullin  University Credit Union Pavilion (2,594)
Moraga, CA
December 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m., P12N		 at Oregon L 65–71  5–4
  15 – Pickett  7 – Pullin  5 – Pullin  Matthew Knight Arena (5,739)
Eugene, OR
December 12, 2021*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Cal Baptist W 70–54  6–4
  19 – Moorman II  14 – McRae  5 – Pullin  SRC Arena (884)
Riverside, CA
December 19, 2021*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Sacramento State Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols SRC Arena 
Riverside, CA
December 22, 2021*
11:00 a.m., ESPN+		 Idaho Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols SRC Arena 
Riverside, CA
Big West regular season
December 28, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UC Davis Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols University Credit Union Center 
Davis, CA
January 1, 2022
10:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Hawaiʻi Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
January 6, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UC San Diego W 59–51  7–4
  13 – Cameron  12 – Pickett  3 – Pickett  SRC Arena (0)
Riverside, CA
January 8, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UC Irvine L 51–68  7–5
(0–1)		  16 – Moorman II  6 – McRae  5 – McRae  SRC Arena (0)
Riverside, CA
January 13, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Cal Poly W 57–46  8–5
(1–1)		  13 – Pullin  8 – Cameron  4 – Pullin  Mott Athletics Center (1,263)
San Luis Obispo, CA
January 15, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Cal State Bakersfield W 65–64  9–5
(2–1)		  18 – Pickett  10 – McRae  5 – Pickett  Icardo Center (486)
Bakersfield, CA
January 20, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UC Santa Barbara Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols The Thunderdome 
Santa Barbara, CA
January 22, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at CSUN W 77–67  10–5
(3–1)		  22 – Tattersall  7 – Pullin  8 – Pullin  Matadome (0)
Northridge, CA
January 27, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Long Beach State L 62–68  10–6
(3–2)		  23 – Pullin  11 – McRae  5 – Pullin  SRC Arena (0)
Riverside, CA
January 29, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Cal State Fullerton W 67–54  11–6
(4–2)		  18 – Pickett  8 – McRae  3 – Pullin  SRC Arena (0)
Riverside, CA
February 1, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UC Davis L 60–65  11–7
(4–3)		  12 – Pickett  9 – Tattersall  3 – Pickett  SRC Arena (415)
Riverside, CA
February 3, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU		 Hawaiʻi W 64–59  12–7
(5–3)		  19 – Pullin  9 – Pullin  3 – McRae  SRC Arena (1,117)
Riverside, CA
February 10, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UC Irvine L 56–66  12–8
(5–4)		  14 – Pickett  8 – McRae  3 – Pickett  Bren Events Center (1,364)
Irvine, CA
February 12, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at UC San Diego L 62–85  12–9
  18 – Pickett  5 – Pickett  3 – Cameron  RIMAC Arena (724)
La Jolla, CA
February 17, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Cal State Bakersfield W 79–69  13–9
(6–4)		  21 – Pickett  7 – McRae  7 – McRae  SRC Arena (635)
Riverside, CA
February 19, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN+		 Cal Poly W 78–58  14–9
(7–4)		  19 – Pullin  10 – McRae  7 – McRae  SRC Arena (427)
Riverside, CA
February 24, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN+		 CSUN W 79–57  15–9
(8–4)		  15 – Elkaz  13 – McRae  5 – Pullin  SRC Arena (576)
Riverside, CA
February 26, 2022
5:00 p.m., ESPN+		 UC Santa Barbara L 90–97 2OT 15–10
(8–5)		  32 – McRae  11 – McRae  6 – Pullin  SRC Arena (1,004)
Riverside, CA
March 3, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPNU		 at Cal State Fullerton W 75–72  16–10
(9–5)		  15 – Pullin  6 – Pullin  8 – Pullin  Titan Gym (1,050)
Fullerton, CA
March 5, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN+		 at Long Beach State L 72–73 OT 16–11
(9–6)		  24 – Pullin  10 – McRae  7 – Pullin  Walter Pyramid (1,824)
Long Beach, CA
Big West tournament
March 10, 2022
8:30 p.m., ESPN+		 (6) vs. (3) Hawaiʻi
Quarterfinals		 L 67–68  16–12
  23 – Pullin  6 – Tied  5 – Pullin  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific.

Sources:[5][6]

Notes

  1. ↑ The arena is part of a larger athletics complex called the UC Riverside Student Recreation Center, commonly known as "The SRC."

References

  1. ↑ "UC-Riverside Highlanders School History". sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ Medcalf, Myron (May 6, 2021). "UC Riverside won't cut sports, will remain at Division I level despite pandemic". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Wolken, Dan (November 12, 2021). "Opinion: From brink of program elimination, UC-Riverside authors one of college basketball's shining moments". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Roster". University of California, Riverside. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Riverside. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ "UC Riverside Highlanders Schedule 2021-22". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
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