March 14, 2021 at 10:22 am by Brandon Victor For the first time in ten years, the Gauchos are dancing. On Saturday, the UCSB menâs basketball team knocked off the reigning champions UC Irvine 79-63 in the Big West Tournament Championship. With the win, the Gauchos improve to 22-4 on the season and â more importantly â secure a berth in next weekâs NCAA Tournament. On paper, Saturdayâs title matchup was poised to be a clash between two of the best teams in the conference. While Santa Barbara (22-4, 13-3) entered the tournament as the top seed, the Anteaters (18-9, 10-4) knocked off the Gauchos twice during conference play. With both teams allowing a mere 62.8 points per game, the winner-take-all matchup seemed certain to be a back and forth defensive affair.