The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team opened the season 1-1 with a 119-65 home opening victory against the San Francisco State Gators and a 73-65 road loss against the Washington State Cougars. The 119 points in the home opener was the second-most points a team has ever scored in the Thunderdome. The Gauchos were just 4 points away from tying the 123-point record set in 2020 against Bethesda University.