Now or never: LBSU’s dreams of making Tourney rides on four seniors

As the preseason favorite to win the Big West Conference championship, the Long Beach State men's basketball team has high hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.

With its season opening on Saturday, The Beach will return 10 lettermen, including four of its five starters who are looking to take the next step and claim the Big West Tournament title after falling to rival UC Santa Barbara in the conference championship two years in a row.

The 49ers, who finished 22-12 overall and 14-2 in the nine-team conference last season, were defeated by the Gauchos, 64-56, in the conference championship game. Despite defeating the Gauchos by double-digits in both regular-season meetings, the loss denied the ‘Niners a trip to March Madness.

For the Beach, nothing short of a conference title and a run to the 64-team Tournament would be considered a success this season. LBSU head coach Dan Monson said the experience of the group should be its biggest advantage over the rest of the Big West.

"I do not think there is any ducking the fact that if we do not defend our (regular season) Big West championship and have a run in the NCAA Tournament, it has not been a successful year," Monson said. "These kids just need to finish what they started. They have really taken the program to another level, but basketball team are measured by the NCAA Tournament and we have got to get ourselves in that position."

Monson added: "I really like them (the team), but I should. We have had them for a long time and we are further ahead than we have been because we have a lot of seniors and guys that have been through it."

Before Long Beach can focus on a Big West title, it will have to play one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. The ‘Niners have 13 non-conference contests, five of which will come against teams ranked in the top 14 of the preseason AP poll.

All five of the matchups will be on the road, including trips to Pittsburgh, Louisville, Kansas, and the mecca of college basketball: the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC for a showdown with the Tar Heels.

"I think it is really good for these guys," Monson said of the daunting schedule. "I think if they can have some success it would put them in the conversation to have an at-large bid, which would be a goal of ours to not leave it to the last game of the year."

Monson also added that the 49ers' past experience against powerhouse opponents will help them this season.

"Some of those venues they (the returning starters) have already been to have been pretty intimidating," Monson said. "I don't think we are going to go in to play the schedule. Hopefully we will go in to have success with that schedule."

Senior forward Edis Dervisevic, who is expected to be a spark off the bench this year, said he is looking forward to making one last run to the NCAA Tournament.

"It is an honor to be with the core four," said Dervisevic, who averaged 2.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15 minutes per game last season. "The expectations for this year are to do whatever it takes to win. We are going to be fun to watch."

At 73.2 points per game last season, the Beach was second in the Big West, only behind UC Irvine. Defensively, Long Beach was fifth in the nine-team conference, allowing 70.5 points per contest.

The team shot a respectable 44.6 percent from the field, good for fourth in the conference, but shot a dreadful 67.2 percent from the free throw line, putting them in eighth.

The ‘Niners will open up the regular season Saturday against Idaho at the Walter Pyramid. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

Breaking down the starting five

Casper Ware, senior point guard (5-10, 175 pounds) Ware was named to the preseason Wooden Watch list, which picks the 50 best overall players in all of NCAA Division I basketball. Last season, Ware led the Beach, averaging 17.2 points and 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. His 17.2 points were good for second in the Big West, behind Orlando Johnson of UCSB. He also became an honorable mention All-American and the first Big West player in history to be selected both player of the year and defensive player of the year in the conference.

Larry Anderson, senior shooting guard (6-5, 210 pounds) Anderson is a much bigger guard than Ware, but the combination of the two has been effective. Anderson finished last year's campaign second on the team and 14th in the Big West in scoring, averaging 14.3 per contest. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds per outing, good for seventh in the conference. A two-time first-team All-Big West selection, Anderson ranks among the Big West's active career leaders in eight of nine different categories.