GAME #2: Pepperdine (1-0) at UC San Diego (0-1) | Saturday, Nov. 9 | La Jolla, Calif. | 7 p.m.
 
COVERAGE: Fans can catch the Waves on ESPN+, on the audio-only Wavecast with Al Epstein's 1,194^th-straight call or online via live stats.  
 
SCHILLING & COMPANY: Beginning his first campaign as the Waves' head coach, Ed Schilling has gathered a cabinet of assistant coaches with several decades of coaching experience at all levels of the sport, ranging from Power 5 schools to success at the NAIA, junior college and high school levels.
 
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: The 2024-25 roster features 12 new faces and just two returners in Boubacar Coulibaly and David Mager. Seven of the 12 transferred in to Pepperdine while four are true freshmen. The roster is also significantly older than in years past, seeing three graduate students and five upperclassmen.
 
LAST TIME OUT: In Ed Schilling's first act as head coach, the Pepperdine men's basketball team led the Western Illinois Leathernecks for most of the contest on Wednesday night and delivered a 77-64 opening-night win. Stefan Todorovic led all scorers with 25 on 8-of-11 field goal shooting while pulling down five boards and dishing out three assists while Moe Odum contributed 18 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc and giving out eight assists on the night. Dovydas Butka contributed eight points but shined defensively, collecting 10 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE TRITONS: UC San Diego opened up their 2024-25 season at cross-town rival and recent powerhouse San Diego State this Wednesday, putting up a fight and kept things close but eventually falling 63-58 to the Aztecs. Guard Tyler McGhie led all scorers with 21 points on 53.3% field goal shooting while draining five of nine threes. Forward Nordin Kapic controlled the boards for the Tritons with eight, but the Aztecs won the night on that end with 38 rebounds to UCSD's 32. The Tritons shined defensively, however, causing 14 SDSU turnovers compared to UC San Diego's eight.
 
The Tritons have an even split of seven returners and seven newcomers to their roster from last season. Two of the returners started games during the 2023-24 season, helping the team to a 21-12 overall record while finishing second in the Big West at 15-5. This season, the Tritons were picked to finish third in the conference in their first year of NCAA championship eligibility after the four-year transition period from Division II to Division I.
 
PEPPERDINE BASKETBALL: This is the 86th season of Pepperdine men's basketball, and the 51st year that the Waves have called Firestone Fieldhouse home. The Waves has been to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (last in 2002) and has won 12 West Coast Conference regular-season titles (last in 2002) and three WCC Tournament crowns (last in 1994). The Waves won the College Basketball Invitational in 2021.
 
PRO WAVES: Maxwell Lewis was the 40th pick in the 2023 Draft and earned big minutes in the NBA Summer League. Kessler Edwards began his professional career with the Brooklyn Nets who drafted him at 44th in 2021 but has since been traded to the Sacramento Kings and now resides on the Dallas Mavericks roster. Pepperdine's record-holder for scoring and assists Colbey Ross currently plays for Pallacanestro Trieste– one of the top teams in Italy.
 
CATCH THE WAVES
Season tickets for Pepperdine men's and women's basketball are currently on sale at PepperdineWaves.com/Tickets with single-game purchases to become available October 25. Season ticket prices begin at $99 and fans have the opportunity to purchase a pass for priority parking near Firestone Fieldhouse for $200.
 
GROUP EXPERIENCES
Interested in bringing your group out to a Pepperdine Athletics event? Unique experiences available include anthem buddies, national anthem performances, fan tunnels, halftime performances and more. Those interested in purchasing group tickets can fill out this form or reach out to the ticket office via e-mail wavestix@pepperdine.edu or phone (866) WAVE-TIX.
 
JR. WAVES
Pepperdine Athletics is proud to announce the Jr. Waves program geared toward children in sixth grade or under. Jr. Waves receive an exclusive t-shirt, membership card and lanyard that grants free admission to women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's volleyball, baseball and water polo. Be sure to sign up quickly as this season's membership runs from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025.
 
STAY CONNECTED
Keep up with all things Pepperdine hoops by following the team on X and Instagram and find more about Waves Athletics via @PepperdineWaves on all platforms.