2 BIG GAMES

• Aggie men on ESPN2 TV — UC Davis vs. UC Santa Barbara in The Pavilion, 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1. Tickets: online; in person at the UC Davis ticket office (at Aggie Stadium East); or by phone, (530) 752-AGS1 (2471). More information.

Let's make it a "Blue Out" in the gym! Need some Aggie blue to wear? Consider buying a special $6 T-shirt (pictured at left) at selected UC Davis Stores (Memorial Union, Welcome Center, Pro Shop and Downtown Store), or online.

Check out "The Return of ESPN2" on Facebook and please use the hashtag #ESPN2UCDavis in your posts.

• "Golden Aggie Ticket" Night — Aggie women vs. UC Riverside in The Pavilion, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6. Free "Aggie Police" T-shirt and a hot dog, plus a chance to win prizes (including an iPad), for each student with a "Golden Aggie Ticket" — free for the asking from uniformed police officers or at the front desk of police headquarters on Kleiber Hall Drive. Free game tickets for staff and faculty; send an email to officer Ray Holguin, or call (530) 601-3867.

UPDATE noon Feb. 25: Each team's record in the Big West Conference, and new T-shirt for the March 1 "Blue Out."

UPDATE 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21: The athletics department announced an earlier starting time of noon for the ASUCD tailgate challenge before the March 1 men's basketball game. Also, The Pavilion doors will open at 3:30 p.m. for that game, a half-hour earlier than previously announced. Team records also have been updated.

By Dateline staff

UC Davis, its basketball teams and their fans have struck gold:

• Television gold — Nearly a year after their first nationally televised home game, the Aggie men (3-9 in the Big West Conference) are going national for a second time from The Pavilion, Saturday, March 1, against UC Santa Barbara, once again on ESPN2. Watching the game in your own home will be fun, but we would much rather you help fill the Aggies’ home, to show the rest of the nation what Aggie Pride is all about. For this last home game of the season, tipoff has been moved up to 5 p.m. to accommodate the TV coverage. Wear Aggie blue for a "Blue Out" in the gym! See box for information on a special $6 shirt.

• Ticket gold — There’s something for students, and something for staff and faculty, when the Aggie women (6-6 in the Big West) host UC Riverside at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6. Students get in free, as always, but they might want to take up the campus Police Department on its offer of "Golden Aggie Tickets." Each student who has one will get a free "Aggie Police" T-shirt and a hot dog, and a chance to win prizes (including an iPad) during the game. “Golden Aggie Tickets” are free — to get one, all a student has to do is ask a uniformed police officer, or go to the front desk of police headquarters on Kleiber Hall Drive.

Police also are offering tickets to staff and faculty — not “golden” like the ones for students, but “golden” as in free admission to the game. Interested? Send an email to officer Ray Holguin, or call (530) 601-3867.

The Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs are co-sponsoring this game promotion; police aim to promote a game every year with a goal of building partnerships with all members of the UC Davis community. The theme for this year’s inaugural event is “Aggie Pride, Don’t Drink and Drive.”

‘The Return of ESPN2’

The Aggie men played their first nationally televised home game on March 7, 2013, taking on Long Beach State — and losing by one point — before a capacity crowd of 5,670.

“The energy and enthusiasm the fans brought to last year’s game against the 49ers is what made that evening a special one,” Aggie head coach Jim Les said. “We cannot wait to see how ‘Aggie Nation’ responds this year when we return to ESPN2.

"Our fans deserve this opportunity to show the nation what makes this university special.” 

Intercollegiate Athletics has already begun a countdown to the game, with a timer on the main athletics website, and has set up another website to further promote “The Return of ESPN2.”

“All fans are encouraged to purchase tickets early as a sellout is expected,” the website declares.

UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students receive free admission to the game with valid student ID until capacity is reached. Students may enter the game showing valid ID at the main entrance. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. 

An ASUCD tailgate challenge is planned in Lot 25 starting at noon. Student groups will be judged on spirit, festivities and participation — in competition for $200 in gift certificates. Body paint and poster contests are planned inside The Pavilion.

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