UC San Diego Coach Eric Olen Questions NCAA Officials For Thursday Related Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 2:41 AM ET

The UC San Diego Tritons were scheduled to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, giving the newly minted D-I school a chance to pull its first ever upset in the Big Dance.

Prior to the game, the coach of the Tritons, Eric Olen, shared his unfiltered thoughts on the Big Ten Tournament Champions, led by coach Dusty May during a season that saw them contend for the Big Ten regular season title only to run out of gas in the later months of the season.

"My initial reaction was how the Big Ten Tournament champs with all those Quad 1 wins ended up as a 5 seed for us," Olen said.

The Wolverines ended up one seed lower than the Purdue Boilermakers, a team they beat twice during the regular season, including in the tournament, that finished with a 22-11 record to the Wolverines' 25-9 mark on the season.

The Tritons finished 30-4 on the season and haven't lost since Jan. 18 against UC Riverside. Their quick hands give them the ability to force turnovers on any trip down the court, a potential nightmare for Michigan, which has struggled with turnovers for most of the year.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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