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Introducing Cinderella: Cal St.-Fullerton isn’t just a baseball school anymore

Wooden Legacy

FULLERTON, CA - NOVEMBER 26: Head coach Dedrique Taylor of the Cal State Fullerton Titans yells to his team in the second half of the game against the Harvard Crimson at the Titan Gym on November 26, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

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Conference: Big West

Coach: Dedrique Taylor

Record: 20-11, 10-6

Rankings and Ratings:

Kenpom: 153
RPI: 131
AP/USA TODAY: Not ranked

Seeding: Fullerton finished in fourth in the Big West, meaning that they are likely going to end up being one of the lower-seeded teams in the field. If I had to guess, I think they’ll end up as a No. 16 seed but avoid the play-in game.

Names you need to know: Fullerton’s best player is a junior guard from Brooklyn named Kyle Allman. At 6-foot-3, he was one of the best scorers in the Big West, averaging better than 19 points per night. Khalil Ahmad and Jackson Rowe round out Fullerton’s big three.

Stats you need to know: Fullerton was the second-most efficient offense in the Big West this season, but the reason for that is how often they are able to get to the foul line. They, quite literally, have the highest free throw rate in all of college basketball. They turn the ball over too much, they don’t get offensive boards and they can’t really shoot threes, but they will get to the line.

Big wins, bad losses: The Titans have wins over Harvard and Utah Valley on their résumé, but that’s really it in terms of notable results.

How’d they get here?: Fullerton finished fourth in the Big East, but they knocked off both UC Davis and UC Irvine, who were probably the top two teams in the league this season, in the Big West tournament.

Outlook: This is a team that we expect to be on the No. 16 seed line. Don’t expect too much.

How do I know you?: You probably don’t know all that much about the Fullerton basketball team, but their baseball team is nasty and routinely makes the college world series.