They were led by head coach Jerry Pimm in his 7th season at UCSB.
The Gauchos were members of the Big West Conference and played their home games at the UC Santa Barbara Events Center, also known as The Thunderdome.
9 seed in the Southeast Region, they beat Houston in the first round before losing to No.
The 1989–90 team beat eventual National champion UNLV in front of a raucous crown at The Thunderdome on February 26, 1990.
The Gauchos also won the first NCAA Tournament game in school history.