The Gauchos were led by second-year head coach Joe Pasternack and competed in The Thunderdome.

UC Santa Barbara was a member of the Big West Conference, and participated in their 48th season in that league.

During the season, the Gauchos participated in the Legends Classic under the subregionals division, which was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, College Station, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Prior to the tournament, UC Santa Barbara lost at Pittsburgh and at Texas A&M as friendly matches.

In the postseason, UC Santa Barbara defeated rival Cal Poly but lost to UC Irvine in the semifinals of the 2018 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament in Anaheim, California.