College basketball on the West Coast has a long and often unappreciated history, and that includes mid-major programs like the Pepperdine Waves. In recent years, the program has fallen on hard times, making it easier for fans to find cheap Pepperdine basketball tickets. But the Waves have a proud history and remain one of the more noteworthy programs in the West Coast Conference. With the program’s history and dedicated fanbase, it’s only a matter of time until last-minute Pepperdine basketball tickets are once again a hot commodity in Malibu.

The Golden Era

Despite little success and a couple of trips to the Sweet 16 during the 1960s and 70s, Pepperdine basketball put itself on the map during the 1980s. Under Jim Harrick, who later won a national championship at UCLA, the Waves won the West Coast Conference regular-season title five times in six years from 1981 to 1986. Pepperdine also reached the NCAA Tournament four times during that span, establishing itself as one of the best mid-majors of the 80s and one of the top West Coast programs, period. When Harrick left, Tom Asbury picked up the torch and carried Pepperdine’s success into the 90s. The Waves won three straight West Coast Conference titles from 1991 to 1993 and played in the NCAA Tournament three times in Asbury’s six seasons at the helm.

An Old Friend

The Waves fell on hard times after the Harrick-Asbury era. Conference titles in 2000 and 2002 were all Pepperdine could muster in the early part of the 21st century. However, the return of head coach Lorenzo Romar in 2018 has brought life back to the program. Romar started to turn Pepperdine around in the late 90s before leaving for a better job. On the backside of his career, he returned to Pepperdine and is poised to once again make the Waves a force to be reckoned with in the West Coast Conference.