Monday night gave me the heebie-jeebies.

It was one of those nights when the stars were aligned just a little bit perfect, or maybe just a wee bit off. The Sun God of Gaucho Land must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed or changed his/her routine significantly.

Was it Aurora Borealis?

Or was it a divine intervention?

Because nothing else can explain the strange occurrences that took place on Monday night.

The UCSB men’s basketball team hosted Big West foe Irvine. Before the match, Santa Barbara’s home record: 6-0. Automatic victory.

The UCSB women’s basketball team visits Irvine. Before the match, Santa Barbara’s record on the road: 0-6. Automatic defeat.

But something went awry along the way. The sun must have shifted, realigning the stars. Homer must have ignored Grandpa’s advice when he bolted back to the past and sneezed on a few dinosaurs, altering our very existence.

Unthinkable.

Because late Monday night, Gaucho fans were faced with the surreal: The undefeated home team lost, and the winless road team won.

Who woulda thunk it? Vegas linemakers’ heads must be spinning.

It took long enough, but Santa Barbara’s two favorite winter sports’ pastimes finally did what everyone had been waiting a solid two months for.

But this event begs the question: Was this shoulder-shrugging aberration good or bad for Santa Barbara basketball?

Conventional wisdom suggests that this is a bad night. Anytime an undefeated home team drops a conference battle, it’s bad. We agree.

But perhaps this night of oddities sparked something new. Perhaps in spite of a men’s team home loss, and in spite of a [very] rare women’s team road win, their entire respective seasons were altered, due to one miraculous Monday night.

Sure, the men’s team had an impenetrable home record, but maybe getting one loss under their belts is just what they need to help get that one elusive road win – they currently sit 0-7 away from the Thunderdome. Previously, Santa Barbara was untouchable at home, whether it is because of a raucous crowd of Locos or because of a few hot strokes of the wrist from Cecil Brown (see: Sonoma State). Despite its hot shooting at home, the men’s team still came out listless on the road, seeming unable to muster up the same winning effort that they could in Santa Barbara.

Sure, the women’s team rebounded from an abysmal start to inch its way back to mediocrity. But around these parts, mediocrity is plainly unacceptable when it comes to basketball.

So despite a crummy night for one half of the basketball realm of UCSB, and a triumphant one for the other, perhaps it was a victory for all.

As it had seemed, both teams were destined for an average finish. If the men’s team finished undefeated at home and winless on the road, and the women’s team winless on the road, and a smidge over .500 at home, would anyone actually have cared?

Maybe Monday’s oddities drastically altered the stars, changed the fates of two struggling teams that were barely treading water. Maybe a long winning streak for the women and a couple of road wins for the men are in line now. Just because of an eerie Monday night.

It’s not probable, but at least it’s possible.