Big West Tournament Information

Game Notes in PDF

GAME #33
#4 UC Irvine (18-14, 11-7) vs. #5 Hawai'i (17-13, 10-8)  
Thursday, March 14, 2013 – 8:30 p.m. (approx.)
Big West Conference Tournament Quarterfinal
Honda Center (17,608) – Anaheim, Calif.

Series Record:  Tied 4-4
Last Meeting:  Hawai'i won 78-72 (2/9/13 in Honolulu)

Radio:  KUCI/88.9 FM (Mark Roberts, 19^th Season & Steve Henkle)

TV:  Fox Prime Ticket (Paul Sunderland, Michael Cage, Kelli Tennant)


'EATERS FACE WARRIORS IN BIG WEST TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL THURSDAY NIGHT

● Third-year head coach Russell Turner's fourth-seeded UC Irvine squad (18-14, 11-7 Big West) faces No. 5 seed Hawai'i (17-13, 10-8) in a Big West Conference Tournament quarterfinal game Thursday night at approximately 8:30 at the Honda Center.

● The teams split during the regular season, with UCI winning 68-64 at the Bren Center Jan. 9 and the Warriors prevailing 78-72 in Honolulu Feb. 9.  Hawai'i's win in February snapped a four-game winning streak for UCI in the series, which is tied at 4-4.

● UCI is making the program's 31^st appearance in the Big West Conference Tournament.  The 'Eaters are 21-30 in previous league tourney games, advancing to the championship game in 1988, 1994 and 2008.  UCI, seeded No. 7 in last year's tournament, defeated second-seeded Cal State Fullerton, 65-59, before losing to top-seeded Long Beach State, 68-57, in the semifinals.


BIG WEST HONORS FOR 'EATERS

● Senior guard Daman Starring was named to the All-Big West Second Team after earning honorable mention recognition a year ago.

● Starring leads UCI in scoring at 13.3 points per game with six 20-point games this season.  He has led the 'Eaters in scoring 10 games this season and has scored 1,012 points in his UCI career.  Starring has 144 career threes to rank No. 7 in Anteater history.

● Senior post Adam Folker received the Big West's "Best Hustle" Award for the second straight season and he also was named to the All-Big West Honorable Mention squad.  Folker leads the Big West in field-goal percentage at .581 and he ranks 12th in Anteater history with 604 career rebounds.

● Point guard Alex Young was named Big West co-Freshman of the Year along with Isaac Fotu from Hawai'i.  Young set a UCI freshman single-season record with 132 assists.  He ranks second in the Big West in assists (4.1) and assist/turnover ratio (2.6), plus he is averaging 9.2 points per game.

● Sophomore post Will Davis II received the Big West's "Best Defensive Player" Award.  He leads the conference with 78 blocked shots, a new UCI single-season record.  Davis has 133 career blocks in 62 career games.


UC IRVINE NOTES

● The 11 conference wins this season for the 'Eaters were the most for the program since the 2002-03 team finished 13-5 in league play.

● UCI has won six of its last seven games, and eight of the past 11, entering the 2013 tournament.  The team's 18 overall wins are the most for UCI since the 2007-08 squad finished 18-16.  That team reached the championship game of the 2008 Big West Tournament.

● UCI was 12-1 at home this season, including 9-0 in Big West games, as the Anteaters went undefeated at home in conference play for the first time since the 2000-01 team went 8-0 in league games at the Bren Center en route to the program's first Big West regular-season title.

● UCI is 9-0 this season when holding the opposition to under 60 points and 13-3 when leading at halftime. UCI is 11-5 this season when the opponents have shot below 40 percent from the field and 11-4 when outrebounding its opponent.

● Daman Starring, the only UCI player averaging in double figures at 13.3 points per game, became the 22^nd member of the 1,000-points club at UCI last Thursday night at Pacific.  He enters the tournament with 1,012 career points.

● Starring has 144 career threes and passed Scott Brooks for No. 7 in the Anteater record book at UC Davis last Saturday.  Starring is 13^th in UCI history with 93 career steals.

● Senior Michael Wilder has 1,038 points and 570 rebounds in his UCI career. His 570 career boards rank 16^th in Anteater history. He became the 21^st member of the 1,000-points club at UCI and Wilder is one of 16 UCI players to have scored 1,000 points and grabbed 500 rebounds in their careers.

● Wilder has hit 22 threes in the past eight games.  His 215 career threes rank third in UCI history, trailing just Michael Hunter (236) and Ross Schraeder (233).

● Wilder is tied with Kevin Floyd (1986-89) for No. 12 in UCI history with 260 career assists.

● Wilder ranks 43^rd in the nation this week in assist/turnover ratio at 2.28.

● Sophomore post Will Davis II, with 78 blocked shots this season, has established a new single-season school record, breaking the previous mark of 55 he set last season.  He tied his single-game school record with eight in the Mar. 2 win over Long Beach State. 

● Davis has 133 career blocks in 62 career games as he zeroes in on the school record of 149 rejections by Adam Parada from 2000-04.  Davis ranks 24^th in the nation this week in blocked shots with an average of 2.52 per game.

● Freshman point guard Alex Young, with 132 assists this season, has the most assists in a season by a UCI player since Aaron Fitzgerald had 190 in 2005-06.  Young's 132 assists are a UCI freshman single-season record.

● Young ranks 17^th nationally this week in assist/turnover ratio at 2.59.

● Senior post Adam Folker, with 604 career rebounds, ranks No. 12 in UCI history and is the latest addition to the school's 600-rebounds club.

● Folker leads the Big West in field-goal percentage at .581 for all games on the season.  He did not make the trip to northern California last weekend.

● The lineup of Alex Young, Daman Starring, Michael Wilder, Adam Folker and Will Davis II has started 18 games this season.  The 'Eaters are 12-6 overall with that starting unit, 9-5 in league games.

● As of Monday, UCI ranks 15^th in the nation in assists per game (16.1), 17^th in field-goal percentage defense (.386), and 30^th in assist/turnover ratio (1.27).

● For all games, UCI ranks first in the Big West Conference in field-goal percentage defense (.386), three-point field goal percentage defense (.330), scoring margin (+4.2), rebounds per game (39.2), assists per game (16.1) and is tied UCSB for first in blocked shots per game (4.5).

● Individually for all games, Adam Folker leads the Big West in field-goal percentage (.581) and he is fifth in offensive rebounds per game (2.7).  Will Davis II tops the league in blocked shots per game (2.5), and Alex Young is second in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and in assists per game (4.1).  Daman Starring is sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.418), seventh in three-point field goals made per game (2.1) and eighth in free-throw percentage (.781).  Michael Wilder is eighth in three-point field goals made per game at 2.0.


A LOOK AT HAWAI'I

● Third-year head coach Gib Arnold's Warriors are 17-13 overall and were 10-8 in Big West Conference games this season, Hawai'i's first as a member of the Big West.

● Junior forward Christian Standhardinger, an All-Big West First Team member this season, is averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.

● Senior center Vander Joaquim, who was named to the Big West Honorable Mention team, leads the Warriors in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game and he is averaging 14.1 points.

● Forward Isaac Fotu, who is averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, was named Big West co-Freshman of the Year, along with UCI point guard Alex Young.


2013 BIG WEST TOURNAMENT
March 14-16, 2013
Honda Center - Anaheim, California

2013 BIG WEST MEN'S TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 14 – Quarterfinals – Fox Prime Ticket
#7 UC Santa Barbara (11-19, 7-11) vs. #2 Pacific (19-12, 13-5)                    12:00 p.m.
#6 UC Davis (14-16, 9-9) vs. #3 Cal Poly (17-12, 12-6)                                30 minutes after
#8 Cal State Fullerton (14-17, 6-12) vs. #1 Long Beach State (18-12, 14-4)   6:00 p.m.
#5 Hawai'i (17-13, 10-8) vs. #4 UC Irvine (18-14, 11-7)                                30 minutes after

Friday, March 15 – Semifinals – ESPNU/ESPN3
Highest Remaining Seeded Team
vs. Lowest Remaining Seeded Team           6:30 p.m.

Other Quarterfinal Winners                          30 minutes after

Saturday, March 16 – ESPN2
Men's Championship Game                         7:30 p.m.