GAME #3
UC Irvine (2-0) at #2 Arizona (2-0)
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 – 7:00 p.m. (MST)
McKale Center (14,545) – Tucson, Arizona
Series Record: Arizona leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Arizona won 93-70 (12/14/98)
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan & Steve Henkle)
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Ted Robinson & Don MacLean)
Audio / Live Stats
● UC Irvine faces a tough task in its first road game of the 2014-15 season, facing second-ranked Arizona Wednesday night in Tucson.
● Coach Russell Turner's Anteaters are coming off season-opening home wins of 87-36 over Chapman last Friday night and 68-50 against Pacific Sunday afternoon.
● Arizona is the highest-ranked team that the UCI program has faced since 1991 when the Anteaters lost at No. 1 UNLV, 114-86, in a Big West Conference game (2/23/91).
● Arizona leads the series with UCI, 1-0, as the Wildcats won 93-70 in Tucson Dec. 14, 1998. Jason Terry led Arizona with 21 points and nine assists in that game while Ben Jones scored a game-high 25 points for the 'Eaters.
UCI 15TH IN MID-MAJOR POLL
● UC Irvine is ranked 15th in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
● The Anteaters were 20th in the final Mid-Major poll last season.
7-6 MAMADOU NDIAYE RECOGNIZED
● UCI 7-6 sophomore center Mamadou Ndiaye has been named to the 2015 Lou Henson Award Watch List that features preseason candidates for the Division I Mid-Major Player of the Year award.
● Ndiaye, who set UCI and Big West Conference records with 106 blocked shots last season, was also named to the preseason all-conference team by the media.
UCI STATS LEADERS
Sophomore guard Luke Nelson is averaging 12.5 points after the season's first two games, followed by senior post John Ryan (12.0) and junior guard Alex Young (10.5).
Young leads the team in rebounding at 5.5 boards per game while sophomore center Mamadou Ndiaye and junior forward Mike Best are averaging 5.0 rebounds.
Senior forward Will Davis II tops the 'Eaters with seven assists with Young and Nelson registering six apiece.
ABOUT ARIZONA
Second-ranked Arizona has opened the season with home wins over Mt. St. Mary's (78-55) and Big West member CSUN (86-68).
Coach Sean Miller, in his sixth season with the Wildcats, has three players on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 (Brandon Ashley, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson).
Ashley leads UA in scoring at 17.0 points per game while 7-0 junior center Kaleb Tarczewski is averaging 7.0 rebounds.
GAELS NEXT UP
Following Wednesday night's game, UCI travels to Saint Mary's for a Sunday game at 6:00 p.m. against the Gaels in Moraga.
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