GAME #1
UC San Diego at UC Irvine
Friday, November 13, 2015 – 7:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, Calif.
Series Record: UCI leads 8-1
Last Meeting: UCI won 97-60 (12/13/00 in Irvine)
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan)
GAME #2
Loyola Marymount at UC Irvine
Sunday, November 15, 2015 – 5:00 p.m.
Bren Events Center (5,000) – Irvine, Calif.
Series Record: Tied 11-11
Last Meeting: UCI won 80-72 (11/29/14 in Irvine)
Radio: KUCI/88.9 FM (Michael O'Sullivan & Steve Henkle)
TV: KDOC (Trent Schlom, Rob Abreu & Bill Bayno)
Audio / Video / Live Stats / Tickets
REGULAR SEASON BEGINS: The highly-anticipated 2015-16 regular-season schedule begins for UC Irvine Friday night as the Anteaters host UC San Diego in the Bren Events Center.
The game counts on UCI's record but is an exhibition for UCSD. The last time the teams met in a game that counted on either's record was 2000.
UCI remains home to face Loyola Marymount Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in the Bren Center. The Lions host Cal State Fullerton Friday night. UCI topped LMU, 80-72, on the road last November behind Mamadou Ndiaye's 21 points.
BANNER UNVEILING FRIDAY: Prior to Friday night's game, a banner will be unveiled in the Bren Center in recognition of UCI's first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance last season.
Coach Russell Turner's Anteaters advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history last March, narrowly losing to three-time national champion Louisville, 57-55, in the NCAA Second Round at Seattle. The appearance ended a 38-year drought for UCI, which moved to NCAA Division I July 1, 1977.
IN THE BREN CENTER: UCI was 10-3 at home last season and has won 36 of its last 44 games (.818) in the Bren Events Center. The 'Eaters are 230-152 all-time in the Bren.
The Bren Events Center opened Jan. 8, 1987, when the 'Eaters defeated Utah State, 118-96, on the strength of 43 points by Scott Brooks.
IN HOME OPENERS: UCI is 36-14 all-time in home openers, including an 87-36 win over Chapman last year. The 'Eaters are 23-27 in season openers.
EXHIBITION WIN OVER VANGUARD: UCI defeated Vanguard, 83-59, in an exhibition game last Saturday night at the Bren Events Center. Senior forward Mike Best scored 14 points, junior guard Jaron Martin had 12, and junior center Mamadou Ndiaye and sophomore guard Haroldas Saprykinas added 10 apiece.
MAMADOU NAMED TO WATCH LISTS: UC Irvine's 7-6 junior center, Mamadou Ndiaye, is one of 20 players named to the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The award, which is named after Hall-of-Famer and three-time NCAA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list members.
Ndiaye also is one of 30 players selected to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List for the second straight year, announced by CollegeInsider.com.
The annual award is presented to the Mid-Major Player of the Year in NCAA Division I college basketball.
Henson is the all-time winningest coach at Illinois and New Mexico State, and is one of only 12 coaches in history to take two schools to the Final Four.
UPCOMING GAMES: UCI travels to Orlando, Fla., to take on UCF next Wednesday (4:00 p.m., PT, on ESPN3).
The Anteaters host Santa Clara Nov. 23 before competing in the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy Nov. 26, 27 and 29 at Titan Gym and the Honda Center.
UCI is one of five 2015 NCAA Tournament teams that will compete in the tournament. The Anteaters open against Boise State, another NCAA tourney team from last season, on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) at 1:00 p.m. at Titan Gym on ESPNU.
Other NCAA Tournament teams from last season in the field are Final Four participant Michigan State, Arizona, Boise State and Providence. Evansville, champion of the CollegeInsider.com tournament, is also in the tourney along with Boston College and Santa Clara.
BIG WEST FAVORITE: UCI is the consensus top choice to win the Big West this season in numerous publications as well as the conference's preseason media poll. Mamadou Ndiaye and Luke Nelson were named to the preseason all-conference team.
UC IRVINE NOTES
● UCI won the program's first Big West Conference Tournament championship last season with a 67-58 victory over Hawai'i in the title game after defeating UC Riverside in a quarterfinal game and UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals.
● UCI has won 65 games over the last three seasons, advancing to the postseason each of those years (2013 CIT, 2014 NIT, and 2015 NCAA). The Anteaters were 21-13 overall last season and 11-5 in the Big West Conference, tying for second place in the regular season. The 'Eaters have won 35 league games over the last three seasons. UCI won Big West regular-season titles in 2001, 2002 and 2014.
● UCI returns three starters and 10 total players who saw game action from last season. The returning starters are 7-6 junior center Mamadou Ndiaye, who averaged 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, 6-3 junior guard Luke Nelson (10.5 ppg, 4.0 apg) and 6-1 senior guard Alex Young (9.4 ppg, 3.6 apg).
● Young, in his third year as a team captain, ranks third in the UCI record book with 414 career assists and eighth with 104 steals. Nelson ranks No. 13 in Anteater history with 121 threes while Ndiaye has recorded 131 blocked shots in two seasons and has shot 67.8 percent from the field.
● UCI's defensive average of 62.1 points last season was a school record for lowest average allowed.
● The Anteaters were 15-1 last season when the opponents shot under 40 percent from the field.
● In the final NCAA statistics last season, the Anteaters ranked 26th in blocked shots per game (4.9), 27th in field-goal percentage defense (.394) and 28th in total blocked shots (168). UCI was 27th nationally last season in three-point field goal percentage at .389.
● The 'Eaters have blocked 392 shots over the past two seasons for an average of 5.7 per game.
● UCI won 48 of their last 50 games when holding the opposition to 60 points or less and was 15-2 in those games last season.
NEW TO THE PROGRAM: UCI welcomes three true freshmen to the program this season with the addition of 6-2 guard Max Hazzard (L.A. Loyola HS), 6-5 forward Brandon Smith (Godinez HS) and 6-4 guard Darrian Traylor (Las Vegas Centennial HS).
Redshirt freshmen returning from last season are 6-10 forward Jonathan Galloway and 6-2 guard Spencer Rivers.
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