Sanford Pentagon Showcase Release
IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine is headed to Sioux Falls, S.D., Thanksgiving weekend for the Sanford Pentagon Showcase, an event that will feature four 20-win teams from last season.
Coach Russell Turner's Anteaters will take on South Dakota State, Milwaukee and East Tennessee State at the Sanford Pentagon Nov. 25-27. The three-day event will feature a round-robin format with two games each day.
"The Pentagon Showcase provides a chance for quality mid-major teams to play each other in an exceptional facility with great fans," said Eric Larsen, general manager of the Sanford Sports Complex. "There was a need in Division I men's basketball to bring these types of teams together, and Sioux Falls and the Pentagon are the right combination for a positive fan and student-athlete experience."
UCI registered a school-record 28 wins this past season and earned a share of the Big West Conference regular-season title, the program's second in three years.
The Anteaters finished 28-10 overall and 13-3 in the Big West, reaching the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament with wins over North Dakota, Louisiana and Coastal Carolina before falling to Columbia in the final. All four contests were on the road.
UCI was once again one of top defensive teams in the nation, ranking third in the country in field-goal percentage defense at .383.
UCI has competed in postseason tournaments each of the last four seasons (2013 CIT, 2014 NIT, 2015 NCAA and 2016 CIT) and has won 93 games in that span.
Luke Nelson headlines the returning players for UCI after he led the 'Eaters in scoring at 13.7 points per game as a junior en route to All-Big West Conference first team honors.
He ranks fourth in UCI history with 204 threes, fifth with 361 assists, eighth with 115 steals and 17th with 1,226 points.
South Dakota State was 26-8 last season and made its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the past five years. The Jackrabbits claimed a share of the Summit League title.
East Tennessee State was 24-12, reached the championship game of the Southern Conference Tournament and competed in the inaugural Vegas 16 postseason tournament.
Milwaukee, a member of the Horizon League, finished 20-13 overall last season, including road wins at Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The only school in the event that UCI has previously met is East Tennessee State. The 'Eaters defeated the Buccaneers, 77-75, at the Milwaukee Classic Dec. 29, 1981, as All-American Kevin Magee poured in 26 points.
UCI and South Dakota State also are scheduled to play an opening-round game of the Sanford Pentagon Showcase at the Bren Events Center Nov. 14. NCAA rules allow programs to count multi-team events (MTEs) as only two games toward their regular-season total of 29, even if MTEs include as many as four games and all games are played within a 14-day window.
UCI's complete 2016-17 schedule will be released later this summer.
Sanford Pentagon Showcase Schedule
November 25-27, 2016
Sanford Pentagon (3,200) – Sioux Falls, S.D.
(All Times Pacific)
Friday, Nov. 25
3:30 p.m. – East Tennessee State vs. Milwaukee
6:00 p.m. – South Dakota State vs. UC Irvine
Saturday, Nov. 26
12:00 p.m. – UC Irvine vs. Milwaukee
2:30 p.m. – South Dakota State vs. East Tennessee State
Sunday, Nov. 27
10:00 a.m. – East Tennessee State vs. UC Irvine
12:30 p.m. – South Dakota State vs. Milwaukee
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