FOLLOW THE ANTEATERS
UC Irvine at New Mexico State
Tuesday, Nov. 9 |6:00 p.m. PT
Pan American Center (12,572) | Las Cruces, NM
KUCI Radio | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Notes

Boise State at UC Irvine
Saturday, Nov. 13 | 6:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center (5,000) | Irvine, Calif.
KUCI Radio/AM830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Notes

UC Irvine begins its 2020-21 season Tuesday, Nov. 9 at New Mexico State at 6 p.m. PT. The Anteaters will then host Boise State in their home opener Saturday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. 

Please note: Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test within 72 hours is required to enter the Bren Events Center. Check out the Attendance Policy. UCI has a clear bag policy and requires mobile ticketing.

STORYLINES
> The Anteaters are coming off their ninth-straight winning season and an 18-9 (.667) overall record. UCI went 10-4 in Big West play, the ninth-straight season with double-digit conference wins
> UCI returns 12 players from last year's roster including leading two all-conference selections in Collin Welp (first team) and Dawson Baker (freshman of the year)
> UCI's 2020-21 season ended in the Big West Tournament championship game. The 'Eaters have played in the championship game four-straight seasons
> In total, the Anteaters return 81 percent of their scoring offense and four starters
> The Anteaters will open the season on the road for the first time since 2019 when they earned a 76-73 win at San Diego. That outing marked the last time UCI won its season opener as well
> Last season, UCI finished fourth nationally in fg percentage defense (.387), 16th in rebound margin (7.7), 21st in rebounds per game (39.59) and 25th in total rebounds (1,069)
> The 'Eaters have claimed the Big West regular season title five times in the last eight years with their last title coming during the 2019-20 season
> UCI has made two NCAA appearances in the last six years (2015, 2019) and won the Big West regular season title five times under head coach Russell Turner
> Collin Welp returns for his fifth year as UCI's leading rebounder (7.6 rpg) and scorer (15.1 ppg). Welp is an NABC District 9 All-Region selection and a two-time All-Big West first team selection
> Welp was named on the 2021-22 Lou Henson Award preseason watch list

With a win Tuesday … UCI would win its season-opener for the first time since 2019
With a win Saturday … UCI would win its home-opener for the eighth-consecutive year 

EXHIBITION TEST
> UCI shot 50.9 percent from the floor in an 84-59 exhibition game win over Cal State Dominguez Hills last Friday
> The Anteaters were 27-53 from the field, including six three-pointers
> DJ Davis led the 'Eaters with 15 points while JC Butler finished with 12 and Collin Welp had 11
> Justin Hohn dished out a team-best six assists
> 13 different players scored at least two points and grabbed at least one rebound

ABOUT NMSU
> New Mexico State was picked to finish first in the WAC coaches' and media polls with eight out of 13 first-place votes
> Four Aggies, Teddy Allen, Johnny McCants, Jabari Rice and Donnie Tillman, were selected on the preseason all-conference first and second teams
> UCI is 9-30 all-time against New Mexico State and is 1-3 against NMSU in the Russ Turner era. The Anteaters last win at NMSU was Jan. 10, 1998 in a 62-55 decision
> Chris Jans is in his fifth season at the helm with a 95-25 record. The Aggies are 43-3 at home under Jans
 
ABOUT BOISE STATE
> BSU will host Utah Valley before making the trip to Irvine
> The Broncos finished with a 19-9 overall record last season and advanced to the Mountain West Championship game before falling to Nevada, 82-89
> Boise St. played in the NIT earning a first round win against SMU before falling to Memphis
> The Broncos were picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West preseason media poll
> This will mark the 14^th meeting between UCI and Boise State with UCI holding a slight 7-6 edge in the all-time series. The teams last met at Boise State in Nov. 2019 with UCI earning a 69-60 victory. Collin Welp had 12 points and five assists in the win

NEWS AND NOTES
> Head coach Russell Turner, the winningest coach in school history, has averaged 20.6 wins per season in his 11 years at the helm. He moved to fifth all-time on the Big West's career wins list and ended the season with 227 career wins
> Under Turner, UCI has been a dominant defensive team, consistently ranking among top defensive teams in the nation. For nine years-straight, UCI has finished nationally as a top 30 team in fg percentage defense, finishing has high as third. For five years straight, UCI has finished in the top 25 in total rebounds. For the last four years, UCI has finished in the top 12 in rebound margin, including third in 2019-20
> UCI has amassed a 97-22 record at the Bren Events Center over the last nine years including a 10-1 mark at home last season
> The Anteaters were 10-1 last season when holding opponents to 60 points or less
> UCI's non-conference schedule is one of the most difficult in the Russ Turner era and includes four teams that advanced to the postseason including elite eight team, USC. The Anteaters are also set to play a 20-game Big West ledger
> The Anteaters will play 14 homes games including five in the non-conference portion of the schedule
> UCI was picked to finish second in both the Big West preseason coaches' and media polls, behind reigning Big West champion, UC Santa Barbara. The Anteaters received four out of nine first place votes in the coaches' poll and two in the media poll
> Collin Welp was selected to the six-person preseason all-conference team in the coaches' and media polls
> UCI returns four starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's team including Collin Welp, Isaiah Lee, Dawson Baker and JC Butler
> NCAA.com selected Collin Welp as the best current DI men's basketball player to wear No. 40 this season
> Dawson Baker returns as the 'Eaters second-leading scorer (10.7 ppg) from a season ago and was the 2021 Big West Freshman of the Year
> UCI's coaching staff includes two former Anteater players including Mike Wilder and Alex Young. Young is tied for the third youngest assistant men's basketball coach in DI this season
> The Anteaters welcome four new faces to the roster including UNLV transfer sophomore Devin Tillis, a German National Team player in Bent Leuchten, a New Zealand National Team player in Akiva McBirney-Griffin and an Orange County local product in Langston Redfield
> UCI has seven players over 6-9 or taller

UP NEXT
UCI will host La Verne at the Bren Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.