UC Irvine at Cal Poly
Monday, Feb. 20 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Mott Athletics Center | San Luis Obispo, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | Notes

UC San Diego vs. UC Irvine
Thursday, Feb. 23 | 7:00 p.m. PT
Bren Events Center | Irvine, Calif.
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | UC Irvine Notes | UC San Diego Notes

UC Irvine at Hawai'i
Saturday, Feb. 25 | 5:00 p.m. HT (7:00 p.m. PT)
Stan Sheriff Center | Honolulu, O'ahu
AM 830 | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN2) | Tickets | Notes

UC Irvine is set to play three games in a six day span, traveling to Cal Poly (Feb. 20) and Hawai'i (Feb. 25) and hosting UC San Diego on Thursday Feb. 23 for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
> Cal Poly holds a 7-21 record on the season, with notable non-conference wins against Idaho, Pacific, California Baptist, and Portland State
> The Mustangs have picked up a conference victory over CSUN
> In their last time out, Cal Poly fell at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday Feb. 18, 83-62
> Alimamy Koroma is Cal Poly's leading scorer, averaging 10.2 points a game on 102-214 shooting (0.477)
> Trevon Taylor is the only Mustang player to start in 26 games of 28 games played and is averaging 9.6 points a game
> Taylor leads Cal Poly off the glass, tallying 5.0 rebounds a game
> Brantly Stevenson is averaging 13.6 points over the last 10 games for Cal Poly
> Stevenson was named the Big West Player of the Week on Dec. 5 after scoring a career best 23 points against Pacific while averaging 14. 5 points and 8.0 rebounds over the Mustangs two victories that week
> Cal Poly was picked to finish ninth in the Big West preseason media poll

ABOUT THE TRITONS
> UC San Diego holds a 9-19 record on the season with notable non-conference wins against Cal, George Washington, and Eastern Michigan
> The Tritons have picked up conference victories over Long Beach State, Cal Poly, and CSUN
> In their last time out, UCSD fell to UC Davis on the road, 76-66
> The Tritons defeated CSUN on Saturday, Feb. 18, 72-65 to stop a five game skid
> Bryce Pope is UC San Diego's leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game on 183-429 (0.427)
> Pope was named the San Diego Sports Association Star of the Month for November 
> Roddie Anderson III helps the Tritons offense with 12.4 points per game while shooting at a 0.388 clip from the field
> Francis Nwaokorie leads the Tritons off the glass, tallying 6.9 rebounds a game
> Nwaokorie is also averaging 12.3 points per game and was one of four Tritons to score in double figures in the 75-62 effort against CSUN (2/18)
> UC San Diego was picked to finish tenth in the Big West preseason media poll

ABOUT THE RAINBOW WARRIORS
> Hawai'i holds a 20-9 record on the season, 11-6 in conference
> The Rainbow Warriors have split their two contests this week, picking up a win at CSU Bakersfield (61-50) before they fell to UC Riverside, 74-72, on Feb. 23 in Honolulu
> UH finishes out the conference slate with the Anteaters, CSUN, and UC Santa Barbara
> Noel Campbell is UH's leading scorer, averaging 12.4 points per game on 113-292 shooting (0.387)
> Bernardo da Silva and Kamaka Hepa lead the Rainbow Warriors off the glass with 6.8 and 6.4 rebounds per game, respectively
> JoVon McClanahan was named the Big West Player of the Week on Dec. 26 after helping UH to win the Diamond Head Classic with three wins
> The junior guard averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the tournament and nailed the game-winning three-pointer with one second remaining to win the title game
> Samuta Avea, Campbell, Hepa, and McClanahan are all averaging double figures in scoring
>The quartet of double figure scorers plus da Silva have played and started in every game this season
> Hawai'i was picked to finish second in the Big West preseason media poll with one first place vote
> Coleman was named to the six-player preseason all-Big West team

'EATERS ON THE ISLAND
UC Irvine has their struggles on the road at Hawai'i despite holding the 9-6 advantage in the Stan Sheriff Center. The Anteaters have lost the last two contests played in Honolulu with one coming in overtime. Both squads are coming off Thursday losses and are hungry to emerge victorious in the tight race for first place in the Big West standings.
 
TOP DOGS: OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE
Saturday's game will be a battle between one of the Big West's scoring offenses (UC Irvine, 75.7) and the top scoring defense (Hawai'i, 61.2). UH ranks seventh in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense while UCI posts a 0.376 shooting clip from three-point range, good for 15th in the nation.
 
ALL ABOUT THE BACK COURT
In the 76-68 UC Irvine victory over Hawai'i on Jan. 19 in the Bren Events Center, the Anteater backcourt paced UCI to victory in the second half. DJ Davis led all players with 18 points and perfect 5-5 shooting from the free throw line. Dawson Baker had his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Pierre Crockrell II went 4-4 from the field for eight points and three assists. Rounding out the impressive performances, Akiva McBirney-Griffin had a career night with 11 points as he hit 4-7 from the floor and 3-4 from the line.
 
33
Dawson Baker poured in a career high 33 points in the 99-91 loss to UC San Diego on Thursday night. The guard scored 27 of his points in the second half, just two shy for second all-time in second half points. Baker went 10-21 from the floor in 33 minutes of action and was the second Anteater to have a 30-point game this season.
 
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
The Anteaters shot at a 0.938 clip (15-16) from the line against UC San Diego, a season best, to help UCI improve to an overall 0.726 clip on the season. Dawson Baker made a career best 10 shots from the stripe while DJ Davis shot a perfect 4-4 against the Tritons. UCI ranks 126th in the nation in free throw percentage, their highest national mark of the season.
 
IN THE BOOK! CAREER LEADER BOARD WATCH
With 129 made three-pointers in his career, junior DJ Davis sits 16th all-time for made triples in a career. Davis is now one  make from catching assistant coach Alex Young (2012-16) for 15th with 130 triples, two makes to catch Chris McNealy (2010-14) for 14th, three makes to catch Rod Palmer (1988-90) for 13th, and five to catch Nic Campbell (2003-07) for 12th.
 
CONTINUING TO WRITE HISTORY: 20-WIN SEASON
Holding a 20-9 record, UC Irvine has earned its 13th 20-win season in program history and eighth under head coach Russell Turner. The last 20 or more win season was in 2019-20 when the squad finished the campaign with a record of 21-11.
 
IN STATE BEASTS
According to College Basketball Reference on Feb. 15, UCI sits in the top seven schools who have the most points per game scored by in-state players (49.3). The other teams are UNI (68.7), Youngstown State (60.0), Eastern Michigan (55.2), Northern Colorado (54.6), Georgia State (50.7), and Kennesaw State (49.7).
 
ALL ABOUT THE ROTATION
The 'Eaters, who are a strong scoring team receive a lot of momentum from the second and third rotations. UCI is ranked 42nd nationally in bench points per game (25.00).
 
PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 334 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 1,048, Opp. 714). The Anteaters average 36.14 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in the paint in six conference contests (CSUN– 40, UC Santa Barbara– 40, Hawai'i– 44, UC San Diego—44, Long Beach St.—42, and UC San Diego—40).
 
MR. CONSISTENT
After his performance against UC San Diego, Dawson Baker set a new streak of 24 consecutive games scoring in double figures. Baker has recorded 28 double digit scoring games this season and has posted 50 in his career thus far. After reaching the 600-career point mark against Fresno State on Dec. 3, 700-mark against Cal St. Fullerton on Jan. 11, and 800-mark at UC San Diego on Feb. 2, the guard passed the 900-mark at Cal Poly on Feb. 20. The junior surpassed 400 tallies on the season against the Aggies on Feb. 18 and is 57 away from reaching the 1000-career milestone. Baker is averaging 16.0 points a game, 17.8 in league play.
 
3J DAVIS
A consistent force behind the arc, DJ Davis leads the team and league in three-point shooting making 68 of his 174 attempts from deep. Davis is a prolific shooter at the free throw line as well, ranking first in the Big West and 22nd nationally for his 85-96 shooting at the stripe (0.885). With 415 tallies on the season, Davis surpassed the 800 career point mark with his 25-point performance at UC Santa Barbara.
 
DISHIN' DIMES
Pierre Crockrell II tied his career high 11 assists in the loss to UC San Diego on Feb. 23 for the 'Eaters fourth double-digit assist game of the season. Crockrell II put up his first double-double of the season (10 points, 10 assists) at Long Beach State. The senior is averaging 5.3 assists per game after hitting his 100th assist on the season at UC San Diego on Feb. 2 and earned his 400th career dime in the win over the Rainbow Warriors. The guard ranks 37th nationally in assist-turnover ratio at a 2.6 mark, 19th in total assists, and 31st in assists per game. The Anteaters are 13-2 when Crockrell II dishes out five or more dimes in a game.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Almost a full calendar year after the Anteaters last double-double, Devin Tillis notched two consecutive and the first and second of his career. Tillis posted the first in the 70-65 win over Cal St. Fullerton (10 pts, 12 reb.) on Jan. 11 and the second at CSUN (10 pts., 11 reb.) on Jan. 14. The redshirt sophomore has 166 boards on the season to average 6.1 a game. Tillis has tallied nine double-digit scoring and three double-figure rebounding efforts in 28 games.
 
MR. POSTMAN
Bent Leuchten, who had missed eight games due to injury, made his return to the lineup against Cal Poly on Feb. 9. Leuchten hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1:37 remaining to lift the Anteaters to the 55-54 victory. The center grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and poured in nine points in his 18 minutes on the court. Leuchten has blocked at least one shot in the last three contests.
 
NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 5. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked Big West team and only one within the top-100 sitting at 96. UC Santa Barbara sits at 115.
 
LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings. DJ Davis leads the league in free throw percentage (0.885), second in three-point field goals per game (2.4) while sitting ninth in scoring (14.8). Pierre Crockrell II tops the Big West in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and assists (5.3).  Dawson Baker is third in field goal percentage (0.478), fourth in free throw percentage (0.815), and sixth in scoring (16.0). Devin Tillis ranks ninth in the league in boards, averaging 6.1.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICS 02.24.23
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in the following categories: scoring margin (40th, 8.9), field goal percentage (41st, 0.473), field goal percentage defense (15th, 0.398) and three-point field goal percentage (27th, 0.376).
 

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PROTECT YOUR HOME COURT
UC Irvine holds the 7-0 advantage over UC San Diego when it comes to games played in Irvine. Two of the last five games between the two squads have been played in the Bren Events Center. The Anteaters look to stay undefeated against the Tritons on their home court.
 
SECOND HALF PUSH
After trailing by four at the half, offensive pushes from Dawson Baker and DJ Davis led UC Irvine to the 76-60 win over UC San Diego on Feb. 2. Baker poured in a game high 18 points behind two makes from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. Davis scored all 14 of his points in the second half with 12 off three-point baskets (4-9).
 
CONTINUING TO WRITE HISTORY: 20-WIN SEASON
Holding a 20-8 record, UC Irvine has earned its 13th 20-win season in program history and eighth under head coach Russell Turner. The last 20 or more win season was in 2019-20 when the squad finished the campaign with a record of 21-11.
 
CLOSE CALL
Eight of UCI's conference contests have been determined by five points or fewer and four of them were decided by three points or less. In the Anteaters last game, they defeated Cal Poly 59-56. UC Irvine was able to pull out the victory against Cal Poly on Feb. 9 by a narrow one-point margin, 55-54.
 
IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCES OFF THE BENCH
Dawson Baker scored six of UCI's last seven points to life the 'Eaters to a 59-56 victory over Cal Poly. Baker led all players with 20 points, his third 20-point performance of the season. Dean Keeler was impressive off the bench with 11 points, going 3-6 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. Keeler also added five rebounds in 20 minutes of action. Andre Henry had a game best seven rebounds, tying his season high he first set against Long Beach State on Jan. 7. JC Butler had his name called, earning his first start of the season on Monday night.
 
KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM
After the 59-56 win at Cal Poly Monday, UC Irvine improved to 9-0 on the season when holding their opponent to under 60 points, five of them coming from conference contests (CSUN 1/14 and 1/28, Cal Poly 2/9 and 2/20, and UCSB 2/15).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 5. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked Big West team and only one within the top-100 sitting at 89. UC Santa Barbara sits at 115.
 
LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings. DJ Davis leads the league in free throw percentage (0.882), third in three-point field goals per game (2.4) while sitting ninth in scoring (14.7). Pierre Crockrell II tops the Big West in assist/turnover ratio (2.5) and assists (5.1).  Dawson Baker is third in field goal percentage (0.478), fifth in free throw percentage (0.806), and seventh in scoring (15.4). Devin Tillis and Bent Leuchten rank ninth and tenth in the league in boards, both averaging 6.1.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICS 02.22.23
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in the following categories: scoring margin (35th, 9.5), field goal percentage (40th, 0.473), field goal percentage defense (13th, 0.394) and three-point field goal percentage (19th, 0.381).
 

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WOES IN SAN LUIS OBISPO
UC Irvine has their struggles on the road at Cal Poly despite holding the 15-12 advantage in the Mott Athletics Center. The Mustangs 65-54 victory in San Luis Obispo on March 3. 2022 was Cal Poly's only win against the Anteaters in the last 12 meetings between the two programs.

CLUTCH BASKET
Bent Leuchten's return to the starting lineup in the first meeting against Cal Poly this season was highlighted by nailing the game winning three-pointer with 1:37 remaining. In 18 minutes on the floor, Leuchten grabbed a team best eight rebounds. DJ Davis paced UCI with his 16 points and three three-pointers. Dawson Baker totaled 12 points and went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
 
FROM START TO FINISH
The starting lineup for UC Irvine shined in the 78-76 victory over UC Davis on Feb. 18 and accounted for 69 of the Anteater's 78 points. DJ Davis and Dawson Baker each scored 18 points in the contest. Bent Leuchten scored 14 points while grabbing a game high nine rebounds. Pierre Crockrell II poured in a season high 10 points to round out the double digit scorers. Devin Tillis had nine tallies, seven boards, and a career best five assists.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2246 eligible players, Pierre Crockrell II is 14th in assist rate and DJ Davis is 33rd in free throw percentage. Out of 363 teams, UC Irvine ranks 12th in two-point percentage defense, 15th in bench minutes, 19th in effective field goal defense, and 24th in three-point percentage offense.
 
NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 5. The 'Eaters are the highest ranked Big West team and only one within the top-100 sitting at 86. UC Santa Barbara sits at 102.
 
LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings. DJ Davis leads the league in free throw percentage (0.882), second in three-point field goals per game (2.4) while sitting 10th in scoring (14.7). Pierre Crockrell II tops the Big West in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and assists (5.0).  Dawson Baker is third in field goal percentage (0.480), sixth in free throw percentage (0.880), and ninth in scoring (15.2). Bent Leuchten and Devin Tillis rank ninth and tenth in the league in boards, 6.2 and 6.1, respectively.
 
NATIONAL STATISTICS 02.19.23
UC Irvine is ranked top-50 nationally in the following categories: scoring margin (33rd, 9.7), field goal percentage (38th, 0.475), field goal percentage defense (16th, 0.397) and three-point field goal percentage (19th, 0.381).