NIT Bracket

IRVINE, Calif. -- UC Irvine is set to play No. 2 seeded Utah in a first-round game of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The game will start at 8:00 p.m. PT (9:00 p.m. MT) from Jon M Hunstman Center and will be televised on ESPN2.  This will be the 10th meeting in program history between the Anteaters and the Runnin' Utes and first since Dec. 2008.

The winner of Tuesday's game will move on to face the winner of the No. 3 seeded Iowa-Kansas State.

UC Irvine completed the regular season with a 24-9 overall record under 14th-year head coach Russell Turner and won The Big West regular-season title in back-to-back years with a 17-3 mark. The 24 wins marks the 14^th 20-win season in program history and ninth under the helm of Turner.

Utah, 19-14 overall, is a No. 2 seed in the NIT and is coached by Craig Smith in his third season with the Runnin' Utes. Utah was 9-11 in the Pac-12 and fell to Colorado in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

The Utes are 14-2 at home this season, including a win over Big West foe UC Riverside, 82-53.

UC Irvine makes their second consecutive postseason appearance in the NIT after their auto-qualification in 2023.

UCI previously competed in the NIT in 1982, 1986, 2001, 2002, 2014, 2017, and 2023.

UC IRVINE IN THE NIT
1982
Won at San Diego State, 70-69
Lost at Oklahoma, 80-77

1986
Won at UCLA, 80-74
Lost at BYU, 93-80

2001
Lost at Tulsa, 75-71

2002
Lost at BYU, 78-55

2014
Lost at SMU, 68-54

2017
Lost at Illinois St., 85-71

2023
Lost at Oregon, 84-58