THIS WEEK IN ANTEATER BASKETBALL

UC Riverside HIghlanders (4-4) vs. UC Irvine Anteaters (5-4)
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Thursday, Dec. 4 - 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | KLAA AM830 | KUCI 88.9 FM | Live Stats 

CSUN Matadors (3-4) vs. UC Irvine Anteaters (5-4)
Bren Events Center (5,000) - Irvine, Calif.
Saturday, Dec. 6 - 7:00 PM | ESPN+ | KLAA AM830 | KUCI 88.9 FM | Live Stats 

STORYLINES
The team opens Big West play, hosting UC Riverside Thursday (Dec. 4) and CSUN Saturday (Dec. 6). Both games begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Bren Events Center.

UCI enters the week 5-4 overall, riding a two-game winning streak, beating South Dakota State (64-52) and San Jose State (72-63) on the road the last two times out.

UCI holds a 24-13 record in Big West opening games, and are looking to win their eighth consecutive conference opener.

UC Irvine was picked to finish first in the 2025-26 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll for the second consecutive year.

The Anteaters have been Big West regular season champions nine times, including winning titles in seven of the last 12 seasons under head coach Russell Turner.

UCI has one of the stingiest defenses in the country, ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 35.2 mark (205-582).

As a team, UCI also ranks fifth in the country in blocks per game with a 6.9 average. Forward Kyle Evans leads the country in blocked shots with 27 and is fifth in blocking average at 3.00 per game. 

Guards Jurian Dixon and Derin Saran top the team and are ninth and 12th, respectively in scoring in the Big West at 15.9 and 15.0 points per game. Saran, who was named to the Cancun Challenge All-Tournament team, also ranks seventh in the league in rebounding with a 7.0 mark.

UC RIVERSIDE BREAKDOWN
UCI's first Big West match-ups come as December starts with Bold Week. The 'Eaters host UC Riverside Thursday before entertaining CSUN on Saturday.

UCR finished third in the conference last year at 14-6 and an overall record of 21-13 splitting the season series with the Anteaters. They have a new coach for 2025-26, Gus Argenal, who has them at 4-4 early on with losses at New Mexico and California Baptist, a split with North Dakota, and two straight wins over USD and Grambling before ending November with a loss at Utah Tech.

Some of the things the Highlanders excel in are free throw percentage, three-point defense, and three-point offense, each things they're top three in the Big West in. They also have three of the top minutes players in the Big West with Marqui Worthy (13.6 PPG), Osiris Grady (13.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG), and Andrew Henderson (Big West leader in 3-point attempts and makes) all averaging around 33 minutes a game.

MATADORS NEXT
The Anteaters complete Bold Week in the Bren against CSUN. The Matadors were one of UCI's three Big West losses a year ago and one of the two 2 home losses, snapping UCI's six-game win streak in the series.

The 2025-26 Matadors are 3-4 with a roller coaster of wins at North Dakota and versus Troy scoring 90+ points in both while losses have come by 14 or more, including the last outing versus Idaho State, 82-50.

The Matadors are led by senior transfer Larry Hughes II who averages 16.3 points a game and already dropping in 23 threes. He's part of the transfer trio of Joshua O'Garro (30.9 MPG, 12.9 PPG) and Josiah Davis (32.3 MPG, 12.4 PPG) of a new-look CSUN team that is one of the better rebounding teams in the country while also one of the lowest at turning the ball over (15.9/gm) and scoring defense (80.6 PPG allowed).

CSUN was 22-11 overall last season and had a 14-6 Big West record, finishing in a tie for third. They fell in their opening Big West Championship match-up but earned an invite to the NIT losing at Stanford.

NATIONAL STATISTICS
The Anteaters are among the nation's leaders in several categories including fourth in FG percentage defense (35.2%), fifth in blocks per game (6.9), 10th in defensive rebounds per game (31.0), 23rd in scoring defense (63.6), and 26th in rebounds per game (43.11).

Senior Kyle Evans is the nation's leader in total blocks (27) and is fifth in blocking average (3.00).

Guard Jurian Dixon ranks 27th in field goals attempted with 117.