IRVINE, Calif. -- In the final week of the regular season, UCI closes on the road with a trip up to northern California on Mar. 6 for UC Davis before hitting the central coast to take on UC Santa Barbara (Mar. 8).

UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara
Saturday, Mar. 8 | 7:00 p.m. PT
The Thunderdome | Santa Barbara, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | UC Irvine Game Notes | UC Santa Barbara Game Notes

ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
> UC Santa Barbara enters the contest with a 19-11 overall record
> The Gauchos have won three out of their last five contests, defeating Cal State Fullerton (86-56), Long Beach State (58-56), and Cal Poly (96-77)
> The last three UCSB losses have come on the road, the last at CSUN on Mar. 1, 103-77
> UC Santa Barbara holds a 12-4 record inside the Thunderdome, 6-3 against Big West foes
> The Gauchos finished their non-conference schedule with an 8-3 record, going 6-1 on their home court and 2-2 on the road
> UC Santa Barbara was picked to finish second in the Big West this season with two first place votes and landed Stephan Swenson on the preseason team
> Swenson is one of three Gauchos who are averaging double figures
> The guard puts up 13.0 points per contest, shooting 45 percent from the field (127-285), 45 percent from three-point range (75-168), and 78 percent from the free throw line (47-60)
> Swenson also leads UCSB with 127 assists and 49 steals
> Kenny Pohto is next up with 12.0 points per game, connecting an efficient 63 percent from the floor (145-230, 0.630), while grabbing a team-best 6.3 rebounds per game and blocking 12 shots
> Pohto has also taken the most free throws (71-107, 0.664)
> Jason Fontenet II puts up 10.2 points a contest behind a 43.2 shooting percentage (102-236) and is second on the team in rebounds (181, 6.0), assists (75), and steals (24)
> Duece Turner is close to double figure scoring with 9.7 points a game and shoots 84 percent at the charity stripe (52-62)
> Cole Anderson is not far behind Turner with 9.3 points per contest, shooting over 50 percent from three-point territory (74-146, 0.507)
> Max Murrell blocks a team-high 17 shots followed by Ariel Bland's 16

BATTLING TO BE TOP OF THE BIG WEST
Through 19 league games played, UC Irvine sits second in the standings with a 16-3 Big West record, hanging behind UC San Diego (27-4 overall, 17-2 Big West).  The Anteaters are ahead of CSUN (21-9, 13-6) and UC Riverside (20-11, 13-6) for third. UC Santa Barbara has also reached double figure wins in the league, good for fifth in the standings (11-8, 19-11).

MID-MAJOR POLL POSITION
The Anteaters ranks sixth in the College Insider Mid-Major poll, with their 576 total points. The Anteaters have been top 10 in the poll for 17 straight weeks this season.

ROAD WORK
UC Irvine enters Saturday's game in Santa Barbara with 16 wins away from the Bren Events Center (13 road and three neutral). UCI's 13 road wins are the most by any team nationally. Similarly, the Anteaters are are the nation's leader in most wins away from their home court, sitting above both Auburn (14) and UC San Diego (14).

AWAY RECORD WATCH
The Anteaters, who have won 13 true road games this season, have tied the most road wins in a season record set by both the 2015-16 and 2018-19 squads. One more road win by the 2024-25 Anteaters would set the new program standard.

VETERAN TALENT: CAREER GAMES PLAYED IN THE BIG WEST 
In his fifth season on the court and sixth overall with the UC Irvine squad, guard Justin Hohn has played 144 career games, tied with UNLV's Freddie Banks (144, 1984-87) for fifth in the ladder. 

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS UC SANTA BARBARA (FEB. 13, 2025)
Forward Devin Tillis hit a fall-away five-footer as time expired to give UC Irvine a 62-60 victory over UC Santa Barbara at the Bren Events Center Thursday evening. With 0.6 left on the clock, guard Myles Che tossed an inbound pass over the basket to Tillis who hit the game-winner just outside the paint. Tillis had a game-high 22 points, going 10-15 from the floor, including two three-pointers. He also had a team-best eight rebounds. With the win, UC Irvine clinched their spot in the Hercules Tires Men's Basketball Big West Championship in Henderson, Nevada at Lee's Family Forum from Mar. 12-15.

CHAMPS VS. CHAMPS
Two perennial programs, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara continue to finish atop of the Big West standings and combine for three of the last five Big West tournament championships and shared the regular season title in 2022-23.

HOT SHOTS
UC Santa Barbara enters the meeting between the two squads this season as the 22nd most effective field goal percentage shooting team (0.562) in the NCAA. Their effective shooting helps fuel their 0.472 shooting clip which is 55th nationally. UC Irvine sits in the middle of the pack in the league at fifth in both categories.

SCORING DEFENSE
Saturday's contest between UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara will pit together the two of the top three best defensive teams in the league. The Anteaters are second in the Big West and 21st in the nation in points allowed per game (64.8) with the Gauchos landing third in the conference and 60th in the national in scoring defense (67.9).

DEFEND THE THREE
UC Irvine, the Big West's second best three-point defending team at a 0.324 clip, will need to clamp down on beyond the arc defense as the Gauchos enter the game on Saturday with the nation's seventh best three-point percentage (0.391) while making 9.9 three-pointers per game, good for 27th in the NCAA. For UCSB, Cole Anderson has the best three-point percentage of any player in the Big West (50.7) with teammate Stephan Swenson landing sixth in the nation and second in the conference at a 44.6 rate.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
The Anteaters have been sharp at the free throw line this season with 523 makes in 657 attempts and leads the Big West in free throw percentage (0.796) which is also the nation's sixth best shooting clip at the line. UC Irvine went a perfect 13-13 at the charity stripe on Jan. 30, their second time doing so this season (14-14 vs. Pepperdine on Nov. 16).  UCI shot a season high 33-40 from the charity stripe on Dec. 5 in the win over Cal State Bakersfield. Additionally, UC Irvine has played 16 games where opponents to just single digit makes from the line, the last versus Long Beach State (Mar. 1) and did so in four consecutive games (Dec. 19-Jan. 2). In the national standings, Bent Leuchten ranks eighth in made free throws (175) and 16th in free throw attempts (212) while Myles Che is 25th in free throw percentage (0.886). 

SHARING THE BALL WELL
UC Irvine dished out 22 assists on 27 made baskets in the win over Hawai'i (Jan. 25). It is just the fifth time this season where the Anteaters have dished out 20 or more assists in a game. The 'Eaters had their best assist rate game against CSUN on Feb. 20 with 86.4 percent of their baskets assisted (19-22). UCI is third in the Big West in assists per game (15.65) and in conference games (16.05). Justin Hohn and Myles Che are the top distributors for the 'Eaters, combining to give UCI a 18-4 record when either one of them dishes out four or more assists a game (Hohn 9-4, Che 9-0). 

SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDING HEIGHTS
Senior Bent Leuchten has added another milestone onto his season as an Anteater with his 12 rebounds at UC Davis. Entering Saturday's contest at UC Santa Barbara, Leuchten has 280 season rebounds which jumps all the way to eighth in the all-time single season rebounding ladder. The center is five boards away from tying both Mark Nelson (285, 1966-67) and Mike Heckman (285, 1967-68) for sixth and would need 11 to reach Dave Baker (291, 1971-72) at fifth.

EFFICIENCY IN IRVINE
Bent Leuchten is one the Big West's most efficient player thus far into the season with a 30.4 grade, sitting second. Leuchten ranks first in overall box plus/minus (10.6) and offensive rating (133.6). The center also ranks second in defensive rating (88.4) and offensive box plus/minus (7.2) while sitting fourth in defensive box/plus minus (3.4).

CHASING 1K
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis enters Saturday's contest with 944 career points, 56 tallies away from the achievement in his UCI career, would become the 35th Anteater to accomplish this feat in a UC Irvine uniform, the third of the season to join guard Justin Hohn and center Bent Leuchten on the list. On Feb. 22 at Cal State Bakersfield, Tillis reached the 1,000 career scorers milestone, recording 1,032 tallies between his time at UNLV and UCI.

CHE WAS UNSTOPPABLE IN UCI'S 88-59 WIN OVER UC DAVIS
Myles Che poured in a career-high 31 points to lead UC Irvine to an 88-59 victory over UC Davis at the University Credit Union Center Thursday evening. Che was almost perfect from the floor, shooting 10-11, including 3-3 from three-point range. He was also 8-9 from the line. It is the first time an Anteater has scored 30 or more since Dawson Baker had 33 on Feb. 23, 2023. UCI established its dominance early, shooting a blistering 62.1 percent from the floor (18-29), going 5-9 from distance in the first half. For the night, UCI was 30-51 (0.588) from the field and 20-23 from the line (87 percent). The Anteaters were selfless, dishing 14 assists and out-rebounded the Aggies 36-24.

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2309 eligible players, Bent Leuchten is eighth in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.3), ninth in free throw rate (79.0), 33rd in defensive rebound percentage (25.6), and 34th in true shooting percentage (65.2). Myles Che is 49th in free throw percentage (0.886). Out of 364 teams, UC Irvine ranks first in two-point percentage defense (42.6), fourth in effective field goal percentage defense (44.8), sixth in free throw attempt/field goal attempt defense (22.2),  seventh in free throw percentage offense (80.0), 12th in adjusted efficiency defense (94.2), 14th in block percentage offense (6.9), 18th in assists per field goals made (60.9), 29th in average possession length defense (16.8), 29th in offensive rebound percentage defense (26.2), and 32nd in free throw offense (22.2). 

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: scoring (9th, 15.5-Leuchten), rebounding (2nd, 9.0--Leuchten and 3rd, 7.6--Tillis), field goal percentage (4th, 0.543--Leuchten and 6th, 0.527--Tillis), free throw percentage (2nd, 0.886--Che and 7th, 0.825--Leuchten), assists (5th, 3.6--Hohn), blocks (2nd, 1.4--Leuchten, 5th, 1.3--Evans, and 9th, 0.7--Chol), and steals (8th, 1.5--Hohn).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 03.06.25
UC Irvine is ranked top 50 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (4th, 29.23), free throw percentage (6th, 79.6), field goal percentage defense (8th, 38.7), scoring defense (21st, 64.8), free throws made per game (23rd, 16.9), scoring margin (32nd, 10.2), and rebounds per game (33rd, 38.55).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 2. The 'Eaters are the second highest ranked team in the Big West. UC San Diego tops the league at a 36 rank with the Anteaters next at 62.
 

---

UC Irvine at UC Davis
Thursday, Mar. 6 | 6:00 p.m. PT
University Credit Union Center | Davis, Calif.
Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Tickets | UC Irvine Game Notes | UC Davis Game Notes

ABOUT UC DAVIS
> UC Davis enters the contest with a 15-14 overall record and 9-9 in the Big West
> The Aggies have dropped four straight games, two at home and two on the road, most recently at Hawai'i (L, 78-70)
> UCD holds an 8-4 record inside the University Credit Union Center, but are 5-3 against league opponents at home
> UC Davis also earned six wins in the non-conference slate where they finished one game above 0.500 (6-5)
> Their non-conference portion of the schedule was highlighted by wins over Grand Canyon, 75-68, and taking both games of the home and home series with Idaho
> UC Davis was picked to finish fifth in the league and earned a preseason All-Big West team selection for TY Johnson
> Johnson paces both the league and the Aggies with 21.6 points per game doing so on 39.2 percent shooting from the floor (213-544)
> Additionally, Johnson gets to the line the most out of any UCD player (166-218, 0.761) and leads the team in steals (68)
> His steals are the most for UCD in their Division I era
> Pablo Tamba, who scores 10.9 points a game, is an efficient 59 percent from the field (121-207) and is second on the squad in both rebounds per game (5.2) and blocks (22)
> Connor Sevilla sits right below the double figure mark with 9.0 points per game, making and taking the most three-pointers (59-155, 0.381)
> Sevilla is a near perfect at the free throw line, only missing two in 39 attempts (37-39, 0.949)
> Leo DeBruhl stands at 8.5 points a game with a team high 84 assists and is second with 42 steals
> Niko Rocak dominates the boards with 7.1 grabs off the glass per contest and has blocked a league leading 56 shots while scoring at a 51.0 rate (51-100, 0.510) for 5.5 points
> Rocak's 56 blocks is UC Davis' all-time single season record
> Off the bench, Nils Cooper converts 50 percent of his shots from the floor (35-70) and has only made one three-pointer in ten attempts

BATTLING TO BE TOP OF THE BIG WEST
Through 18 league games played, UC Irvine sits second in the standings with a 15-3 Big West record, hanging behind UC San Diego (26-4 overall, 16-2 Big West).  The Anteaters are ahead of CSUN (21-8, 13-5) for third. UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara have also reached double figure wins in the league, good for fourth (12-6, 19-11 overall) and fifth in the standings (11-8, 19-11), respectively.

MID-MAJOR POLL POSITION
The Anteaters ranks sixth in the College Insider Mid-Major poll, with their 576 total points. The Anteaters have been top 10 in the poll for 17 straight weeks this season.

ROAD WORK
UC Irvine enters Thursday's game in Davis with 15 wins away from the Bren Events Center (12 road and three neutral). UCI's 12 road wins are tied for most in the country with Central Connecticut State with an identical 12-3 road record. Similarly, the Anteaters are are the nation's leader in most wins away from their home court, sitting above both Auburn (14) and UC San Diego (14).

AWAY RECORD WATCH
The Anteaters, who have won 12 true road games this season, are just one win away from tying the most road wins in a season record of 13 set by both the 2015-16 and 2018-19 squads.

VETERAN TALENT: CAREER GAMES PLAYED IN THE BIG WEST 
In his fifth season on the court and sixth overall with the UC Irvine squad, guard Justin Hohn has played 144 career games, tied with UNLV's Freddie Banks (144, 1984-87) for fifth in the ladder. 

LAST TIME OUT VERSUS UC DAVIS (FEB. 1, 2025)
Center Bent Leuchten posted his 11th double-double of the season in RV UC Irvine's 73-66 victory over UC Davis at the Bren Events Center. With the win, UCI became the third team in the country to win 20 games this season (20-3), for the 15th 20-win season in program history and 10th under head coach Russell Turner. The Anteaters recorded their 20th win in 23 games, matching the 2000-01 squad as the fastest to accomplish the feat. UCI's home winning streak extends to 22 straight. Leuchten, who ranked eighth nationally in double-doubles, had a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds and dished a career-best six assists in addition to two blocks. The center went 5-11 from the floor and 9-9 from the free throw line in 30 minutes of action.

KEEPING IT CLOSE
In 50 meetings between the two programs, 17 of them have been decided by three-points or fewer with seven games decided by three points, seven by two points, and three by one. UC Davis won the last three-point or fewer margin game against the Anteaters  on Jan. 20, 2024, 54-51 in Davis.

DUEL OF THE GUARDS
Thursday's contest between the Anteaters and the Aggies will pit together two preseason All-Big West guards in TY Johnson and Justin Hohn. UC Davis' Johnson is fifth in the nation and leads the conference in scoring with 21.6 points per game, second in steals per game (2.34), and 11th in free throw percentage (0.781). Hohn ranks fifth in the league in assists per game (3.6), 13th in three-point field goals per game (1.9), 20th in field goal percentage (0.383), and 22nd in scoring (11.4). 

BLOCK PARTY
The Big West's best shot blocking teams and players in UC Davis and UC Irvine will face off against each other on Thursday. The Aggies overall are first in the conference with 3.66 blocks per game, but stand second with 3.39 in league contests. The Anteaters land second overall with 3.6 blocks a game and hold the top spot in conference games at a 3.83 mark. UCD's Niko Rocak leads all players with 56 total swats to average 1.9 per game while UCI's Bent Leuchten and Kyle Evans are right behind him in second and fourth with 41 (1.0 and 38 (1.3) total, respectively.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
The Anteaters have been sharp at the free throw line this season with 503 makes in 634 attempts and leads the Big West in free throw percentage (0.793) which is also the nation's fifth best shooting clip at the line. UC Irvine went a perfect 13-13 at the charity stripe on Jan. 30, their second time doing so this season (14-14 vs. Pepperdine on Nov. 16).  UCI shot a season high 33-40 from the charity stripe on Dec. 5 in the win over Cal State Bakersfield. Additionally, UC Irvine has played 16 games where opponents to just single digit makes from the line, the last versus Long Beach State (Mar. 1) and did so in four consecutive games (Dec. 19-Jan. 2). In the national standings, Bent Leuchten ranks eighth in made free throws (168) and 18th in free throw attempts (204) while Myles Che is 26th in free throw percentage (0.886). 

SHARING THE BALL WELL
UC Irvine dished out 22 assists on 27 made baskets in the win over Hawai'i (Jan. 25). It is just the fifth time this season where the Anteaters have dished out 20 or more assists in a game. The 'Eaters had their best assist rate game against CSUN on Feb. 20 with 86.4 percent of their baskets assisted (19-22). UCI is third in the Big West in assists per game (15.70) and in conference games (16.17). Justin Hohn and Myles Che are the top distributors for the 'Eaters, combining to give UCI a 18-4 record when either one of them dishes out four or more assists a game (Hohn 9-4, Che 9-0). 

SINGLE SEASON REBOUNDING HEIGHTS
Senior Bent Leuchten is close to adding another milestone onto his season as an Anteater. Entering Thursday's contest at UC Davis, Leuchten has 268 season rebounds which is just five shy of jumping his way onto the top 10 single season rebounding leader board to share the tenth spot with Jonathan Galloway's 2016-17 mark of 273.

EFFICIENCY IN IRVINE
Bent Leuchten is one the Big West's most efficient player thus far into the season with a 30.4 grade, sitting second. Leuchten ranks first in overall box plus/minus (10.6) and offensive rating (133.6). The center also ranks second in defensive rating (88.4) and offensive box plus/minus (7.2) while sitting fourth in defensive box/plus minus (3.4).

CHASING 1K
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis enters Thursday's contest with 929 career points, 71 tallies away from the achievement in his UCI career, would become the 35th Anteater to accomplish this feat in a UC Irvine uniform, the third of the season to join guard Justin Hohn and center Bent Leuchten on the list. On Feb. 22 at Cal State Bakersfield, Tillis reached the 1,000 career scorers milestone, recording 1,017 tallies between his time at UNLV and UCI.

SENIOR SEND-OFF SUCCESS WITH 70-60 VICTORY OVER LBSU
UC Irvine gave the seniors a nice send-off with a 70-60 Black & Blue victory over Long Beach State at the Bren Events Center Saturday evening. Guard Myles Che led the Anteaters with 19 points, going 5-10 from the floor and 8-10 from the line. Senior forward Bent Leuchten recorded his third consecutive double-double and 14th of the season with 13 points and game-high 12 rebounds. Graduate student guard Justin Hohn had nine of his 14 points in the second half, hitting 4-9 from the field and 4-4 from the line.

THIS JUST-IN!
Justin Hohn is a UC Irvine squad leader with 343 total points and 11.4 points per game scoring. The graduate student has 60 double figure scoring games in his career, the most of any player on the Anteater squad, Hohn reached 1,200 career points in his seven-point outing against UC San Diego on Feb. 8. The guard leads the Anteaters in both assists (108) and steals (45).

DOUBLE TROUBLE
Devin Tillis is a threat both on offense and defense for the Anteaters. The forward coverts at a high rate from the floor (140-269, 0.520) and has 18 double digit scoring games on the season. Additionally, Tillis is second on the squad in rebounds with 222 total (7.7 rpg). Tillis is second on the team with 11 career double-doubles, posting his fifth of the season versus Hawai'i on Jan. 25 (11 pts, 13 rebs).

THE GERMAN PAINTER
Bent Leuchten dominates at the post or in the paint whether it is scoring baskets or grabbing the ball off the glass. The center is the team's leader off the glass, averaging 8.9 rebounds a game in 30 contests played, and paces the scoring at 15.6 points per game. Leuchten has posted double-figure scoring games in 24 games this year, the latest versus Long Beach State (Mar. 1) where he put up 13 points. The Germans has scored at least 10 or more points or pulled down at least 10 or more rebounds in 24 of those contests. Additionally, Leuchten's career best 15 grabs off the glass against Pepperdine and reset against Belmont are an Anteater first in the 15-19 rebounds in a game category since Collin Welp pulled down 19 on the road at LMU on Dec. 17, 2020. The center is just one of seven players who have seven or more 20 point, 10 rebound efforts this season. 

CHE-SANITY
At the top of the formation for the Anteaters, Myles Che helps lead the distribution effort with his 83 total assists. Che adds to the scoring effort with his 12.3 points per game and recorded his first double digit scoring game in an Anteater uniform at Northern Iowa on Nov. 10 with his ten points. The guard had his 19th double figure scoring effort of the season, 19 versus Long Beach State, after seeing his 13-game double figure scoring streak ended on Feb. 15. Additionally, Che has knocked down at least one three-pointer in the last 14 contests.

FITTING RIGHT IN
Redshirt freshman guard Jurian Dixon entered the UC Irvine starting lineup on Dec. 14 at Oregon State and has proved himself on both the offensive and defensive ends. The guard averages 8.3 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game over 30 contests. Dixon continues to have career performances or break through nights, his latest at Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 27) with personal bests in points (21), field goals made and attempted (9-14), and three-point field goals made (3). 

SWAT TEAM
Junior transfer Kyle Evans registered multiple blocks in three straight contests (Nov. 29-Dec. 5) and saw his six-game block streak (Jan. 11-Jan. 30) come to an end, totaling 38 over 30 contests. His 38 swats at the rim rank fourth in the Big West. The forward had several career performances in a few games span with his latest on Jan. 25 versus Hawai'i where he matched his career high 12 points on perfect 6-6 shooting from the floor and tied his career best four blocks.

BRICK WALL
The big men down low of Bent Leuchten, Kyle Evans, and Elijah Chol pose a threat in the defensive paint for opponents. The three trio combine to average 9.4 defensive rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. All three big men have double figure blocks on the season: Leuchten (41), Evans (38), and Chol (15). In conference contests, the trio average 9.5 defensive rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.

I'VE GOT FIVE ON IT
During conference games, all five UC Irvine starters are averaging double figure scoring numbers which poses a threat. Bent Leuchten tops the five players with 16.0 points per contest with dangerous 57/52/82 shooting splits. Myles Che is next up with 14.6 points in 17 games while shooting at or above 40 percent from the field overall (73-181, 0.403) and three-point range (28-70, 0.400). Devin Tillis lands third with 12.2 points per contest over 17 league games as he comes in second in rebounds (126). Graduate student Justin Hohn adds 11.6 points per game, leading the squad with three-pointers (38-97, 0.392), assists (69), and steals (30). Redshirt freshman Jurian Dixon rounds out the crew with 10.3 points.

OLD RELIABLE
With a veteran team that has won multiple championships in the last few seasons, three UC Irvine veteran starters are averaging double figures. Bent Leuchten leads the way with 15.6, Devin Tillis right behind at 12.7, and Justin Hohn next at 11.4. While not a veteran who has played their whole career at UC Irvine, Myles Che is the fourth player on the team to average double digits with 12.3 points.

1,000-POINT CLUB
Graduate student Justin Hohn etched his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 33rd Anteater to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The guard reached this milestone in the victory over Towson (Nov. 30) and has 1,260 career tallies. Hohn begins his ascent in the ranks and is 14 points away from passing Eyassu Worku (1,273--2016-20) for 17th, 21 to move in front of Eric Wise (1,280--2008-11) for 16th, 25 to go ahead of Jeff Von Letzow (1,284--1989-93) for 15th, and 26 to jump ahead of Evan Leonard (1,285--2016-20). Additionally, senior Bent Leuchten etched his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 34th Anteater to eclipse the 1,000-point mark. The center reached this milestone in the game against CSUN (Feb. 20) and has 1,048 career tallies. Leuchten begins his ascent in the ranks and is 15 points away from surpassing Jaron Martin (1,062--2013-17) for 32nd and 17 from going ahead of Daman Starring (1,064--2010-13) for 31st.

500-REBOUND MACHINES 
Redshirt senior Devin Tillis put his name into the UC Irvine record book as the 28th Anteater to reach the 500-rebound achievement. The forward reached this milestone in the win at California Baptist (Dec. 30) and has 629 career boards. Tillis continues his ascent in the ranks and 14th in the all-time rebounding list, just 41 from meeting Ben McDonald (670, 1980-84) for 13th. Additionally, senior Bent Leuchten became the 29th Anteater to pull down 500 rebounds in their UCI career. The center accomplished this feat at UC Riverside (Jan. 23) and has 592 career rebounds. Leuchten needs five to go ahead of assistant coach Michael Wilder (596, 2009-13) for 18th, 20 to pass Ricky Butler (611, 1988-91) for 17th, and 21 meet Adam Folker (612, 2008-13) for 16th.

STEALING THE LEAD
Guard Justin Hohn entered the top 10 in the program for steals with five takeaways at Cal Poly (Jan. 2). He ranks seventh with 142 in his career and needs two more in order to move in front of Evan Leonard (143, 2016-20) for sixth.

THREE-POINT SNIPER
Justin Hohn placed his name in the record book for the third time this season, entering the top 10 in career made three-pointers made with his three triples against Hawai'i (Jan. 25). He is eighth with 188. Hohn needs two more three-pointers to reach Jaron Martin (190, 2013-17) for seventh and for more to catch Evan Leonard (192, 2016-20) for sixth.

PUT IT IN THE PAINT
UCI has outscored their opponents by 182 points when scoring in the paint (UCI 986, Opp. 804). The Anteaters average 32.9 points in the paint per game and have scored 40 or more points in nine games so far (Chapman--42, Northern Iowa--48, Weber State--44, Kennesaw State--44, Belmont--42, California Baptist--46, Cal Poly--42, Cal Poly--46, UC Santa Barbara--40).

KENPOM LEADERS
Out of 2307 eligible players, Bent Leuchten is eighth in free throw rate (79.0), eighth in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (7.2), 29th in true shooting percentage (66.0), and 40th in defensive rebound percentage (25.0). Out of 364 teams, UC Irvine ranks third in two-point percentage defense (42.8), third in free throw attempt/field goal attempt defense (21.7), sixth in effective field goal percentage defense (45.0), seventh in free throw percentage offense (79.7), 12th in adjusted efficiency defense (94.0), 13th in block percentage offense (6.9), 16th in assists per field goals made (61.5), 27th in average possession length defense (16.8), 33rd in free throw offense (22.2), and 34th in offensive rebound percentage defense (26.3). 

LEADING THE BIG WEST
Several Anteaters sit in the top ten of the Big West individual statistical rankings: scoring (9th, 15.6-Leuchten), rebounding (2nd, 8.9--Leuchten and 3rd, 7.7--Tillis), field goal percentage (4th, 0.553--Leuchten and 7th, 0.520--Tillis), free throw percentage (2nd, 0.895--Che and 7th, 0.824--Leuchten), assists (5th, 3.6--Hohn), blocks (2nd, 1.4--Leuchten and 4th, 1.3--Evans), and steals (8th, 1.5--Hohn).

NATIONAL STATISTICS THROUGH 03.04.25
UC Irvine is ranked top 50 nationally in defensive rebounds per game (4th, 29.20), free throw percentage (5th, 79.3), field goal percentage defense (8th, 38.8), scoring defense (22nd, 65.0), free throws made per game (26th, 16.8), rebounds per game (34th, 38.63), and scoring margin (37th, 9.6).

NET WORTH
The first NET ranking of the season was released on Monday Dec. 2. The 'Eaters are the second highest ranked team in the Big West. UC San Diego tops the league at a 35 rank with the Anteaters next at 63.