IRVINE, Calif. -- UC Irvine men's basketball revealed its 12-game non-conference schedule that features six home games and includes five teams that are coming off 20-plus win seasons with three that competed in the post-season last year.

"We've worked hard to schedule as aggressively as we can," head coach Russell Turner said. "I think what will stand out about our schedule are the two exhibitions against Arizona State at the Bren Events Center and playing UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. We have a bunch of really good home non-conference games against teams that can win their conferences. There are some really good mid-major match-ups on this schedule." 

UCI opens the 2025-26 campaign with a pair of exciting exhibitions that in years past were closed door scrimmages. UCI hosts Arizona State Oct. 12 at noon at the Bren Events Center before going to UCLA on Oct. 28 for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Pauley Pavilion.

The Anteaters will be at home for the first four regular season contests, entertaining Bethesda Nov. 3, then soon-to-be Big West member California Baptist on Nov. 7, Lincoln University on Nov. 10 and Weber State on Nov. 15. UCI defeated both CBU (71-63) and Weber State (93-87) on the road last season.

Over the last seven years, the Anteaters are 79-12 (.868) at the Bren Events Center.

After the homestand, UCI plays the first leg of the Cancun Challenge at Utah Valley University on Nov. 19. The Anteaters will return home to play Northern Iowa on Nov. 22 before traveling to Cancun, Mexico for the final two games of the tournament, facing New Mexico State on Nov. 25 and South Dakota State on Nov. 26. Utah Valley (25-9) and Northern Iowa (20-13) were both NIT participants a year ago, while South Dakota State went 20-12.

UCI will take a quick trip north to face San Jose State Nov. 30 before the Big West's Bold Week (Dec. 4-6) when UCI plays its first two conference games against UC Riverside and CSUN.

Belmont comes to the Bren Center on Dec. 19 after the Anteaters beat the Bruins 92-84 last year in Nashville.

The Anteaters close out the non-conference slate at the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Basketball Invitational in El Paso, TX, the oldest holiday collegiate basketball tournament in the country. UC Irvine will play North Dakota State on Dec. 21 before taking on either Norfolk State or UTEP on Dec. 22.

The tournament field is solid with North Dakota State, who was 21-11 last season, won the event in 2017. Norfolk State ended the year 24-11, winning the MEAC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament first round where they fell to Florida. UTEP has won the tournament title 34 times dating back to 1961. The Anteaters captured the Sun Bowl championship in 2015, topping Norfolk State 80-62 in what was Turner's 100^th career victory at UCI.

UC Irvine is coming off a school record season, going 32-7 overall and advancing to the championship of the NIT.

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