In the lone game of the week, the Big West's top two teams collide at the Bren Events Center Thursday (Jan. 29) as UC Irvine hosts Hawaii. Please note tip time has changed to 8:00 p.m. as the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

STORYLINES
UC Irvine improved to 14-7 after going 2-0 on the road last week, beating UC Riverside, 80-66 and ending with a thrilling 61-59 victory over UC San Diego.

UCI shares the top spot in the Big West standings with Hawaii at 7-2.

Guard Jurian Dixon leads UCI in scoring, recording the game-winning layup with 28 seconds against the Tritons.

Senior forward Kyle Evans continues to lead the nation in blocks with 67 and in blocking average (3.21).

Nationally, UC Irvine is one of the best defenses in the country, ranking third in fi eld goal percentage defense (37.5), sixth in blocks (6.1) and 10th in defensive rebounds (28.81).

The UC Irvine defense was in full force last week, holding opponents to a combined .341 (44-129) shooting from the floor. The Anteaters held UCR to a 34.4 percent (22-64) performance for the game and just 28.8 percent (10-35) in the second half. UCI totaled 12 steals, the second most this season by the Anteaters. Versus UC San Diego, the Anteaters did not allow the Tritons to have a second chance point.

UC Irvine returns home after four straight games. It's been 20 days since UCI has played at home (Jan. 8 a 74-64 win over Long Beach State).

The Anteaters returned to the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major poll this week checking at No. 21. Hawaii, who is 15-4 overall, sits in 11th.

The last time the teams met, Hawaii's Hunter Erickson hit a fade-away free throw line jumper as time expired to give the Rainbow Warriors the 67-66 victory at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. UCI's Derin Saran led all players with 22 points, going 10-21 from the floor and 2-2 from the line.

HAWAI'I LOWDOWN
The UH win snapped a four-game win streak the 'Eaters had in the series, but UCI has won six straight at the Bren dating back to 2018.

Last time out, the teams were tied on 15 different occasions, and the lead changed hands 22 times, the most in a game for UC Irvine back to the 2017-18 season.
UH has kept up with the 'Eaters since that game going 3-1 with dominant wins at Cal Poly (86-66), vs. Bakersfield (98-71), and vs. CSUN Saturday (89-68) with a 15-point road loss at UC Santa Barbara in the middle of it.

It will be a battle of two of the country's best defensive teams with Hawaii ranking sixth in three-point percentage defense (7.5), 12^th in field goal percentage (38.9),14^th in defensive rebounds (28.53) and scoring defense (64.9).

This will be the final regular-season meeting between the teams as conference foes. UH is heading to the Mountain West next season.

BLOCK PARTY
Senior forward Kyle Evans has recorded three or more blocks 13 times this season, including each of the last four games. Evans' 67 blocks are the most by an Anteater player since Will Davis II had 85 in 2012-13. Evans ranks seventh all-time in UCI blocks with 115, four shy of Patrick Sanders in sixth.

Evans is second in the Big West in field goal percentage (.632) and rebounding with an 8.4 average. The senior has recorded five double-doubles this season, the second most in the Big West and 69th nationally.

GUARD PLAY
UCI boasts of an impressive core of young guards. Redshirt sophomore Jurian Dixon is sixth in the Big West in scoring with a 15.6 mark, recording double-digit scoring in all but three games. He has led the Anteaters in scoring 10 times and posted 20 or more points four times this season. The guard leads the team in threes with 44 and is third in three-point field goal percentage (.411) among Big West players.

Redshirt sophomore Derin Saran ranks fourth in assists (3.9), 13th in rebounds (5.7) and 24th in points (11.9) among Big West players. He has recorded 20 or more points four times this season, including a career and Anteater-high 29 versus Northern Iowa. He has led the Anteaters in scoring on seven occasions and toppped the squad in rebounding seven times.

True freshman Tama Isaac is averaging 3.7 assists per game, which is sixth in the Big West. Last week, he averaged 9.5 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds in the Anteaters' two wins.

Both Saran and Isaac have dished 10 or more assists in a game this season.

HAVING HENRY
Guard Andre Henry returned this season after suffering a injury nine games into last season. Henry is the NCAAs active leader in career games playing in 132 over his five-plus years.

Henry, the 2024 Big West Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 7.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. He provided an offensive punch last week, scoring 13 versus UCR and 12 against the Tritons.

COUNTING ON CARRINGTON
Over the last three outings, Harrison Carrington has averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting .619 from the floor (13-21). Against UC Riverside, he scored 14 points in just under 14 minutes of action with 10 of his 14 points coming in the second half. The junior added10 points, five rebounds and two steals in the win against UC San Diego.

For the season, the forward is averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

OFF THE BENCH
Off the bench, redshirt freshman Jovan Jester Jr. has made an impact. Jester Jr. is averaging 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 16.4 minutes of action per game.

He has posted double-digit points five times, including a career-high 13 in the Big West opener against UC Riverside. He is second on the team in three pointers with 19 and has 29 steals.

THIS DAY IN UCI BASKETBALL
Thursday marks the day the Anteaters tied a school record for free throws made in a game.

They made 38 in 47 attempts against UC Santa Barbara Jan. 29, 1994 matching a 1991 mark.