The UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents the University of California, Irvine. The team currently competes in the Big West Conference, NCAA Division I.
UC Irvine basketball is in its thirteenth year under current head coach Russell Turner. The Anteaters' main rivals are the Beach of Long Beach State. Program alumni include Portland Trail Blazers associate head coach Scott Brooks and professional football tight end Darren Fells. UC Irvine has appeared two times in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2019.
Conference affiliations 1965–66 to 1976–77 – NCAA Division II Independent 1977–78 to present – Big West Conference
Head coach history
Season-by-season records
Postseason results
NCAA Division I tournament results The Anteaters have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament two times. Their combined record is 1–2.
2015 #13 First round #4 Louisville L 55–572019#13First roundSecond Round#4 Kansas State#12 Oregon W 70–64L 54–73
NCAA Division II tournament results The Anteaters have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament four times. Their combined record is 2–6.
1968 Regional semifinalsRegional Finals San Diego StateUNLV W 78–69L 74–79 1969 Regional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game San Francisco StateUC Davis L 55–81W 82–70 1972 Regional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game Southern ColoradoUC Riverside L 58–77L 75–94 1975 Regional semifinalsRegional 3rd-place game Puget SoundUC Davis L 74–76 OTL 70–84
NIT results The Anteaters have appeared in ten National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 6–10.
1982 First RoundSecond Round San Diego StateOklahoma W 70–69L 77–80 1986 First RoundSecond Round UCLABYU W 80–74L 80–93 2001 First Round Tulsa L 71–75 2002 First Round BYU L 55–78 2014 First Round SMU L 54–68 2017 First Round Illinois State L 71–85 2023 First Round Oregon L 58–84 2024 First Round Utah L 75–842025 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsChampionship Northern ColoradoJacksonville StateUABNorth TexasChattanooga W 82–72 W 66–61 W 81–77OTW 69–67L 84–85OT 2026 First Round UNLV L 72–75
CIT results The Anteaters have appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournaments (CIT). Their combined record is 4–2.
2013 First RoundSecond Round High PointOral Roberts W 80–71L 62–76 2016 First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsChampionship Game North DakotaLouisiana–LafayetteCoastal CarolinaColumbia W 89–86OTW 67–66W 66–47L 67–73
Honors and awards
Retired numbers
The Anteaters retired their first number in program history in 1995, honoring number 44 for All-American Kevin Magee. He was joined by Scott Brooks when his number 12 was retired on November 30, 2019.
UC Irvine Anteaters retired numbers No.PlayerPos.CareerNo. ret. Ref. 12 Scott Brooks PG 1985–1987 2019 44 Kevin Magee PF / C 1980–1982 1995
Anteaters in the NBA
Scott Brooks, 1988–1999, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers Wayne Engelstad, 1988–1989, Denver Nuggets Ronnie Grandison, 1988–1996, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, New York Knicks Ben McDonald, 1985–1989, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors Tod Murphy, 1987–1994, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves Johnny Rogers, 1986–1988, Cleveland Cavaliers, Sacramento Kings Bob Thornton, 1986–1996, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards Tom Tolbert, 1988–1995, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic
Notes
References
External links