2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball
ConferenceBig West Conference
Record12–5 (5–0 Big West)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ryan Badrtalei (15th season)
  • Michael Wilder (8th season)
  • Alex Young (4th season)
Home arenaBren Events Center
(Capacity: 5,000)
2023–24 Big West men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
UC Irvine50 1.000125  .706
UC San Diego*40 1.000106  .625
UC Davis41 .80097  .563
Cal State Northridge31 .750124  .750
Long Beach State32 .600116  .647
UC Santa Barbara23 .40096  .600
UC Riverside23 .400710  .412
Hawai'i13 .25097  .563
Cal State Fullerton13 .25088  .500
Cal State Bakersfield04 .000510  .333
Cal Poly05 .000413  .235
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition period
2024 Big West tournament winner
As of January 12, 2024

The 2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represents the University of California, Irvine in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They play their home games at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California as a member of the Big West Conference. The Anteaters are led by 14th-year head coach Russell Turner.

Previous season

Despite being picked to finish fourth in the Big West Pre-Season Poll, The Anteaters finished the 2022–23 season 23–12, 15–5 to finish in a tie for 1st in Big West play, holding the tie-breaker over UC Santa Barbara. During the regular season, the Anteaters defeated then #21 Oregon 69–56 in Eugene on November 22, 2022, for the program's first victory over a ranked opponent during the regular season since 2005 when they defeated #15 Stanford. The Anteaters would lose to then-ranked #24 San Diego State 69–72 in San Diego holding the lead into the final minutes of the game. After defeating Cal State Bakersfield in the quarterfinals, they lost to Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals of the Big West tournament. The team also won the 2022 Las Vegas Holiday Classic Invite. The team won the Big West auto-bid for the 2023 NIT where the matched with Oregon again and were defeated 58–84. Russell Turner won his 250th game on December 31, 2022, vs Cal State Bakersfield. In that game, the Anteaters broke the school record for attempted free-throws making 30-51 attempts. The team recorded its 13th 20 win season, 8th under Turner.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Irvine lost its top two scorers from the 2022–23 season, Dawson Baker (15.3 points per game) and DJ Davis (15.0 ppg), to the NCAA transfer portal in the spring of 2023. Baker transferred to BYU and Davis transferred to Butler.[2][3] Junior forward Chazz Hutchison also entered the portal and senior forward JC Butler graduated. Emilus Buktus was with the team in the summer playing in the Jack Jones Cup, but left the team prior to the regular season.

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
JC Butler0F6'5"195SeniorRacine, WIGraduated
Dawson Baker1G6'4"190JuniorCoto de Caza, CATransferred to BYU[4]
Chazz Hutchison5F6'9"215JuniorMission Viejo, CATransferred to Southern Utah[5]
DJ Davis22G6'1"170JuniorMoreno Valley, CATransferred to Butler[6]

Incoming transfers

Dylan Thoerner, a graduate guard from Tufts and Irvine native, transferred to the program, ultimately bringing UC Irvine's transfer portal turnover to a net loss of two.[7]

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Dylan Thoerner0G6'6"200GraduateIrvine, CATufts

Recruits

Irvine's first commitment of the 2023 class came three years prior from 6-foot-10 forward Carter Welling, the brother of Anteaters forward Hayden Welling. He graduated high school in 2021 and went on a two-year LDS mission before beginning at UC Irvine.[8] On May 2, 2023, 6-foot-4 guard Ben Egbo committed to UCI as a walk-on.[9] On May 11, nationally-ranked guard prospect Jurian Dixon committed to the team.[10] UCI rounded out its recruiting class with a June 13 commitment from Derin Saran, a guard originally from Turkey.[11]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jurian Dixon
G
San Diego, CA St. Augustine High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) May 11, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:2/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Ben Egbo
G
Gilbert, AZ Perry High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 2, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Derin Saran
G
Istanbul, Turkey Asheville School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 13, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Carter Welling
F
Draper, UT Corner Canyon High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2022–23 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Dylan Thoerner 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) Tufts University Irvine, California
G 1 Derin Saran 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)177 lb (80 kg) FrAsheville School Istanbul, Turkey
G 2 Justin Hohn 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SrTea High School Sioux Falls, South Dakota
G 3 Pierre Crockrell II 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrPacific Tacoma, Washington
G 4 Andre Henry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrSaint Francis High School La Cañada Flintridge, California
F 5 Ben Egbo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrPerry High School Chandler, Arizona
G 10 Ofure Ujadughele (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS SrChino Hills High School Chino Hills, California
F 11 Devin Tillis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS JrUNLV Los Angeles, California
F 13 Hayden Welling 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoCorner Canyon High School Draper, Utah
C 15 Bent Leuchten 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)258 lb (117 kg) JrJosef-Effner Gymnasium Karlsfeld, Bavaria, Germany
G 21 Langston Redfield (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SoCapistrano Valley High School Mission Viejo, California
F 22 Carter Welling 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)250 lb (113 kg) FrCorner Canyon High School Draper, Utah
G/F 23 Emilis Butkus 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) SoInternational Basketball Academy Munich Vilnius, Lithuania
G 24 Jurian Dixon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)198 lb (90 kg) FrSt. Augustine High School San Diego, California
F 31 Dean Keeler (W) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrMarina High School Westminster, California
F/C 33 Eli Chol 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoForsyth Central High School Cumming, Georgia
F 43 Akiva McBirney-Griffin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SoSt John's College, Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Source[12]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
2023 William Jones Cup
August 12, 2023*
12:00 am, Twitch
vs. Qatar W 105–38  1–0
 19  Henry  6  Tied  11  Crockrell II  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 13, 2023*
12:00 am, Twitch
vs. UAE W 109–49  2–0
 22  Saran  9  Chol  6  Crockrell II  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 14, 2023*
12:00 am, Twitch
vs. Japan U20 W 108–47  3–0
 16  Saran  10  Saran  6  Redfield  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 14, 2023*
10:00 pm, Twitch
vs. South Korea
(Anyang KGC)
W 87–82  4–0
 14  Crockrell II  13  Keeler  10  Crockrell II  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 16, 2023*
4:00 am, YouTube
at Chinese Taipei (B/White) W 117–59  5–0
 18  Hohn  12  Leuchten  14  Crockrell II  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 18, 2023*
2:00 am, YouTube
vs. Iran B W 80–48  6–0
 16  Henry  9  Saran  4  Ujadughele  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 19, 2023*
4:00 am, Twitch
at Chinese Taipei (A/Blue) W 95–80  7–0
 19  Thoerner  9  Ujadughele  9  Ujadughele  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
August 20, 2023*
12:00 am, Twitch
vs. Philippines
(Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)
W 115–61  8–0
 23  Saran  19  Saran  6  Hohn  Taipei Heping Gymnasium 
Taipei, Taiwan
Exhibition
November 3, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal State San Marcos W 75–57 
 11  Tillis  9  Tillis  5  Crockrell II  Bren Events Center (1,680)
Irvine, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2023*
7:00 p.m., Mountain West Network
at San Jose State L 64–72  0–1
 14  Leuchten  6  Tied  5  Crockrell II  Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,821)
San Jose, CA
November 11, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
New Mexico State W 91–74  1–1
 19  Henry  10  Tillis  8  Crockrell II  Bren Events Center (2,731)
Irvine, CA
November 14, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N
at No. 16 USC W 70–60  2–1
 25  Hohn  10  Tillis  6  Crockrell II  Galen Center (4,730)
Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Occidental W 111–51  3–1
 24  Henry  8  Ujadughele  6  Tied  Bren Events Center (1,432)
Irvine, CA
November 21, 2023*
5:45 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Pepperdine
Ball Dawgs Classic
W 76–60  4–1
 16  Saran  8  Saran  5  Tillis  Dollar Loan Center (1,007)
Henderson, NV
November 22, 2023*
8:45 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Toledo
Ball Dawgs Classic
W 77–71  5–1
 24  Tillis  7  Keeler  4  Crockrell II  Dollar Loan Center (1,634)
Henderson, NV
November 24, 2023*
1:15 p.m., FloHoops
vs. Rice
Ball Dawgs Classic
W 83–68  6–1
 18  Hohn  9  Tied  4  Ujadughele  Dollar Loan Center (1,584)
Henderson, NV
November 29, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Duquesne L 62–66  6–2
 13  Tied  7  Tillis  5  Crockrell II  UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,193)
Pittsburgh, PA
December 2, 2023*
6:00 p.m., Mountain West Network
at Utah State L 69–79  6–3
 21  Hohn  7  Saran  8  Crockrell II  Smith Spectrum (7,880)
Logan, UT
December 9, 2023*
7:30 p.m., FS1
at No. 25 San Diego State L 62–63  6–4
 16  Hohn  7  Henry  3  Crockrell II  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
December 16, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
South Dakota W 121–78  7–4
 22  Keeler  8  Keeler  11  Crockrell II  Bren Events Center (1,923)
Irvine, CA
December 20, 2023*
6:00 p.m., Mountain West Network
at New Mexico L 65–78  7–5
 14  Hohn  6  Tied  6  Crockrell II  The Pit (11,536)
Albuquerque, NM
Big West regular season
December 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UC Riverside W 73–66  8–5
(1–0)
 23  Henry  10  Tillis  7  Crockrell II  Bren Events Center (2,345)
Irvine, CA
December 30, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Cal State Bakersfield W 75–56  9–5
(2–0)
 18  Hohn  8  Leuchten  16  Crockrell II  Icardo Center (1,081)
Bakersfield, CA
January 4, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal State Fullerton W 75–67  10–5
(3–0)
 17  Tied  5  Tied  4  Tillis  Bren Events Center (1,934)
Irvine, CA
January 6, 2024
1:00 p.m., SNLA ESPN+
UC Davis W 74–71 OT 11–5
(4–0)
 14  Tied  10  Tillis  5  Crockrell II  Bren Events Center (2,232)
Irvine, CA
January 11, 2024
9:00 p.m., Spectrum OC16, ESPN+
at Hawai'i W 60-50  12-5
(5-0)
 16  Crockrell II  8  Henry  3  Crockrell II  Stan Sheriff Center (4,453)
Honolulu, HI
January 18, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UC San Diego     Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
January 20, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UC Davis     University Credit Union Center 
Davis, CA
January 25, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Long Beach State
Black & Blue Rivalry
    Walter Pyramid 
Long Beach, CA
January 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
CSUN     Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
February 1, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU Wildcard, ESPN+
at Cal Poly     Mott Athletics Center 
San Luis Obispo, CA
February 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Hawai'i     Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
February 8, 2024
TBA, ESPN+
at UC Santa Barbara     The Thunderdome 
Santa Barbara, CA
February 10, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UC Riverside     SRC Arena 
Riverside, CA
February 17, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal State Bakersfield     Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
February 22, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU Wildcard, ESPN+
UC Santa Barbara     Bren Events Center 
Irivne, CA
February 24, 2024
1:00 p.m., SNLA ESPN+
at UC San Diego     LionTree Arena 
La Jolla, CA
February 29, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at CSUN     Premier America Credit Union Arena 
Northridge, CA
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 Wildcard, ESPN+
Long Beach State
Black & Blue Rivalry
    Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
March 7, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal Poly     Bren Events Center 
Irvine, CA
March 9, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Cal State Fullerton     Titan Gym 
Fullerton, CA
Big West tournament
March 13, 2024
 ESPN+
vs. TBD
Quarterfinals
    Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Source[13]

References

  1. "MEN'S BASKETBALL 2023 SEASON REVIEW". University of California, Irvine. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  2. Arritt, Dan (May 16, 2023). "Big West basketball coaches feeling transfer portal frustrations". Orange County Register. Southern California News Group. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  3. "2022-23 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics". UCI Athletics. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  4. Lundquist, Casey (May 1, 2023). "BYU Basketball Adds Scoring in UC-Irvine Transfer Dawson Baker". FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  5. Haynie, Parker (July 12, 2023). "Men's Basketball Inks Three More Recruits". Southern Utah University. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  6. Glaspie, Akeem (April 25, 2023). "Butler gets much-needed 3-point shooting with UC-Irvine transfer D.J. Davis pickup". IndyStar. Gannett. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  7. "Men's Basketball Adds Dylan Thoerner To 2023-24 Squad". UCI Athletics. University of California, Irvine. August 3, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  8. "Carter Welling - Men's Basketball". UCI Athletics. University of California, Irvine. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  9. Ray, Anthony (May 2, 2023). "Ben Egbo Gives BIG Commitment To UC-Irvine". Arizona Preps. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  10. De Silva, Bodie (May 11, 2023). "St. Augustine's Jurian Dixon, two-time San Diego Section Player of the Year, commits to UC Irvine". FanNation. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  11. Huber, Zachary (June 13, 2023). "Asheville School boys basketball star Derin Saran commits to UC Irvine". Asheville Citizen-Times. Gannett. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  12. "2023–24 Men's Basketball Roster". University of California, Irvine. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  13. "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Irvine. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.