UC San Diego at UC Irvine
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Bren Events Center, Irvine
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Records: UC San Diego is 19-4 overall and 9-2 in Big West Conference play; UC Irvine is 20-3, 10-1.
Series history: UC Irvine leads 14-3, and has won seven of nine games against UCSD in Division I play. The teams met Jan.11 at LionTree Arena, with Irvine winning 60-52.
Tritons update: They have won four straight, including Thursday’s 91-71 home win over third-place UC Riverside. The Tritons are ranked No. 7 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, four slots behind Big West-leading UC Irvine and have a Big West-leading NCAA NET of 52, three slots ahead of UCI. They have the second-highest scoring offense (80.3 points per game) and top scoring defense in the Big West (62.8), one slot ahead of UCI (65.1). Senior wing Anawaniwa Tait-Jones is second in the Big West in scoring at 19.9 points per game. He leads the nation with 199 free throw attempts and 161 made free throws. Over his last five games, Tait-Jones is averaging 26.6 points per game on 59.7% shooting. Senior guard Hayden Gray, who finished with 13 points, seven steals, five assists, five rebounds and two blocks in the win over Riverside, leads the nation with 81 steals and 3.52 steals per game. The shooting of junior forward Nordin Kapic is an X-factor. He has attempted 119 3-pointers this season, second on the team behind guard Tyler McGhie. Kapic went 1 for 10 from 3-point range in the Jan. 11 loss to Irvine, but made 3 of 6 from long range in Thursday’s win over Riverside.
Anteaters update: They were off Thursday after earning a third consecutive victory with a 73-66 home win over UC Davis last Saturday. The Anteaters have won 22 straight games at home, their last loss coming to UC San Diego on Feb. 23, 2023. Center Bent Leuchten is a potential Big West Player of the Year. He leads the team with 15.7 points per game on 53% shooting and has made 15 of 28 from 3-point range (53.6%) with a Big West-leading 9.2 rebounds per game and 27 blocks. He ranks eighth in the nation with 11 double-doubles. In the Jan. 11 victory at LionTree, Leuchten scored 23 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had two blocks. The Anteaters have the best 3-point defense in the Big West (31.3%) and held the Tritons to a season-low 17.1% (6 of 35) from long range when they met last month. Boxing out senior forward Devin Tillis will be essential for UC San Diego. He finished with 11 rebounds in the Jan. 11 win at Lion Tree and averages 8.0 per game while also averaging 13.4 points per game on 54.6% shooting.
IVAN CARTER
