2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball
Western Slam Champions
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	20–3 (10–1 Big West)
Head coach	Russell Turner (15th season)
Assistant coaches	Michael Wilder (9th season) Sean O'Donnell (1st season) Ali Ton (2nd season)
Home arena	Bren Events Center (Capacity: 5,000)

2024–25 Big West men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
UC Irvine	10	–	2		.833			20	–	4		.833
UC San Diego	10	–	2		.833			20	–	4		.833
Cal State Northridge	9	–	4		.692			17	–	7		.708
UC Riverside	9	–	4		.692			16	–	9		.640
UC Santa Barbara	8	–	5		.615			16	–	8		.667
UC Davis	8	–	5		.615			14	–	10		.583
Hawai'i	5	–	8		.385			13	–	11		.542
Cal State Bakersfield	4	–	9		.308			10	–	15		.400
Cal Poly	3	–	9		.250			9	–	15		.375
Long Beach State	3	–	10		.231			7	–	18		.280
Cal State Fullerton	1	–	12		.077			6	–	19		.240
† 2025 Big West tournament winner As of February 8, 2025

The 2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represents the University of California, Irvine in the 2024–25 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 15th-year head coach Russell Turner.

This year the Anteaters matched their best start since the 1980–81 season, as both teams won nine straight to open the season.[1]

This year marks the first time in program history where the Anteaters have been ranked number one in the Mid-Major College Basketball Insider Poll. Additionally, not only has UC Irvine received votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll for multiple weeks this year, but came in at twenty-four for the first NCAA NET Rankings of the 2024-25 season, the highest ranking in program history.

Previous season

See also: 2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Anteaters team finished 24–10, including a 17–3 conference record. They were ousted in the Big West Tournament by Long Beach State, losing 79-83.

Offseason

Departures

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Dylan Thoerner	0	G	6'6"	200	Graduate	Irvine, CA	Graduated
Derin Saran	1	G	6'4"	190	Freshman	Istanbul, Turkey	Transferred to Stanford[2]
Pierre Crockrell II	3	G	6'0"	180	Fifth-year	Tacoma, WA	Graduated
Hayden Welling	13	F	6'9"	205	Sophomore	Draper, UT	Transferred to Utah Valley[3]
Carter Welling	22	F	6'10"	225	Freshman	Draper, UT	Transferred to Utah Valley[3]
Dean Keeler	31	F	6'11"	240	Fifth-year	Westminster, CA	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Kyle Evans	14	F	6'10"	215	Junior	Aliso Viejo, CA	Colorado State
Myles Che	77	G	6'2"	190	Sophomore	Los Angeles, CA	Chattanooga

Recruits

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Torian Lee G	Surrey, BC, Canada	Orangeville Prep	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	158 lb (72 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Berk Can Akin G	Istanbul, Turkey	Ozluce Sinav Koleji	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jovan Jester Jr. G	Pasadena, CA	Pasadena HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)
	Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Tishan Ahir G	La Cañada Flintridge, CA	Crescenta Valley HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	150 lb (68 kg)
	Star ratings: 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
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Torian Lee 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 158 lb (72 kg) Fr Orangeville Prep Surrey, British Columbia, Canada G 2 Justin Hohn 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Tea High School Sioux Falls, South Dakota G 4 Andre Henry 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Saint Francis High School La Cañada Flintridge, California F 5 Ben Egbo 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Perry High School Gilbert, Arizona G 7 Berk Can Akin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Ozluce Sinav Koleji Istanbul, Turkey G 9 Jovan Jester Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Pasadena High School Pasadena, California G 10 Ofure Ujadughele (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Chino Hills High School Long Beach, California F 11 Devin Tillis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr UNLV Los Angeles, California F 14 Kyle Evans 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Colorado State Aliso Viejo, California C 15 Bent Leuchten 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sr Josef-Effner Gymnasium Karlsfeld, Bavaria, Germany G 21 Langston Redfield (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr Capistrano Valley High School Mission Viejo, California G 24 Jurian Dixon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr St. Augustine High School San Diego, California G 27 Tishan Ahir 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Fr Crescenta Valley High School La Cañada Flintridge, California F/C 33 Elijah Chol 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Forsyth Central High School Cumming, Georgia F 43 Akiva McBirney-Griffin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So St John's College, Hamilton Hamilton, New Zealand G 77 Myles Che 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Chattanooga Los Angeles, California	Head coach Russell Turner (Hampden–Sydney) Assistant coach(es) Michael Wilder (UC Irvine) Sean O'Donnell (UC Irvine) Ali Ton (Davidson) Patrick Scully (Oregon) Julius Smith (Jessup) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Vanguard	W 81–58	–	14 – Tied	9 – Tillis	4 – Tied	Bren Events Center (1,375) Irvine, CA
Regular season
November 4, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		Chapman	W 82–52	1–0	19 – Leuchten	7 – Tied	3 – Tied	Bren Events Center (1,862) Irvine, CA
November 8, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Loyola Marymount	W 66–51	2–0	17 – Henry	11 – Leuchten	4 – Tied	Gersten Pavilion (1,144) Los Angeles, CA
November 10, 2024* 11:00 am, ESPN+		at Northern Iowa	W 80–60	3–0	18 – Leuchten	9 – Tillis	3 – Hohn	McLeod Center (3,513) Cedar Falls, IA
November 16, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Pepperdine	W 80–62	4–0	25 – Tillis	15 – Leuchten	4 – High	Bren Events Center (2,123) Irvine, CA
November 22, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Weber State	W 93–87	5–0	29 – Leuchten	11 – Tied	6 – Hohn	Dee Events Center (3,559) Ogden, UT
November 28, 2024* 4:30 pm, ESPN+		vs. Kennesaw State Western Slam	W 76–59	6–0	15 – Tied	6 – Tied	6 – Hohn	Enmax Centre (704) Lethbridge, AB, Canada
November 29, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		vs. Kent State Western Slam	W 51–39	7–0	17 – Leuchten	11 – Tillis	4 – Hohn	Enmax Centre (1,478) Lethbridge, AB, Canada
November 30, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		vs. Towson Western Slam	W 67–60	8–0	25 – Tillis	7 – Tied	4 – Hohn	Enmax Centre (1,603) Lethbridge, AB, Canada
December 5, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Bakersfield	W 82–66	9–0 (1–0)	19 – Hohn	7 – Tied	8 – Hohn	Bren Events Center (2,074) Irvine, CA
December 14, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Oregon State	L 55–67	9–1	10 – Hohn	7 – Tillis	3 – Che	Gill Coliseum (2,740) Corvallis, Oregon
December 19, 2024* 4:30 pm, ESPN+		at Belmont	W 92–84	10–1	23 – Leuchten	15 – Leuchten	4 – Hohn	Curb Event Center (1,732) Nashville, TN
December 21, 2024* 11:30 am, ESPN+		at Duquesne	L 54–70	10–2	9 – Che	7 – Tillis	2 – Tied	UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,010) Pittsburgh, PA
December 30, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at California Baptist	W 71–63	11–2	20 – Leuchten	10 – Leuchten	4 – Che	Fowler Events Center (2,720) Riverside, CA
January 2, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal Poly	W 98–89 ^OT	12–2 (2–0)	25 – Tillis	11 – Leuchten	4 – Tillis	Mott Athletics Center (1,834) San Luis Obispo, CA
January 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		UC Riverside	W 81–57	13–2 (3–0)	17 – Hohn	8 – Tillis	7 – Che	Bren Events Center (3,316) Irvine, CA
January 9, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Northridge	W 77–67	14–2 (4–0)	17 – Leuchten	12 – Leuchten	5 – Hohn	Premier America Credit Union Arena (453) Northridge, CA
January 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU		at UC San Diego	W 60–52	15–2 (5–0)	23 – Leuchten	13 – Leuchten	4 – Che	LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA
January 16, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Fullerton	W 82–62	16–2 (6–0)	21 – Leuchten	11 – Evans	5 – Tied	Bren Events Center (3,106) Irvine, CA
January 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal Poly	W 101–71	17–2 (7–0)	21 – Tillis	8 – Leuchten	6 – Che	Bren Events Center (2,678) Irvine, CA
January 23, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at UC Riverside	L 80–84 ^OT	17–3 (7–1)	20 – Che	12 – Leuchten	3 – Che	SRC Arena (1,479) Riverside, CA
January 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Hawaii	W 71–55	18–3 (8–1)	17 – Che	13 – Tillis	5 – Che	Bren Events Center (3,148) Irvine, CA
January 30, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Long Beach State Black and Blue Rivalry	W 80–75 ^OT	19–3 (9–1)	20 – Che	10 – Leuchten	6 – Hohn	Walter Pyramid (2,012) Long Beach, CA
February 1, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+		UC Davis	W 73–66	20–3 (10–1)	21 – Leuchten	13 – Leuchten	6 – Leuchten	Bren Events Center (2,325) Irvine, CA
February 8, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU		UC San Diego						Bren Events Center  Irvine, CA
February 13, 2025 8:00 pm, ESPNU		UC Santa Barbara						Bren Events Center  Irvine, CA
February 15, 2025 9:00 pm, ESPN+		at Hawaii						Stan Sheriff Center  Honolulu, HI
February 20, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Cal State Northridge						Bren Events Center  Irvine, CA
February 22, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Bakersfield						Icardo Center  Bakersfield, CA
February 27, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Cal State Fullerton						Titan Gym  Fullerton, CA
March 1, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Long Beach State Homecoming						Bren Events Center  Irvine, CA
March 6, 2025 TBA, ESPN+		at UC Davis						University Credit Union Center  Davis, CA
March 8, 2025 TBA, ESPN+		at UC Santa Barbara						The Thunderdome  Santa Barbara, CA
Big West tournament
March 12, 2025 TBA		vs. TBD						Lee's Family Forum  Henderson, NV
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Source[4]

Rankings

See also: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	—	—
Coaches	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV

References

1. "Men's Basketball Ranked No. 1 In CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll; Garners National Attention". UCI Athletics. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
2. "Men's Basketball Announces Addition of Saran". Stanford Cardinal. Stanford University. May 10, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
3. "Welling Brothers Sign with Utah Valley". Utah Valley Wolverines. Utah Valley University. May 7, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
4. "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". University of California, Irvine. Retrieved October 4, 2024.