2025–26 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

2025–26 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball
2025–26 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball
Conference	Big West Conference
Record	8–5 (2–0 Big West)
Head coach	Russell Turner (16th season);
Assistant coaches	Ali Ton (3rd season); Patrick Scully (2nd season); Julius Smith (2nd season); Nick Booker (1st season); Brady Boznanski (1st season);
Home arena	Bren Events Center; (Capacity: 5,000)

2025–26 Big West Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Hawai'i	2	–	0	1.000	10	–	2	.833
UC Santa Barbara	2	–	0	1.000	8	–	4	.667
UC Irvine	2	–	0	1.000	8	–	5	.615
UC San Diego	1	–	0	1.000	10	–	2	.833
Cal State Northridge	1	–	1	.500	7	–	5	.583
UC Riverside	1	–	1	.500	6	–	7	.462
Cal Poly	1	–	1	.500	5	–	9	.357
UC Davis	0	–	1	.000	6	–	5	.545
Cal State Bakersfield	0	–	2	.000	5	–	8	.385
Cal State Fullerton	0	–	2	.000	5	–	8	.385
Long Beach State	0	–	2	.000	3	–	10	.231

† 2026 Big West tournament winner As of December 21, 2025

The 2025–26 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represents the University of California, Irvine in the 2025–26 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 16th-year head coach Russell Turner.

Previous season

The 2024–25 Anteaters team finished 32–7, including a 17–3 conference record. They were ousted in the Big West tournament final by UC San Diego, losing 61–75. They finished as runner-up in the NIT tournament, losing 84–85 in overtime to Chattanooga.

Offseason

Preseason Polls

The Big West Media Poll was released on October 13, 2025. This is the inaugural media poll for the Big West Conference, conducted by the UCSD Guardian. It was sent out to student journalists and radio broadcasters from other member schools across the conference.^[1] The Big West Coaches' Poll was released on October 16, 2025. This is the second consecutive year UC Irvine is predicted to win the Big West Conference.^[2]

Big West Preseason Media Poll
Place	Team	Points
1	UC Irvine	103 (6)
2	UC Santa Barbara	98 (3)
3	UC San Diego	93 (2)
4	Cal State Northridge	60
5	UC Riverside	59
6	Cal Poly	51
7	UC Davis	50
8	Hawai'i	34
9	Cal State Bakersfield	26
10	Long Beach State	25
11	Cal State Fullerton	6

Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll
Place	Team	Points
1	UC Irvine	98 (8)
2	UC Santa Barbara	93 (3)
3	Hawai'i	76
4	UC San Diego	69
5	Cal State Northridge	63
6	UC Davis	58
7	Cal Poly	54
8	Long Beach State	31
9	UC Riverside	26
10	Cal State Bakersfield	20
11	Cal State Fullerton	17
(#) first-place votes

Departures

Five players from the 2024–25 roster departed Irvine, including three graduates and two transfers. Devin Tillis transferred to Virginia, while Myles Che transferred to UNLV.^[3]^[4]

Departures
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Justin Hohn	2	G	6'2"	190	Graduate	Sioux Falls, SD	Graduated
Ofure Ujadughele	10	G	6'4"	225	Graduate	Long Beach, CA	Graduated
Devin Tillis	11	F	6'7"	225	Redshirt Senior	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred to Virginia^[3]
Bent Leuchten	15	C	7'1"	260	Senior	Karlsfeld, Germany	Graduated
Myles Che	77	G	6'3"	190	Sophomore	Los Angeles, CA	Transferred to UNLV^[4]

Incoming transfers

On May 21, 2025, UC Irvine announced the addition of Derin Saran to the roster, a guard from Istanbul, Turkey, transferring back to UC Irvine after one season with Stanford.^[5] On July 1, 2025, Irvine announced the addition of Harrison Carrington to the roster, a forward from Menlo Park, California, transferring after three seasons with Colorado.^[6]

Incoming transfers
Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Harrison Carrington	2	F	6'7"	207	Redshirt Junior	Menlo Park, CA	Colorado
Derin Saran	13	G	6'5"	190	Redshirt Sophomore	Istanbul, Turkey	Stanford

Recruits

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Bryce Goldman G	Tarzana, CA	Chaminade College Prep	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 13, 2024
Bryce Goldman G	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Tamatoa Isaac G	Christchurch, New Zealand	Christ's College High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	May 20, 2025
Tamatoa Isaac G	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Josh Palmer G	Carson, CA	St. Bernard High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Aug 18, 2025
Josh Palmer G	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Luke Isaak G	Alamo, CA	San Ramon High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Nov 13, 2024
Luke Isaak G	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Nes Emeneke F	Yaoundé, Cameroon	Archbishop Riordan High School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Nov 13, 2024
Nes Emeneke F	Recruit ratings: 247Sports:
Mason Hodges F	San Juan Capistrano, CA	San Juan Hills High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Aug 18, 2025
Mason Hodges F	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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

2025–26 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Bryce Goldman	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Chaminade College Prep	Tarzana, California
G	1	Torian Lee	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	So	Orangeville Prep	Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
F	2	Harrison Carrington	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	RS Jr	Colorado	Menlo Park, California
F/C	3	Elijah Chol	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Jr	Forsyth Central High School	Cumming, Georgia
F	4	Andre Henry	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	GS	Saint Francis High School	La Cañada Flintridge, California
G	5	Ben Egbo	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	RS So	Perry High School	Gilbert, Arizona
G	6	Tamatoa Isaac	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Fr	Christ's College High School	Christchurch, New Zealand
G	7	Josh Palmer	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	St. Bernard High School	Carson, California
G	8	Luke Isaak	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	San Ramon High School	Alamo, California
G	9	Jovan Jester Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Pasadena High School	Pasadena, California
G	13	Derin Saran	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	RS So	Stanford	Istanbul, Turkey
F	14	Kyle Evans	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Sr	Colorado State	Aliso Viejo, California
G	21	Langston Redfield (W)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	GS	Capistrano Valley High School	Mission Viejo, California
F	23	Nes Emeneke	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Fr	Archbishop Riordan High School	Yaoundé, Cameroon
G	24	Jurian Dixon	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS So	St. Augustine High School	San Diego, California
G	27	Tishan Ahir	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	So	Crescenta Valley High School	La Cañada Flintridge, California
F	43	Akiva McBirney-Griffin	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	RS Jr	St John's College, Hamilton	Hamilton, New Zealand
F	55	Mason Hodges	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Fr	San Juan Hills High School	San Juan Capistrano, California

Head coach

Russell Turner (Hampden–Sydney)

Assistant coach(es)

Ali Ton (Davidson)
Patrick Scully (Oregon)
Julius Smith (Jessup)
Nick Booker (Davidson)
Brady Boznanski (Gonzaga)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 12, 2025* 12:00 pm, ESPN+	Arizona State	W 72–68	–	27 – Saran	12 – Evans	5 – Isaac	Bren Events Center (1,422) Irvine, CA
October 28, 2025* 7:00 pm, B1G+	at No. 12 UCLA	L 64–94	–	15 – Saran	4 – Evans	4 – Saran	Pauley Pavilion (4,016) Los Angeles, CA
Regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Bethesda	W 125–49	1–0	22 – Evans	11 – Chol	10 – Isaac	Bren Events Center (1,483) Irvine, CA
November 7, 2025* 7:30 pm, ESPN+	California Baptist	L 61–69	1–1	16 – Tied	8 – Saran	4 – Tied	Bren Events Center (2,360) Irvine, CA
November 10, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Lincoln	W 130–63	2–1	20 – Saran	12 – Saran	10 – Saran	Bren Events Center (1,164) Irvine, CA
November 15, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Weber State	W 79–70	3–1	23 – Dixon	9 – Isaac	4 – McBirney-Griffin	Bren Events Center (1,964) Irvine, CA
November 19, 2025* 5:00 pm, ESPN+	at Utah Valley 2025 Cancun Challenge	L 72–79	3–2	18 – Dixon	10 – Evans	5 – Jester Jr.	UCCU Center (1,374) Orem, UT
November 22, 2025* 7:30 pm, ESPN+	Northern Iowa	L 69–70 ^OT	3–3	29 – Saran	10 – Saran	4 – Saran	Bren Events Center (1,618) Irvine, CA
November 25, 2025* 5:30 pm, ESPN+	vs. New Mexico State 2025 Cancun Challenge	L 45–57	3–4	16 – Saran	6 – Evans	2 – Saran	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya Cancún, Mexico
November 26, 2025* 5:30 pm, ESPN+	vs. South Dakota State 2025 Cancun Challenge	W 64–52	4–4	13 – Dixon	10 – Evans	3 – Saran	Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (400) Cancún, Mexico
November 30, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at San José State	W 72–63	5–4	24 – Saran	7 – Saran	5 – Isaac	Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,382) San José, CA

December 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Riverside Big West Bold Week	W 73–60	6–4 (1–0)	19 – Evans	8 – Evans	7 – Isaac	Bren Events Center (1,441) Irvine, CA
December 6, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Northridge Big West Bold Week	W 85–71	7–4 (2–0)	17 – Saran	16 – Evans	3 – Saran	Bren Events Center (1,652) Irvine, CA

December 19, 2025* 6:00 pm, ESPN+	Belmont	L 58–84	7–5	17 – Dixon	7 – Evans	5 – Isaac	Bren Events Center (1,853) Irvine, CA
December 21, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+	vs. North Dakota State WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational Semifinal	W 74–73	8–5	24 – Evans	9 – Evans	6 – Isaac	Don Haskins Center (467) El Paso, TX
December 22, 2025* TBA, ESPN+	vs. Norfolk State/UTEP WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational						Don Haskins Center El Paso, TX

January 1, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Bakersfield						Icardo Center Bakersfield, CA
January 3, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Fullerton						Titan Gym Fullerton, CA
January 8, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+/SSN	Long Beach State Black and Blue Rivalry						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
January 10, 2026 9:00 pm, ESPN+	at Hawai'i						Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
January 17, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Davis						University Credit Union Center Davis, CA
January 22, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC Riverside						SRC Arena Riverside, CA
January 24, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at UC San Diego						LionTree Arena San Diego, CA
January 29, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Hawai'i						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
February 5, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Bakersfield						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
February 7, 2026 TBA, ESPN+	at UC Santa Barbara						The Thunderdome Santa Barbara, CA
February 12, 2026 TBA, ESPN+	at Cal Poly						Mott Athletics Center San Luis Obispo, CA
February 14, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal State Fullerton						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
February 19, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Long Beach State Black and Blue Rivalry						Walter Pyramid Long Beach, CA
February 21, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+/SSN	UC San Diego						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
February 26, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	at Cal State Northridge						Premier America Credit Union Arena Northridge, CA
February 28, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Santa Barbara Homecoming						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
March 5, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	Cal Poly						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
March 7, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+	UC Davis						Bren Events Center Irvine, CA
Big West tournament
March 11–14, 2026 ESPN+ & ESPNU	vs.						Lee's Family Forum Henderson, NV

*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Source^[7]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** — = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	—	—	—
Coaches	—	—	—

References

^ "UC Irvine (men's), Hawai'i (women's) favorites in inaugural Big West Basketball Preseason Media Poll".
^ "UC Irvine Predicted to Win The Big West in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". bigwest.org. October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
^ ^a ^b https://www.si.com/college/virginia/basketball/devin-tillis-makes-his-jump-back-to-group-of-five-hoops-with-uva-01k60f6q1ba9
^ ^a ^b https://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/4/25/myles-che-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx
^ https://ucirvinesports.com/news/2025/5/21/mens-basketball-derin-saran-returns-to-uc-irvine-for-2025-26-season.aspx#:~:text=%2D%2D%20UC%20Irvine%20men's%20basketball,to%20rehab%20from%20an%20injury.
^ "Forward Harrison Carrington Transfers To UC Irvine". UCI Athletics. University of California, Irvine. July 1, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
^ "UCI Men's Basketball Schedule". UCI Athletics. Retrieved October 6, 2025.

[1] "UC Irvine (men's), Hawai'i (women's) favorites in inaugural Big West Basketball Preseason Media Poll".

[2] "UC Irvine Predicted to Win The Big West in 2025-26 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll". bigwest.org. October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.

[Virginia-3] ttps://www.si.com/college/virginia/basketball/devin-tillis-makes-his-jump-back-to-group-of-five-hoops-with-uva-01k60f6q1ba9

[UNLV-4] ttps://unlvrebels.com/news/2025/4/25/myles-che-to-join-mens-basketball-program.aspx

[5] ttps://ucirvinesports.com/news/2025/5/21/mens-basketball-derin-saran-returns-to-uc-irvine-for-2025-26-season.aspx#:~:text=%2D%2D%20UC%20Irvine%20men's%20basketball,to%20rehab%20from%20an%20injury.

[6] "Forward Harrison Carrington Transfers To UC Irvine". UCI Athletics. University of California, Irvine. July 1, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.

[7] "UCI Men's Basketball Schedule". UCI Athletics. Retrieved October 6, 2025.

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UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball
Venues	Crawford Hall (1965–1987) Bren Events Center (1987–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26