2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represented the University of California, Irvine in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . They played their home games at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California as a member of the Big West Conference . The Anteaters were 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.
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 Thoerner
0
G
6'6"
200
Graduate
Irvine, CA
Tufts
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 : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN :
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 : 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 : 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 : 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
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)
Fr
Asheville School
Istanbul, Turkey
G
2
Justin Hohn
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
RS Sr
Tea High School
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
G
3
Pierre Crockrell II
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Sr
Pacific
Tacoma, Washington
G
4
Andre Henry
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Sr
Saint Francis High School
La Cañada Flintridge, California
F
5
Ben Egbo
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Fr
Perry High School
Chandler, Arizona
G
10
Ofure Ujadughele (W)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
RS Sr
Chino Hills High School
Chino Hills, California
F
11
Devin Tillis
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
RS Jr
UNLV
Los Angeles, California
F
13
Hayden Welling
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
So
Corner Canyon High School
Draper, Utah
C
15
Bent Leuchten
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
258 lb (117 kg)
Jr
Josef-Effner Gymnasium
Karlsfeld , Bavaria , Germany
G
21
Langston Redfield (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
RS So
Capistrano Valley High School
Mission Viejo, California
F
22
Carter Welling
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Fr
Corner Canyon High School
Draper, Utah
G/F
23
Emilis Butkus
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
So
International Basketball Academy Munich
Vilnius, Lithuania
G
24
Jurian Dixon
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
Fr
St. Augustine High School
San Diego, California
F
31
Dean Keeler (W)
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
Sr
Marina High School
Westminster, California
F/C
33
Eli Chol
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
So
Forsyth Central High School
Cumming, Georgia
F
43
Akiva McBirney-Griffin
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
RS So
St 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 –
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 –
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 –
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 –
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 –
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 –
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 –
5 –
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 –
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
W 76–65
13–5 (6–0)
18 – Henry
9 – Tillis
5 – Hohn
Bren Events Center (3,108)Irvine, CA
January 20, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UC Davis
L 52–54
13–6 (6–1)
12 – Henry
8 – Keeler
7 – Crockrell II
University Credit Union Center (2,153)Davis, CA
January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Long Beach State Black & Blue Rivalry
W 72–61
14–6 (7–1)
13 – Thoerner
6 –
11 – Crockrell II
Walter Pyramid (3,024)Long Beach, CA
January 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
CSUN
W 77–72
15–6 (8–1)
22 – Hohn
14 – Keeler
4 – Tillis
Bren Events Center (3,441)Irvine, CA
February 1, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU Wildcard , ESPN+
at Cal Poly
W 73–59
16–6 (9–1)
17 – Saran
9 –
7 – Crockrell II
Mott Athletics Center (1,097)San Luis Obispo, CA
February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Hawai'i
W 93–68
17–6 (10–1)
15 – Leuchten
7 – Welling
7 – Crockrell II
Bren Events Center (3,042)Irvine, CA
February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UC Santa Barbara
W 76–61
18–6 (11–1)
14 – Crockrell II
8 – Welling
7 – Crockrell II
The Thunderdome (1,992)Santa Barbara, CA
February 10, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UC Riverside
L 78–88
18–7 (11–2)
14 –
6 –
5 – Crockrell II
SRC Arena (607)Riverside, CA
February 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal State Bakersfield
W 77–71
19–7 (12–2)
14 – Leuchten
9 – Tillis
7 – Crockrell II
Bren Events Center (2,129)Irvine, CA
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPNU Wildcard, ESPN+
UC Santa Barbara
W 81–69
20–7 (13–2)
19 – Hohn
8 – Tillis
5 – Crockrell II
Bren Events Center (3,272)Irivne, CA
February 24, 2024 1:00 p.m., SNLA ESPN+
at UC San Diego
L 88–92 OT
20–8 (13–3)
18 – Henry
8 – Tillis
4 – Tillis
LionTree Arena (1,864)La Jolla, CA
February 29, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at CSUN
W 89–64
21–8 (14–3)
16 – Leuchten
8 – Keeler
11 – Crockrell II
Premier America Credit Union Arena (542)Northridge, CA
March 2, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 Wildcard , ESPN+
Long Beach State Black & Blue Rivalry
W 82–61
22–8 (15–3)
13 – Hohn
8 – Saran
11 – Crockrell II
Bren Events Center (4,799)Irvine, CA
March 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Cal Poly
W 82–68
23–8 (16–3)
16 – Henry
5 – Leuchten
11 – Crockrell II
Bren Events Center (2,785)Irvine, CA
March 9, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Cal State Fullerton
W 81–71
24–8 (17–3)
17 – Leuchten
10 – Tillis
3 – Crockrell II
Titan Gym (1,076)Fullerton, CA
Big West tournament
March 15, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+
(1)
vs. (4) Long Beach State Semifinals
L 79–83
24–9
19 – Hohn
9 – Leuchten
9 – Crockrell II
Dollar Loan Center Henderson, NV
National Invitation Tournament
March 19, 2024 *7:00 p.m., ESPN2
at (2) Utah First Round - Villanova Bracket
L 75–84
24–10
16 – Saran
7 – Tillis
5 – Crockrell II
Jon M. Huntsman Center (3,137)Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
Source[ 13]
References
^ "MEN'S BASKETBALL 2023 SEASON REVIEW" . University of California, Irvine . Retrieved August 3, 2023 .
^ Arritt, Dan (May 16, 2023). "Big West basketball coaches feeling transfer portal frustrations" . Orange County Register . Southern California News Group. Retrieved September 26, 2023 .
^ "2022-23 Men's Basketball Cumulative Statistics" . UCI Athletics . Retrieved September 26, 2023 .
^ Lundquist, Casey (May 1, 2023). "BYU Basketball Adds Scoring in UC-Irvine Transfer Dawson Baker" . FanNation . Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 26, 2023 .
^ Haynie, Parker (July 12, 2023). "Men's Basketball Inks Three More Recruits" . Southern Utah University . Retrieved October 6, 2023 .
^ 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 .
^ "Men's Basketball Adds Dylan Thoerner To 2023-24 Squad" . UCI Athletics . University of California, Irvine. August 3, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023 .
^ "Carter Welling - Men's Basketball" . UCI Athletics . University of California, Irvine. Retrieved November 15, 2023 .
^ Ray, Anthony (May 2, 2023). "Ben Egbo Gives BIG Commitment To UC-Irvine" . Arizona Preps . Retrieved November 15, 2023 .
^ 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 .
^ Huber, Zachary (June 13, 2023). "Asheville School boys basketball star Derin Saran commits to UC Irvine" . Asheville Citizen-Times . Gannett. Retrieved November 15, 2023 .
^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Roster" . University of California, Irvine . Retrieved August 3, 2023 .
^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule" . University of California, Irvine . Retrieved August 3, 2023 .