Is UC Irvine still the team to beat?

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team has won or shared seven of the past 11 Big West Conference regular-season titles and the Anteaters appear to have the team to beat again this season.

UCI is off to its best start in 44 years after winning its first eight nonconference games. The Anteaters are the only unbeaten team in California and own the nation’s longest winning streak.

Big West coaches seem to agree, as eight of 11 picked UCI to defend its title again this season in the annual preseason poll.

The Anteaters will get an opportunity to test themselves against a conference foe earlier than usual when they host Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday night.

The conference is trying a new strategy this season by scheduling five early Big West matchups on Thursday and Saturday before conference play resumes in early January.

Here’s the outlook for the five teams from the area:

UC IRVINE

Coach: Russell Turner, 15th season

2024 record: 8-0

Last season: 24-9 overall, 17-3 in conference (lost to Long Beach State in a Big West Tournament semifinal)

First conference game: Thursday, vs. Cal State Bakersfield (7 p.m.)

Top players: The Anteaters returned four of their top five scorers from last season, led by point guard Justin Hohn, who averaged a team-leading 12.6 points last season while earning All-Big West second-team honors. He’s joined in the backcourt again by Andre Henry, who was second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points last season. Versatile Devin Tillis returns as an undersized power forward who led the team at 6.1 rebounds a game, and 7-foot-1 Bent Leuchten is a three-year starter who is capable of averaging double figures in points and rebounds.

What we know so far: The Anteaters went 3-0 at the Western Slam in Alberta, Canada over Thanksgiving Weekend, beating Kennesaw State, Kent State and Towson. UCI moved to the top of the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll for the first time ever on Monday. UCI collected 19 first-place votes, followed by Gonzaga (7-1) with 11 points and Saint Mary’s (7-1) with one. UCI’s unbeaten streak will likely get its biggest test this month on Dec. 14 at Oregon State.

Key stats: The Anteaters have held six of their eight opponents to 60 points or less. Leuchten (9.0) and Tillis (8.3) rank second and third in the Big West in rebounding.

Coach’s quote: “They feel like they have some unfinished business and a chance to leave a mark on this community. We’ve made the NCAA Tournament as a program a couple of times, but none of these guys have made it.” – Turner

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

Coach: Andy Newman, second season

2024 record: 6-2

Last season: 19-15 overall, 9-11 in conference (lost to Hawaii in a Big West Tournament quarterfinal)

First conference game: Thursday, vs. UC Riverside (7 p.m.)

Top players: Keonte Jones was third on the team in scoring last season at 11.4 ppg last season, and the 6-foot-6 small forward is averaging 15.6 ppg and 9.1 rebounds so far this season as he looks to lead the Matadors. Scotty Washington transferred in from Cal Baptist, where the former St. John Bosco star shot 39.7% from 3-point range last season, and is averaging 13 ppg. Jordan Brinson had moved into a starting role at point guard last season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury against Long Beach State on Dec. 30. The former Westchester High star has provided a noticeable boost off the bench so far this season.

What we know so far: The Matadors have matched their best start since the 2012-13 season. Marcus Adams Jr. played just one game at BYU last season, but the 6-8 forward once had a 50-point, 21-rebound performance as a senior at Narbonne High. He’s been better than advertised so far, averaging 16 points and 5.6 rebounds through the first eight games. He delivered 21 points and seven rebounds off the bench in a difficult 72-69 overtime win at Montana State last Saturday.

Key stats: Jones has reached double figures in points and rebounds in four of eight games this season after producing five double-doubles last season.

Coach’s quote: “It’s really cool to see the excitement back surrounding men’s basketball here at Cal State Northridge. It’s such a good school with great tradition.” – Newman

UC RIVERSIDE

Coach: Mike Magpayo, fifth season

2024 record: 4-4

Last season: 16-18 overall, 10-10 in conference (lost to Long Beach State in a Big West Tournament quarterfinal)

First conference game: Thursday, at Cal State Northridge (7 p.m.)

Top players: The Matadors return their top three scorers from last season, led by point guard Barrington Hargress, who averaged 12.6 points and was second in the Big West at 4.5 assists per game. Isaiah Moses was the other UCR player to average double figures in scoring last season (12.2), highlighted by his eight made 3-pointers in a win against CSUN. Nate Pickens also returns after starting 22 games in the backcourt last season.

What we know so far: The Highlanders jumped into the fire with season-opening games at Oregon and BYU. They lost those two games, but the experience seemed to prepare UCR for its road test at Colorado State on Nov. 22 and the Highlanders escaped with an overtime win.

Key stats: Hargress is proving to be one of the early favorites for Big West Player of the Year. He’s second in the conference in scoring (18.8 ppg) and leads in assists (4.3).

Coach’s quote: “We want to make some magic happen at a place that hadn’t had that before we got here. Six years ago, one winning season in 18 years, but these guys stick around because they want to make the Big Dance, and there’s something really rewarding about building it from the ground up.” – Magpayo

CAL STATE FULLERTON

Coach: Dedrique Taylor, 12th season

2024 record: 2-6

Last season: 14-18 overall, 7-13 in conference (did not qualify for the Big West Tournament)

First conference game: Thursday, vs Long Beach State (7 p.m.)

Top players: The Titans lost four of their top five scorers from last season to eligibility or another program, leaving shooting guard Donovan Oday as the top returner at 7.1 ppg. John Mikey Square has improved significantly since transferring from Farleigh Dickenson three years ago. He started 29 games as an undersized power forward last season and shot 59.4% from the floor.

What we know so far: The Titans dropped their first four games, but a one-point win against visiting Idaho State on Nov. 18 seemed to give them the confidence to hold on for a 72-63 win at Pepperdine eight days later. Fullerton could make even more noise if a few of its transfers get hot. Kaleb Brown never got into the rotation the past three seasons at Missouri, but the 6-7 wing has seen starter’s minutes off the bench for Fullerton.

Key stats: Kendrick De Luna, a 6-10 sophomore forward who averaged 1.4 points in 11.9 minutes for the Titans last season, produced career highs in scoring the past two games, totaling eight points against Pepperdine and 10 points in a 64-55 loss at Pacific on Saturday.

Coach’s quote: “We’re going to have to play the game differently than we did my first 11 years here, based on who we are and our personnel. Some things are now different. We’re not as ball-screen heavy, nor as spacing-driven. We’re now the opposite of those things, but it caters to our personnel in terms of our size and our ability.” – Taylor

LONG BEACH STATE

Coach: Chris Acker, first season

2024 record: 1-8

Last season: 21-4 overall, 10-10 in conference (won the Big West Tournament, lost to Arizona in first round of NCAA Tournament)

First conference game: Thursday, at Cal State Fullerton (7 p.m.)

Top players: Devin Askew transferred in from Cal after two injury-plagued seasons and is the most high-profile player on a program that is rebuilding under Acker. Askew was a former top-ranked high school point guard at Mater Dei who graduated early so he could start for Kentucky as a freshman in the 2020-21 season. He spent one season with the Wildcats before transferring to Texas for another season and then on to Cal. T.J. Wainwright arrived from Robert Morris, where he averaged 10 ppg in his second of two seasons with the Colonials.