UC Irvine crushed the Chapman Panthers 87 to 36 on Friday night, opening up the regular season with their first win of the season. The lopsided affair was expected, given that Chapman is a Division III program.

It was inevitable after looking at the height difference that Chapman was going to be outmatched by UC Irvine. Chapman’s tallest player, John Joyce, stood at 6’8”. UC Irvine’s Mamadou Ndiaye was a modest 7’6”. Simply put, the Panthers could not match up against the Anteaters’ height, athleticism, and defense.

Mike Best (No. 33) swats emphatically to preserve Irvine’s enormous lead in the second half.  By Albert Halim

Despite the uneven matchup, the game had a slow start as both teams struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the opening four and a half minutes, with the scores tied at five apiece. It was only a matter of time until the Anteaters would blow the lid open and pull the game away. After struggling to find an opening on the offensive end, Irvine’s coach Russell Turner subbed out Ndiaye for his senior center, John Ryan with 15:32 left in the first half.

After the senior’s introduction, the Anteaters never looked back, going on an 18-0 in ten minutes. Ryan’s ability to run the floor opened up space on the offensive end as Luke Nelson hit two three-pointers in that period while Ryan scored 6 points. The first half ended 40 – 16 in Irvine’s favor as the ‘Eaters shot a torrid 63% from the field while Chapman only converted 20% of their baskets.

Mamadou Ndiaye’s (No. 34) offensive skillset is limited to reaching over opponents and dunking the basketball, but his defense makes him a valuable asset to the team. By Albert Halim

Irvine continued their torrid scoring in the second half, forcing eight turnovers in the opening five minutes to go on a 17-2 run. The offense never slowed down throughout the second half and unlike last week’s exhibition match against Simon Fraser, the Anteaters maintained their intensity even when their reserves stepped onto the court. By the sound of the buzzer, Irvine held Chapman to 28% shooting in the second half while making 72% of their field goals.

Sophomore, Luke Nelson led UCI in scoring with 18 points, going 7-9 from the field. John Ryan contributed 14 points off the bench with his 6-7 shooting and compiled four blocks. Guard Colin Zavrsnick scored a team-high 10 points for Chapman, but shot an inefficient 3-11 from the field. Irvine will face their first Division I program on November 15, as they face the University of Pacific at home.

Game Notes

The Number 1 Center?

On paper it looks like Mamadou Ndiaye, due to obvious reasons, but John Ryan presents a strong argument. Ndiaye’s key asset is his defense. Aside from his height and length, Mamadou has the awareness and intelligence to make the most out of his defensive range. His ability to cover the paint on his own gives the team the luxury to switch and tamper with a 2-3 and 1-4 zone. Guards can freely go for steals, knowing that Ndiaye will back them up. UC Irvine nabbed four steals in the second half.

Yet, Ndiaye’s offense leaves much to be desired. He looked uncomfortable in the post, despite being matched up against a 6’8” center. Moreover, his lack of mobility makes it difficult to run pick-and-rolls while his poor midrange game allows opponents to slack off him when he’s outside the paint. UC Irvine’s halfcourt sets looked stagnant as Ndiaye’s presence led the defense to clog the paint, thus limiting the Anteater’s ball movement.

John Ryan has a more versatile skillset than Ndiaye, changing the pace from the bench. Photo taken by Albert Halim

Ryan may not be an amazing shot blocker like Ndiaye, but he does get the job done on defense. Moreover, unlike Ndiaye, he can run the floor, set screens, and cut through the paint. Ryan’s movement does spread out the opposing defense and gives his teammates plenty of space to find penetration or an open shot.

While figuring out who should be the main starter is up for debate, coach Turner is pleased to have two centers who can change the tempo to his disposal.

The Earl of Buckets

Luke Nelson’s performance should be taken with a grain of salt, but his confidence and composure when he took contested shots must be noted. Coach Turner asked Nelson to step up as the primary weapon on offense this season, and it looks like he is taking that role to heart. His highlight of the night was a slight hesitation move from the perimeter that caused his defender to slip on the floor, giving Nelson an open three for the splash.

What Does This Game Prove?

Friday’s opener could only be summed up as a confidence booster for UC Irvine. The fact that their opponents were no match physically is already enough reason to explain why UC Irvine won at such a giant margin. While Irvine did flash some skill, it would be nice to see how they’d fare against a school who could match them physically. Sunday’s match against the University of the Pacific will do just the trick.

7’6″ Mamadou Ndiaye will continue where he left off, anchoring UC Irvine’s defense and shutting down the lane. By Owen Main

Last season was supposed to be UC Irvine’s year. The stars were aligned for the Anteaters to take control of the Big West Conference and enter the NCAA tournament for the first time school history. The Anteaters led the Big West in defense thanks to their shot blockers, 6’8″ Will Davis III and 7’6” freshman Mamadou Ndiaye. Along with now-graduated leading scorer Chris McNealy, Irvine featured the 2013 and 2014 Big West freshman of the year Alex Young and Luke Nelson in their starting backcourt, which was talented enough to take the Big West regular season title. However, the team collapsed before the hot-shooting Cal Poly in the Big West Tournament final, leaving the Eaters to settle with an NIT tournament birth.

UC Irvine kept up with Larry Brown’s SMU Mustangs in the first half of their opening NIT tournament game, but the Mustangs’ efficient scoring and rebounding proved to be too much for UCI to handle as SMU pulled the game away in the second half for a 68-54 victory.

Gone: Chris McNealy (Graduated), Ege Mala (transferred to Amherst College), Conor Clifford (transferred to Saddleback College)

New Additions: Jonathan Galloway (Freshman; PF; Salesian High School), Spencer Rivers (Freshman; PG; Winter Park HS), Haroldas Saprykinas (Freshman; G; West Oaks Academy)

Coach Turner is expected to take UC Irvine where it hasn’t gone before; to the NCAA tournament. By Owen Main

High Expectations: The Anteaters have never made an NCAA Tournament appearance, but Sports Illustrated pegged UC Irvine to enter the NCAA tournament for the first time as a thirteenth seed this season. NBC Sports listed them as one of the “Ten Possible Cinderellas” and there is a good reason why UC Irvine fans should be optimistic coming into this season.

“We’re more experienced and hopefully more mature. We learned a lot of lessons along the way with the seasons of college basketball the guys on this team accumulated,” said head coach Russell Turner.

The talent on this squad stands out amongst their opponents in the Big West, but their biggest strength in their continuity. No chemistry is lost as four of last season’s starters will return to bring back one of the top defenses in the nation.

“Last year we had one senior, this year we have three,” head coach, Russell Turner commented. “Last year we started two freshmen so those guys have a full year of experience and a full offseason of improvement. I feel like the offseason improvement this team has made is significant. Most of the improvement is individual, but I think our team will be better too because we have some continuity.”

Alex Young and Luke Nelson played together for Great Britain in the FIBA U-21 Europe Championship, which has allowed the two to build confidence and chemistry as they faced the best young talent in Europe. Will Davis III has been working on his midrange jumper and face-up game to help space the floor for Mamadou Ndiaye, while the 7’6” sophomore has added more muscle to his already giant frame.

In addition to their returning starters, the Eaters’ other key strength is their front court rotation. Senior John Ryan could fill in for Ndiaye with his burly 6’ 10” frame while freshman power forward Jonathan Galloway can bring energy and athleticism off the bench.

Sophomore Luke Nelson has shown potential to be a leading scorer for UC Irvine last season. The team will need him to be assertive on the offensive end this season. Photo courtesy of UC Irvine Men’s Basketball Facebook Page

Concerns: One glaring issue last season was the number of turnovers from Luke Nelson, Alex Young, and Mamadou Ndiaye. While Young’s turnover total (70 in 2013-2014 season) has remained the same the last two seasons, Nelson must protect the ball better as he accepts a larger role on the offensive end. Ndiaye had trouble keeping possession in the post, let alone putting the ball on the ground, given his underwhelming hand-eye coordination. This is likely the reason why the team don’t go to him as a primary option in the post despite his height.

Irvine will need to make major improvements on the offensive end. Although the ball distribution is evened out among all positions, the Anteaters struggled with a lack of go-to scorer during offensive lapses. While Will Davis is doing what he can to space out the floor with a midrange jumper, Coach Turner will need Luke Nelson to make a major leap in shouldering the offensive load. When his team goes through a scoring drought, Nelson must be confident in his shot-creating abilities to keep his team in the game.

The Eaters also struggled at making their free throws last season, an issue that has plagued their offense in close games. The four returning starters shot a combined 61.5% from the charity stripe last season, making two free shots look anything but automatic. This will be a problem for a team that struggles with stagnant lapses on the offensive end.

Schedule: UC Irvine boasts an intriguing pre-conference schedule heading into this season, which includes Arizona and Oregon. Sports Illustrated projects Arizona to finish runner-up in the NCAA Tournament this season due to their athletic wing players and a much-hyped freshman named Stanley Johnson. UCI has the toughness and experience to be a challenging matchup for the Wildcats, and will do all they can generate a lot of buzz around their mid-major program.

“No matter if they’re the number one team in the nation or a D-2 school, we still come with the same attitude that we’re going to win the game,” said Davis regarding the schedule. “When we play a team like Arizona or Oregon, I feel like that pumps us up and brings out a better performance from all the players.”

The Anteaters cannot afford to underestimate the Big West Conference. Irvine certainly learned their lesson after losing to Cal Poly, a team that finished 6-10 in the Big West Conference, in the Big West Tournament final. Although it’s unlikely that Cal Poly will repeat their Cinderella run, the Anteaters still should be on their toes. Cal State Northridge have improved under head coach Reggie Theus while both UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State retained their leading scorers.

The Anteaters know they cannot take the season for granted and will look to march to the tournament one game at a time.

“We can’t look straight into the postseason and take it one game at a time,” Davis commented. “Especially for us seniors, me, John Ryan, and Travis (Souza), we just need to live in the moment because every game is just one less game left for us in final season.”

Prediction: This is a focused UC Irvine team that will find ways to win games, whether it’s by grinding it out on the defensive end, going to the post, or relying on streaky shooting from the perimeter. This team is versatile, which is good enough to take the Big West regular season and tournament title. The Anteaters will enter the NCAA tournament for the first time this season.