Big West: 2014-2015 UC Irvine Men’s Basketball Preview

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.