# 2023–24 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

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.

## 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. 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.
Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| JC Butler | 0 | F | 6'5" | 195 | Senior | Racine, WI | Graduated |
| Dawson Baker | 1 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Junior | Coto de Caza, CA | Transferred to BYU |
| Chazz Hutchison | 5 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Junior | Mission Viejo, CA | Transferred to Southern Utah |
| DJ Davis | 22 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Junior | Moreno Valley, CA | Transferred to Butler |

### 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.
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. On May 2, 2023, 6-foot-4 guard Ben Egbo committed to UCI as a walk-on. On May 11, nationally-ranked guard prospect Jurian Dixon committed to the team. UCI rounded out its recruiting class with a June 13 commitment from Derin Saran, a guard originally from Turkey.
College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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

Source

## 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 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 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 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