# 2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

The 2024–25 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represents the University of California, Irvine in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They play their home games at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California as a member of the Big West Conference. The Anteaters are led by 15th-year head coach Russell Turner.
This year the Anteaters matched their best start since the 1980–81 season, as both teams won nine straight to open the season. This year, the Anteaters also have won the most games on the road in team history during the regular season (14), and lead the nation with that number. Conference champion UCSD is tied for second in the nation following the regular season at 12 road wins.
This year marks the first time in program history where the Anteaters have been ranked number one in the Mid-Major College Basketball Insider Poll. Additionally, not only has UC Irvine received votes in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll for multiple weeks this year, but came in at twenty-four for the first NCAA NET Rankings of the 2024-25 season, the highest ranking in program history.

## Previous season

The 2023–24 Anteaters team finished 24–10, including a 17–3 conference record. They were ousted in the Big West Tournament by Long Beach State, losing 79-83.

## Offseason
### Departures

Six players from the 2023–24 roster departed Irvine, including three graduates and three transfers. Derin Saran transferred to Stanford, while brothers Hayden and Carter Welling transferred to Utah Valley.
Departures :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Dylan Thoerner | 0 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Graduate | Irvine, CA | Graduated |
| Derin Saran | 1 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Freshman | Istanbul, Turkey | Transferred to Stanford |
| Pierre Crockrell II | 3 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Fifth-year | Tacoma, WA | Graduated |
| Hayden Welling | 13 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Sophomore | Draper, UT | Transferred to Utah Valley |
| Carter Welling | 22 | F | 6'10" | 225 | Freshman | Draper, UT | Transferred to Utah Valley |
| Dean Keeler | 31 | F | 6'11" | 240 | Fifth-year | Westminster, CA | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

On July 19, 2024, Irvine announced the addition of Kyle Evans to the roster, a forward from Aliso Viejo, California, transferring after two seasons with Colorado State. Irvine had previously recruited Evans out of high school. On July 24, the team announced the addition of Myles Che, a guard from Los Angeles who spent his freshman year at Chattanooga. Head coach Russell Turner stated that Che was Irvine's highest-priority guard target on the transfer market.
Incoming transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kyle Evans | 14 | F | 6'10" | 215 | Junior | Aliso Viejo, CA | Colorado State |
| Myles Che | 77 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Sophomore | Los Angeles, CA | Chattanooga |

### Recruits

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Torian Lee G | Surrey, BC, Canada | Orangeville Prep | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 158 lb (72 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Berk Can Akin G | Istanbul, Turkey | Ozluce Sinav Koleji | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Jovan Jester Jr. G | Pasadena, CA | Pasadena HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Tishan Ahir G | La Cañada Flintridge, CA | Crescenta Valley HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) |
| 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: ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Vanguard | W 81–58 | – | 14 – Tied | 9 – Tillis | 4 – Tied | Bren Events Center (1,375) Irvine, CA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Chapman | W 82–52 | 1–0 | 19 – Leuchten | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Bren Events Center (1,862) Irvine, CA |
| November 8, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Loyola Marymount | W 66–51 | 2–0 | 17 – Henry | 11 – Leuchten | 4 – Tied | Gersten Pavilion (1,144) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 10, 2024* 11:00 am, ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | W 80–60 | 3–0 | 18 – Leuchten | 9 – Tillis | 3 – Hohn | McLeod Center (3,513) Cedar Falls, IA |
| November 16, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Pepperdine | W 80–62 | 4–0 | 25 – Tillis | 15 – Leuchten | 4 – High | Bren Events Center (2,123) Irvine, CA |
| November 22, 2024* 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Weber State | W 93–87 | 5–0 | 29 – Leuchten | 11 – Tied | 6 – Hohn | Dee Events Center (3,559) Ogden, UT |
| November 28, 2024* 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Kennesaw State Western Slam | W 76–59 | 6–0 | 15 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 6 – Hohn | Enmax Centre (704) Lethbridge, AB, Canada |
| November 29, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Kent State Western Slam | W 51–39 | 7–0 | 17 – Leuchten | 11 – Tillis | 4 – Hohn | Enmax Centre (1,478) Lethbridge, AB, Canada |
| November 30, 2024* 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | vs. Towson Western Slam | W 67–60 | 8–0 | 25 – Tillis | 7 – Tied | 4 – Hohn | Enmax Centre (1,603) Lethbridge, AB, Canada |
| December 5, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cal State Bakersfield | W 82–66 | 9–0 (1–0) | 19 – Hohn | 7 – Tied | 8 – Hohn | Bren Events Center (2,074) Irvine, CA |
| December 14, 2024* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Oregon State | L 55–67 | 9–1 | 10 – Hohn | 7 – Tillis | 3 – Che | Gill Coliseum (2,740) Corvallis, Oregon |
| December 19, 2024* 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Belmont | W 92–84 | 10–1 | 23 – Leuchten | 15 – Leuchten | 4 – Hohn | Curb Event Center (1,732) Nashville, TN |
| December 21, 2024* 11:30 am, ESPN+ | | at Duquesne | L 54–70 | 10–2 | 9 – Che | 7 – Tillis | 2 – Tied | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,010) Pittsburgh, PA |
| December 30, 2024* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at California Baptist | W 71–63 | 11–2 | 20 – Leuchten | 10 – Leuchten | 4 – Che | Fowler Events Center (2,720) Riverside, CA |
| January 2, 2025 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cal Poly | W 98–89 $^{OT}$ | 12–2 (2–0) | 25 – Tillis | 11 – Leuchten | 4 – Tillis | Mott Athletics Center (1,834) San Luis Obispo, CA |
| January 4, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UC Riverside | W 81–57 | 13–2 (3–0) | 17 – Hohn | 8 – Tillis | 7 – Che | Bren Events Center (3,316) Irvine, CA |
| January 9, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cal State Northridge | W 77–67 | 14–2 (4–0) | 17 – Leuchten | 12 – Leuchten | 5 – Hohn | Premier America Credit Union Arena (453) Northridge, CA |
| January 11, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at UC San Diego | W 60–52 | 15–2 (5–0) | 23 – Leuchten | 13 – Leuchten | 4 – Che | LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA |
| January 16, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cal State Fullerton | W 82–62 | 16–2 (6–0) | 21 – Leuchten | 11 – Evans | 5 – Tied | Bren Events Center (3,106) Irvine, CA |
| January 18, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cal Poly | W 101–71 | 17–2 (7–0) | 21 – Tillis | 8 – Leuchten | 6 – Che | Bren Events Center (2,678) Irvine, CA |
| January 23, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UC Riverside | L 80–84 $^{OT}$ | 17–3 (7–1) | 20 – Che | 12 – Leuchten | 3 – Che | SRC Arena (1,479) Riverside, CA |
| January 25, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Hawaii | W 71–55 | 18–3 (8–1) | 17 – Che | 13 – Tillis | 5 – Che | Bren Events Center (3,148) Irvine, CA |
| January 30, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Long Beach State Black and Blue Rivalry | W 80–75 $^{OT}$ | 19–3 (9–1) | 20 – Che | 10 – Leuchten | 6 – Hohn | Walter Pyramid (2,012) Long Beach, CA |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | UC Davis | W 73–66 | 20–3 (10–1) | 21 – Leuchten | 13 – Leuchten | 6 – Leuchten | Bren Events Center (2,325) Irvine, CA |
| February 8, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | UC San Diego | L 67–85 | 20–4 (10–2) | 23 – Leuchten | 9 – Tillis | 4 – Tillis | Bren Events Center (5,000) Irvine, CA |
| February 13, 2025 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | UC Santa Barbara | W 62–60 | 21–4 (11–2) | 22 – Tillis | 8 – Tillis | 4 – Tied | Bren Events Center (2,781) Irvine, CA |
| February 15, 2025 9:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Hawaii | W 66–49 | 22–4 (12–2) | 21 – Leuchten | 7 – Leuchten | 4 – Hohn | Stan Sheriff Center (5,475) Honolulu, HI |
| February 20, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Cal State Northridge | L 72–84 | 22–5 (12–3) | 20 – Lee | 6 – Tillis | 6 – Hohn | Bren Events Center (2,540) Irvine, CA |
| February 22, 2025 6:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cal State Bakersfield | W 73–64 | 23–5 (13–3) | 16 – Dixon | 11 – Leuchten | 5 – Dixon | Icardo Center (1,351) Bakersfield, CA |
| February 27, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Cal State Fullerton | W 76–51 | 24–5 (14–3) | 21 – Dixon | 10 – Leuchten | 5 – Che | Titan Gym (1,013) Fullerton, CA |
| March 1, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Long Beach State Homecoming | W 70–60 | 25–5 (15–3) | 19 – Che | 12 – Leuchten | 5 – Tillis | Bren Events Center (4,722) Irvine, CA |
| March 6, 2025 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UC Davis | W 88–59 | 26–5 (16–3) | 31 – Che | 12 – Leuchten | 5 – Ujadughele | University Credit Union Center (2,472) Davis, CA |
| March 8, 2025 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UC Santa Barbara | W 97–88 | 27–5 (17–3) | 23 – Dixon | 10 – Leuchten | 9 – Hohn | The Thunderdome (2,903) Santa Barbara, CA |
| Big West tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2025 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | vs. (7) Cal Poly Semifinals | W 96–78 | 28–5 | 21 – Leuchten | 10 – Leuchten | 6 – Tillis | Lee's Family Forum (2,006) Henderson, NV |
| March 15, 2025 6:40 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | vs. (1) UC San Diego Championship | L 61–75 | 28–6 | 18 – Hohn | 7 – Tied | 8 – Tillis | Lee's Family Forum (2,632) Henderson, NV |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (1) | Northern Colorado First round | | | | | | Bren Events Center Irvine, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | |

## Awards and honors
### Regular season

Weekly honors :
| Honors | Player | Position | Date awarded | Ref. |
| Big West Player of the Week | Bent Leuchten | C | January 13, 2025 | |

### Postseason

All five of Irvine's regular starters received varying conference honors, with Bent Leuchten earning a first-team selection at center and Jurian Dixon being named the freshman of the year after redshirting in his first season with the Anteaters.
Postseason honors :
| Honors | Honoree |
| Big West Freshman of the Year | Jurian Dixon |
| All-Big West First Team | Bent Leuchten |
| All-Big West Second Team | Devin Tillis |
| All-Big West Honorable Mention | Myles Che |
| All-Big West Honorable Mention | Justin Hohn |