# 1997–98 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team

The 1997–98 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team represented the University of California, Irvine during the 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Anteaters were led by 1st year head coach Pat Douglass and played at the Bren Events Center and were members of the Big West Conference.

## Previous season

The 1996–97 UC Irvine Anteaters men's basketball team finished the season with a record of 1–25 and 1–15 in Big West play, the worst record in program history. At the end of the season, head coach Rod Baker did not have his contract renewed. On March 27, 1997, Cal State Bakersfield head coach Pat Douglass was announced as the seventh head coach in program history.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-Conference Season ||||||
| November 15, 1997* | San Francisco | L 59–75 | 0–1 | Bren Events Center (1,813) Irvine, CA |
| November 18, 1997* | Pepperdine | L 46–50 | 0–2 | Bren Events Center (2,268) Irvine, CA |
| November 21, 1997* | Chico State | W 74–66 | 1–2 | Bren Events Center (1,110) Irvine, CA |
| November 29, 1997* | at No. 16 Utah | L 45–83 | 1–3 | Jon M. Huntsman Center (12,921) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 4, 1997* | Oregon State | L 43–65 | 1–4 | Bren Events Center (1,182) Irvine, CA |
| December 13, 1997* | San Diego State | L 66–69 | 1–5 | Bren Events Center (1,043) Irvine, CA |
| December 18, 1997* | Portland | W 67–61 | 2–5 | Bren Events Center (708) Irvine, CA |
| December 21, 1997* | at Northern Arizona | L 56–88 | 2–6 | Walkup Skydome (1,005) Flagstaff, AZ |
| December 23, 1997* | at UNLV | L 55–77 | 2–7 | Thomas & Mack Center (12,913) Paradise, NV |
| January 3, 1998* | Sonoma State | W 51–41 | 3–7 | Bren Events Center (724) Irvine, CA |
| Conference Season ||||||
| January 8, 1998 | at North Texas | L 78–89 | 3–8 (0–1) | Super Pit (1,308) Denton, TX |
| January 10, 1998 | at New Mexico State | W 62–55 | 4–8 (1–1) | Pan American Center (8,738) Las Cruces, NM |
| January 15, 1998 | Boise State | W 65–63 | 5–8 (2–1) | Bren Events Center (1,514) Irvine, CA |
| January 17, 1998 | Idaho | W 62–50 | 6–8 (3–1) | Bren Events Center (1,785) Irvine, CA |
| January 22, 1998 | at Pacific | L 63–72 | 6–9 (3–2) | Alex G. Spanos Center (4,576) Stockton, CA |
| January 24, 1998 | at Long Beach State | L 63–71 | 6–10 (3–3) | The Pyramid (3,093) Long Beach, CA |
| January 29, 1998 | Cal Poly | W 94–90 | 7–10 (4–3) | Bren Events Center (2,050) Irvine, CA |
| January 31, 1998 | UC Santa Barbara | L 66–74 | 7–11 (4–4) | Bren Events Center (2,180) Irvine, CA |
| February 5, 1998 | Cal State Fullerton | L 48–51 | 7–12 (4–5) | Bren Events Center (1,770) Irvine, CA |
| February 7, 1998 | at Nevada | L 75–86 | 7–13 (4–6) | Lawlor Events Center (5,231) Reno, NV |
| February 12, 1998 | Utah State | L 51–60 | 7–14 (4–7) | Bren Events Center (1,679) Irvine, CA |
| February 14, 1998 | at Cal State Fullerton | L 66–85 | 7–15 (4–8) | Titan Gym (980) Fullerton, CA |
| February 19, 1998 | Long Beach State | W 65–59 | 8–15 (5–8) | Bren Events Center (2,186) Irvine, CA |
| February 21, 1998 | Pacific | L 43–66 | 8–16 (5–9) | Bren Events Center (2,557) Irvine, CA |
| February 26, 1998 | at UC Santa Barbara | W 69–58 | 9–16 (6–9) | UC Santa Barbara Events Center (1,130) Santa Barbara, CA |
| February 28, 1998 | at Cal Poly | L 82–92 | 9–17 (6–10) | Mott Gym (2,740) San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Big West Conference tournament ||||||
| March 6, 1998 | at Nevada Quarterfinals | L 72–81 | 9–18 | Lawlor Events Center (5,942) Reno, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||
Source

## Awards and honors

* Ben Jones
** Big West All-Freshman Team
Source: