UCI in CIT semis

UC Irvine’s unprecedented men’s basketball season continues when the Anteaters visit Coastal Carolina in the semifinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Sunday at the HTC Center.

Game time is 6 p.m. PT and the contest will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

Coach Russell Turner’s Anteaters are 27-9 following a 67-66 quarterfinal win at Louisiana Lafayette on Wednesday. The 27 wins are two more than any other UCI team has earned in one season.

Wednesday’s triumph also gave the ‘Eaters two wins in a national postseason tournament for the first time in program history. In addition, the team has set program records for nonconference wins (14) and road victories (12).

UCI won, 89-86, in overtime at North Dakota in the CIT first round on March 15. The ‘Eaters received a second-round bye in the 26-team tournament.

The Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina (21-11) defeated Grand Canyon, 60-58, in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. They had previously defeated Mercer, 65-57, and New Hampshire, 71-62, in the first and second round, respectively.

All of Coastal Carolina’s CIT Tournament games have been at home.

Junior guard Luke Nelson averages a team-best 13.7 points per game for UCI.

Mamadou Ndiaye, a 7-foot-6 junior center, is averaging 12.2 points and 7.1 rebounds, though he did not play in the quarterfinal game and his status is unclear due to a lower-leg injury.

Senior point guard Alex Young is averaging 10.5 points and 4.4 assists, while senior Mike Best is averaging 9.6 points and 5.1 boards.

Coastal Carolina, under ninth-year coach Cliff Ellis, finished third in the Big South Conference this season. Ellis has guided the school to the postseason six times in the past seven seasons.

Junior guard Elijah Wilson averages 14 points per game, while junior guard Shivaughn Wiggins (12.6), sophomore guard Jaylen Shaw (11.3) and senior forward Badou Diagne (11.2) add to the balanced scoring attack. Diagne averages a team-best seven rebounds per contest.

UCI and Coastal Carolina have not met before.

The winner advances to Tuesday’s title game, against either New Jersey Institute of Technology (20-14) or Columbia (23-10).

— From staff reports