Irvine Opens Second Half of Big West Play at Home Tonight Against Nevada Las Vegas
UC Irvine’s basketball team has been eagerly anticipating the second half of the Big West Conference season because it will play 7 of the final 9 games at home. Of course, the Anteaters play host to 16th-ranked Nevada Las Vegas at 7:30 tonight and that’s not exactly the way to get a home stand off on the right foot.
The Anteaters, 7-11 overall and 4-5 in the Big West, spent the first 17 games of the season experimenting with a run-and-gun offense and then a long-range attack. Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton, Irvine tried going inside to the post players and came away with a 77-73 victory.
Las Vegas has had a week to think about its 2-point loss to No. 1-ranked Oklahoma last Saturday and prepare for Irvine. The Rebels have had better records over the years, but this season’s squad has lost to teams ranked No. 1 (Oklahoma, twice), No. 4 (Arizona) and No. 7 (Louisville).
Moreover, the Rebels beat Irvine in Las Vegas on Dec. 15 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the 100-85 score would indicate.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
