Anteaters Like First Matchup

Beneath their jerseys in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament a year ago, UC Irvine’s players wore new T-shirts.

We think we can, the shirts said.

It was a statement of optimism and purpose, tempered by a dash of uncertainty.

The difference this year is that they know they can.

But with the erratic way this team has played all season, they just don’t know if they will.

Irvine upset top-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the first round last year, beating the Gauchos by 21 points after playing them close twice in regular-season losses.

Now, after stumbling to a 6-20 regular-season record and another No. 8 tournament seeding, Irvine faces a top-seeded team again when it plays New Mexico State at 3 p.m. today at Long Beach Arena.

And oddly, Irvine once again is facing a team it matches up well against. The Anteaters lost to the Aggies in overtime in Las Cruces in January, 72-67, and by two in the Bren Center last Saturday, 76-74.

“I think what that tells us is it can be done,” Irvine Coach Rod Baker said. “Coming off this (Saturday’s two-point loss), we know it’s not an impossible task.”

New Mexico State (23-6) is wary, Coach Neil McCarthy said.

“They’ve given us a lot of trouble,” he said. “We’re concerned about UCI.

“They have a good team and it’s not that we overlooked them. We went into overtime at our place and our kids were very impressed, and at their place it was a two-point game.” Irvine would have to play better than it has in either game if the Anteaters are to win. The most glaring problem: 19 turnovers in Las Cruces and 24 in Irvine, when Aggie point guard Sam Crawford and forward Eric Traylor each had five of the team’s 17 steals.

“We have to do a better job of taking care of the ball,” Baker said.

The Aggies appear to have an NCAA invitation locked up after winning 23 games and the Big West title during the regular season. McCarthy dismisses the idea that his team might not have much motivation.

“I think we’re in pretty good shape, but you never know,” he said. “I think what you’re playing for is the conference championship. We’d like to defend our championship from last year, and second, we’d like to improve our (NCAA tournament) seeding, too.”

The Anteaters have drawn a first-round opponent that looks beatable to them, at least on paper and film.

Baker wouldn’t have felt the same against, say, Nevada Las Vegas, which beat his team twice by an average of 20 points this season. Come to think of it, is there any team in the league he would rather play than New Mexico State?

“Yeah, San Jose,” Baker said with a grin.

The Spartans are the only team Irvine swept, and one of two along with Nevada that failed to qualify for the tournament. But even San Jose State gave Irvine a little scare.

“Now that I think about it, I’m not so sure I’d want to play San Jose,” Baker said.