NIT snub ends UCI season

Barry Faulkner

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team’s third straight 20-win season,

put on life-support by Friday’s 62-55 loss to Utah State in the

semifinals of the Big West Conference Tournament, was officially

terminated Sunday, when the Anteaters were denied a bid to the

National Invitation Tournament.

UCI Coach Pat Douglass said he considered the slight a slap in the

face to his program.

“I thought we got jobbed,” said Douglass, who expected his team

(20-9) to make its third consecutive NIT appearance.

“It’s very unexpected, because we had about the same record we had

last year. We started out with a loss to Oklahoma, had to play the

next day and opened 0-2. Since then, we were 20-6 heading into our

final game. It’s really disappointing for our two seniors, who busted

it really hard for us all season. I feel sorry for them. There are

teams (still playing) that had a worse RPI than us and four or five

fewer wins. This shows a lack of respect for our conference.”

UC Santa Barbara, which edged the Anteaters for the regular-season

Big West crown, before losing to Cal Poly in the Big West Tournament

semifinals, received an NIT bid.

Big West Tournament champion Utah State, which UCI defeated twice

in conference play this season with last-second dramatics, will play

Kansas, the No. 2 seed in the NCAA West Regional, Thursday in

Oklahoma City.

Douglass acknowledged there are other factors working against UCI.

The program, with a 5,000-seat arena, modest by Division I standards,

has never hosted a postseason game, going 2-4 in NIT road games.

Additionally, the Anteaters are not known for bringing many fans with

them to road contests, which hinders gate receipts that factor in the

NIT selection process.

“It’s not a decision I have any input in or can plead my case,”

Douglass said.

The NIT snub brings an end to the college careers of UCI seniors

Jordan Harris and Mike Hood. Harris, a first-team All-Big West

performer, led the team in scoring (12.7 points per game) this

season. Hood, a 6-4 guard, averaged 10.3 points in his final

campaign.

The Anteaters lost in the first round of the NIT the last two

seasons, dropping a 78-55 verdict at BYU last year to finish 21-11.

They fell, 75-71, at Tulsa to finalize their 2000-01 record at 25-5.