Anteaters hope to break Cardinal rule

Barry Faulkner

Big-time men’s college basketball comes to the Bren Events Center

tonight and host UC Irvine hopes to show it belongs on the floor, as

well.

The Anteaters (2-1) play host to Stanford (1-0), ranked No. 20 in

the Associated Press poll, in a 7:05 nonconference game that could

provide more than just a measuring stick.

This, in fact, is a golden opportunity for UCI, which heralds the

fact that Stanford is the only team in California to compile more

victories the previous three seasons -- 77 to UCI’s 66.

More than a handful of those Stanford triumphs, however, have come

in the NCAA Tournament, where it has ventured the past nine seasons.

UCI, on the other hand, has never been invited to the Big Dance, a

situation Coach Pat Douglass has toiled methodically to correct. A

victory tonight would be the biggest step toward that goal under

Douglass since UCI topped visiting California, 56-52, in the fourth

game of the 2000-01 season.

Stanford’s ranking -- it is No. 17 in the USA TODAY/ESPN poll --

is the highest for a team entering the Bren since No. 8 Utah came

away with a 77-50 triumph in December of 1996.

Stanford, which hammered visiting UCI last season, 84-57, could be

without preseason All-American Josh Childress. The 6-foot-7 junior,

out of Mayfair High in Lakewood, sat out Saturday’s season-opening

77-59 win over visiting Sacramento State with a stress reaction in

his left foot and he was not listed among tonight’s projected

starters.

Justin Davis, a 6-9 senior forward, had 17 points and 10 rebounds

for the Cardinal in the opener. He figures to be joined in the

starting lineup by 6-10 junior center Rob Little (12 points and seven

rebounds Saturday), 6-4 senior guard Matt Lottich (13 points, eight rebounds), 6-6 junior forward Nick Robinson (nine points, six boards)

and sophomore guard Chris Hernandez (six points, six assists).

Stanford, which shot 67.4% from the field last year against UCI,

shot 50% from the field Saturday and outrebounded Sacramento State,

46-22.

UCI dropped its opener, 77-65, to Illinois-Chicago, but defeated

the University of San Diego and Ohio to claim the consolation

championship of the Dell Black Coaches Association Classic, Nov.

15-17 at Xavier University.

A different Anteater led the team in scoring in each tournament

contest -- senior Stanislav Zuzak with 29 against UIC, sophomore

point guard Jeff Gloger with 17 against USD and sophomore Ross

Schraeder with 17 against Ohio. Each set or tied his career high.

Adam Parada, a 7-0 center who was named a mid-major preseason

All-American by CollegeInsider.com, is averaging 10 points and 5.3

rebounds, while sophomore Mike Efevberha, who scored 41 points in two

exhibition victories, totaled 19 points in the BCA Classic, where he

shot just 26.7% from the field (8 of 30).

Matt Okoro, a 6-7 senior, is scheduled to start for the Anteaters,

along with Parada, Zuzak, Gloger and Schrader.

UCI averaged 21.3 turnovers in its three tournament contests, an

area Douglass said was paramount on his fix-it list during the week

of practice leading to tonight’s clash.

As of Monday night, an estimated 1,000 tickets remained available

for tonight’s game, which will feature a halftime tribute to Kevin

Magee. Magee, the program’s only two-time, first-team All-American,

died in an auto accident Oct. 23 in Louisiana at the age of 44.