Anteaters open on the road

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team will open its regular season in

the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic hosted by Wake Forest University.

The Anteaters, who finished 16-13 last season, face George Mason

University Nov. 10 in the first round of the tournament at

Winston-Salem, N.C., beginning a schedule UCI Coach Pat Douglass

called the most difficult to start a season.

Douglass enters his ninth season at the helm. The Patriots also

were 16-13 last season and were 10-8 in the Colonial Athletic

Association.

UCI will then face Wake Forest or Mississippi Valley State in the

second round Nov. 11. Wake Forest was 27-6 overall and 13-3 in the

Athletic Coast Conference, losing to West Virginia, 111-105, in

double overtime in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Mississippi Valley State finished 13-15 a year ago.

The Anteaters continue on the road with a noon game at Stanford

Nov. 19. The Cardinal, 18-13, advanced to the NCAA tournament for the

11th straight year last March, losing to Mississippi State, 93-70, in

the first round.

UCI’s home opener is against Santa Clara Nov. 22, with other Bren

Events Center nonconference contests vs. Cal State Stanislaus (Nov.

29), San Jose State (Dec. 3) and Loyola of Chicago (Dec. 22) also

slated.

The Anteaters travel to Pepperdine Nov. 26 and Colorado Dec. 17 as

senior guard Ross Schraeder will play in his home state, where he

starred at Denver East High.

UCI returns to Green Bay, Wis., Dec. 29-30 for the Oneida Classic,

a tournament the Anteaters won in 2001. This year’s classic features

pre-determined games as UCI faces Arkansas-Monticello (18-10 last

season) the first night and hosts Wisconsin-Green Bay (17-11) Dec.

30.

UCI opens Big West play on the road against Cal Poly San Luis

Obispo Jan. 7 and UC Santa Barbara Jan. 9. Conference play at home

begins Jan. 13 against Cal State Northridge, followed by defending

Big West champion University of the Pacific Jan. 15 at 2 p.m.

2005-06 Schedule

Nov. 1 -- Cal Poly Pomona (Exhibition), 7 p.m.

Nov. 10 -- at #George Mason -- Winston-Salem, N.C., T.B.A.

Nov. 11 -- at #Wake Forest or Mississippi Valley State --

Winston-Salem, N.C., T.B.A.

Nov. 19 -- at Stanford, noon

Nov. 22 -- Santa Clara, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26 -- at Pepperdine, 7 p.m.

Nov. 29 -- Cal State Stanislaus, 7 p.m.

Dec. 3 -- San Jose State, 7 p.m.

Dec. 17 -- at Colorado, T.B.A.

Dec. 22 -- Loyola University (Chicago), 7 p.m.

Dec. 29 -- +Arkansas-Monticello -- Green Bay, Wis., T.B.A.

Dec. 30 -- +at Wisconsin-Green Bay, T.B.A.

Jan. 4 -- UC Davis, 2 p.m.

Jan. 7 -- *at Cal Poly, 4 p.m.

Jan. 9 -- *at UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.

Jan. 13 -- *Cal State Northridge, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15 -- *University of the Pacific, 2 p.m.

Jan. 19 -- *at UC Riverside, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 -- *at Cal State Fullerton, 2 p.m.

Jan. 25 -- *Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 -- *at Long Beach State, 5 p.m. (DH)

Feb. 2 -- *at University of the Pacific, 7 p.m.

Feb. 4 -- *at Cal State Northridge, 4 p.m.

Feb. 9 -- *UC Santa Barbara, 8 p.m. (DH)

Feb. 11 -- *Cal Poly (Homecoming), 5 p.m. (DH)

Feb. 15 -- *UC Riverside, 7 p.m.

Feb. 18 -- Bracket Buster Saturday vs. T.B.A., 7 p.m.

Feb. 23 -- at UC Davis, 7 p.m.

March 4 -- *Long Beach State, 7 p.m. (DH)

March 8-11 -- Big West tournament -- Anaheim Convention Center,

T.B.A.

# Coaches vs. Cancer Classic (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

+ Oneida Classic (Green Bay, Wis.)

* Big West Conference game

DH -- Doubleheader with UCI women’s team