Men’s basketball: UCI ranked No. 6

UC IRVINE - Coach Pat Douglass’ UC Irvine men’s basketball team is

ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Preseason Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

UCI, after a school-record, 25-5 season last year, returns Big West

Conference Player of the Year Jerry Green. Green, who was a honorable

mention AP All-American last season, is a 2001-02 Wooden Award preseason

All-American. Anteater sophomores Adam Parada and Stanislav Zuzak were

Big West All-Freshman team members last season.

The Anteaters won the Big West Conference regular-season title last

season and advanced to the NIT, losing to eventual champion Tulsa, 75-71,

on the road.

Utah State from the Big West is ranked 15th and Pepperdine, which

faces UCI in the Bren Center Nov. 20, is at No. 17. CollegeInsider.com

Preseason Mid-Major Top 25 Poll

1. Valparaiso

2. Gonzaga

3. Butler

4. Kent

5. Western Kentucky

6. UC IRVINE

7. Detroit

8. Illinois State

9. Ball State

10. Marshall

11. New Mexico State

12. Miami (Ohio) 13. UNC-Greensboro

14. Central Michigan

15. Utah State

16. Southern Illinois

17. Pepperdine

18. SW Missouri State

19. Bowling Green

20. Iona

21. Creighton

22. UNC-Wilmington

23. Indiana State

24. College of Charleston

25. Monmouth