Men’s basketball: ‘Eaters are on the road again

GOLETA - A share of first place in the Big West Conference will be

on the line when the conference-leading UC Irvine men’s basketball team

squares off with second-place UC Santa Barbara tonight at the

Thunderdome.

Tip-off is at 7:05. The Anteaters (13-5, 6-1) begin a four-game road

trip after losing their first game of the season at home to Cal State

Northridge in overtime, 73-72, Saturday.

The Matadors (6-10, 5-2) snapped UCI’s school record 19-game win

streak at home.

UC Santa Barbara is coming off a 74-67 win over host Cal Poly

Saturday.

The Gauchos (11-5, 5-2) are led offensively by Mark Hull with a 16

points per game average. Branduinn Fullove (14.5 ppg) and Adama Ndiaye

(11.5 ppg) are also threats for Santa Barbara.

Ndiaye is fourth in the conference in scoring and was named co-Big

West Player of the Week for piling up a career high 31 points against Cal

Poly.

The Gauchos could be without Fullove, who was questionable for

tonight’s game because of an injury. He did not play against Cal Poly

because he suffered a severe contusion in his upper right thigh during a

practice on Jan. 17.

Santa Barbara may also be without reserve Mike Vukovich (3.8 ppg), a

second team All-Big West selection last year, who has a knee injury.

The Anteaters will have a full squad led by senior guard Jerry Green

(21.5 ppg), who leads the conference in scoring.

Entering this week, he was No. 16 in NCAA scoring. Green, last year’s

Big West Conference Player of the Year, is 49 points away from breaking

the record held by UCI’s career scoring leader Tod Murphy (1,778).

Sophomore center Adam Parada (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rebounds per game) and

junior forward Jordan Harris (11.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) will also look to

contribute.

Rounding out the starting lineup are sophomore forward Stanislav Zuzak

(10.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and junior guard Mike Hood (8.6 ppg).

Zuzak leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.509)

while UCI is at the top of the pack as a team with a .405 mark. Santa

Barbara is second at .394.

Going into this week, UCI was No. 15 in three-point field goal

percentage in the NCAA and No. 6 in field-goal percentage (.497).

Big West Conference standings

UC Irvine 6-1

UC Santa Barbara 5-2

Cal State Northridge 5-2

Utah State 5-3

Pacific 3-4

Cal Poly 3-4

UC Riverside 3-4

Idaho 3-5

Long Beach State 2-5

Cal State Fullerton 1-6

This week’s schedule

Thursday, January 24

UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m.

Long Beach St. at Cal Poly, 7:05 p.m.

UC Riverside at Pacific, 7 p.m.

Cal St. Fullerton at Cal St. Northridge, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, January 26

UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 7:05 pm

Long Beach St. at UC Santa Barbara, 7:00 p.m.

Utah State at Idaho, 7:05 p.m.

UC Riverside at Cal St. Northridge, 7:05 p.m.

Cal St. Fullerton at Pacific, 7 p.m.