Men’s basketball: Anteaters battle Aggies
Amara Aguilar
Ask UC Irvine men’s basketball Coach Pat Douglass if the Anteaters’
last-second victory over Utah State in the first round of Big West
Conference play will have any bearing on tonight’s game, and he’ll say
it doesn’t mean a thing.
Ask one of UCI’s players, and it’s a different story.
“If I was them, I’d be pretty upset,” UCI sophomore center Adam Parada
said. “I’d come in here with a little more vengeance. I’m sure they’re
thinking the same thing we’re thinking. It’s a championship game. Whoever
wins is probably going to have the upper hand (in conference). We’re both
going in with full force.”
Tonight’s contest before an anticipated sellout will begin at 7:05 at
the Bren Events Center.
In their last meeting on Jan. 10 in a nationally televised game,
senior guard Jerry Green hit a jumper as time expired to help the
Anteaters defeat the Aggies, 67-66. The win in Utah snapped the Aggies’
school record 31-game winning streak at home. The streak was third best
in the nation at the time.
The Anteaters (17-6, 10-2 in the Big West), who have won 12 of their
last 14 games, sit alone atop the conference, just ahead of Utah State
(17-4, 9-3). UCI won the Big West Conference title last year, but the
Aggies finished first in the Big West Tournament to gain an NCAA playoffs
bid.
“It’s not necessarily what happened in Utah (that will make the Aggies
come in with more energy),” Douglass said. “That was a great game. They
could have won, but Jerry makes a remarkable shot. It’s that it’s the two
top teams in the conference. It’s not because of what happened last time.
They’re just going to come in excited to play.”
Green will be the top offensive threat for UCI. He leads the team with
a 20.6 points per game average and last week became the school’s all-time
leading scorer.
Parada, who had a career-high 24 points in the Anteaters’ 52-38
victory over visiting Idaho Thursday, is second on the squad with a 12.9
points per game average.
“In the past few games, when (Parada) is assertive, his talent comes
out,” Douglass said. “He’s playing more consistent. He’s really
improving. He’s going to have to step up big.”
Utah State, which has won six of its last seven games, has some sharp
shooters of its own in Desmond Penigar (17.7 ppg) and Tony Brown (16.3
ppg).
“We are looking forward to the game,” Parada said. “We look forward to
the crowd, to playing Utah State, to everything.”
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