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.”