UCI is still on the brink

Barry Faulkner

The UC Irvine men’s basketball team proved Saturday it can still

compete with the best the Big West Conference has to offer, battling

No. 23-ranked Utah State to the buzzer in a 59-56 home loss.

But the Anteaters still have not proved they belong in this

season’s conference tournament, an event that invites eight of the 10

Big West teams to compete for one guaranteed berth in the NCAA

tournament.

Heading into the final three days of the regular season, beginning

tonight at 7:05 at UC Santa Barbara, UCI can clinch a conference

tournament berth with a win.

The ‘Eaters (11-15, 6-10 in conference play) can also get in with

one more loss by both Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Long Beach State

(both 4-12 in conference play). Cal Poly and the 49ers play each

other Thursday, so only one can remain alive going into the final

conference game.

The tournament picture is further clouded by UC Riverside and Cal

State Fullerton, who enter the final two games tied with UCI for

sixth place. Both UCR and Fullerton finish with two road games.

Should they loose both, there could be a multiple-team tie for the

final conference tournament berths.

Should UCI lose tonight, and Cal Poly extend Long Beach State’s

losing streak to nine tonight, the Anteaters would need to defeat the

Mustangs Saturday to keep Cal Poly out of such a potential logjam.

Confused? Well so are those who predicted a third-place conference

finish for UCI, which had earned at least 20 wins in each of the

previous three seasons. UCI was picked third in conference preseason

polls by the coaches and media.

Instead, Coach Pat Douglass’ seventh UCI squad has struggled to

find any consistency.

Senior 7-foot center Adam Parada has averaged a team-high 12.6

points and 6.7 rebounds, but has failed to dominate shorter post

rivals.

UCI was dealt another blow last week, when sophomore guard Mike

Efevberha, whose 11.1 points and 40 three-pointers rank No. 2 on the

team, was suspended indefinitely for violating unspecified team

rules.

Senior Stanislav Zuzak is averaging 10.9 points, while sophomore

point guard Jeff Gloger chips in 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per

contest. Gloger also leads the team in assists (4.3) and steals

(2.2).

Sophomore guard Ross Schraeder led the team with 20 points against

Utah State Saturday, after pouring in 27 to key a home win Feb. 26

over Idaho. His recent hot streak, which includes 10 three-pointers

in two games, is averaging 7.3 ppg, but 12.3 over the last seven

games. His 41 three balls lead the team.

Irvine has struggled against Santa Barbara (14-11, 8-8), having lost four straight to the Gauchos. Santa Barbara won at UCI, 84-77,

on Jan. 5 and has posted an average winning margin of 14.7 points

during the streak.

UCI, 1-9 on the road this season, has lost nine of its last 11,

while Santa Barbara, which won its first regular-season conference

crown last season and was picked to win the crown in the preseason

polls, has lost four of its last six and sits in fourth place.

UCI has lost seven straight road games, since winning at Cal State

Northridge Jan. 8.

The Gauchos are led by 6-4 senior Brandon Fullove, the reigning

Big West Player of the Year. He is averaging 10.9 points.

Casey Cook, a 6-6 junior, is averaging 10.1 ppg, while 6-4 sophomore Cecil Brown and 6-9 sophomore Cameron Goettsche both

average 8.0 ppg.

Coach Rob Williams’ squad has not won more than four games in a

row this season, but has never lost more than two straight.