UC Irvine Giving Day

In 2025–26, your Anteaters captured the Big West regular-season championship, their eighth title in the last 13 seasons, and advanced to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)!

UC Irvine ended with an overall record 23-12, the 13th-straight winning season and 10th 20+ win total under head coach Russell Turner. Turner ranks third all-time among Big West coaches with 344 wins, guiding the Anteaters to the postseason for the 10th time overall and fourth consecutive year.

UC Irvine finished with a 15-5 record in The Big West led by All-Big West first team honorees Jurian Dixon and Kyle Evans. Evans was selected as Defensive Player of the Year as well as NABC second team All-District, while Andre Henry was tabbed Best Sixth Player of the Year.  Henry along with Derin Saran was named to the honorable mention squad.

With Giving Day upon us, the Anteaters need your support as we strive to continue to give our student-athletes a world-class experience that allows them to compete for and win championships. Thank you in advance for your support as every gift directly impacts our program and championship culture that is UC Irvine Men’s Basketball.

Together We Zot - Mens Basketball

As a result of the landmark settlement in the NCAA vs. House case, NCAA D1 institutions are entering a new era and now provide financial assistance to student-athletes as part of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) activities.

That's where Together We Zot comes in. The Together We Zot Fund is managed through the UC Irvine Foundation and is a 501(c)(3) organization. 

This initiative is a bold step forward. It's not just a donation — it's a targeted investment in the success of our student-athletes and the long-term strength of UC Irvine Athletics.

The Together We Zot - Mens Basketball fund is exclusively dedicated to providing scholarships, room and board stipends, summer school, institutional licensing (NIL) directly to student-athletes, and Alston awards, ensuring UC Irvine stays at the forefront of innovation and impact in college sports.

Together We Zot is about more than just funding. It's a commitment to:

• Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent
• Maximizing each student-athlete's potential
• Keeping UC Irvine Athletics nationally competitive
• Providing transformational support as rules evolve

Mens Basketball History of Success

• Men’s basketball ended the year ranked fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.8) and blocks (5.8), eighth in defensive rebounds (28.66), and rebounds per game (40.29).
• The Anteaters advanced to the Big West title game for the 11th time in program history and for the second consecutive year with Jurian Dixon and Derin Saran earning All-Tournament honors.
• Senior Kyle Evans, who became the UC Irvine and Big West single season block record holder with 115, led the nation in total blocks and block average at 3.29 per contest. He ranks third all-time at UCI in blocks with 163.
• Evans grabbed 303 caroms, which ranked fourth in UCI single season rebounds on his way to being named NABC second team All-District, first team All-Big West and Big West Defensive Player of the Year. The forward’s list of accolades in 2025-26 included Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year finalist as well as the Lou Henson Award finalist for best mid-major player. He was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list as well as earning Lute Olson Award National Player of the Week on Feb. 2, Big West Player of the Week on December 29, 2025 and the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational MVP.
• Dixon was named All-Big West first team after leading UCI and was seventh in the Big West in scoring at 15.9 points per game overall. He was named Big West Player of the Week twice this season. The guard ended with year just shy of entering the 1,000-point club with 902 over two seasons.
• Guard Andre Henry ended his career, playing 146 games, which was fifth most by an Anteater, becoming the sixth ‘Eater to reach the 140-games played plateau in program history. He was honored as the Big West Best Sixth Man as well as earned honorable mention distinction this season.
• Guard Derin Saran became the first player in UCI history and was one of 27 players in the country to post a triple-double this season. The guard poured in a then-career-high 20 points, a career and game-best 10 assists and 12 rebounds in a victory over Lincoln. He was named to the Big West honorable mention squad.
• In that game against Lincoln, several records fell in the 130-63 victory. The Anteaters bettered the school record for assists in a game with 40. The team’s 59 made field goals were a school and Bren Center record, while the 88 attempts were also a new Bren Center record, just one shy of the overall school mark. The Anteaters 71 second half points were a Bren Center record, surpassing the old record of 70 set twice before, the last in 2020. UC Irvine’s 130 points were the most since the Anteaters scored a school record 135 in a victory over Bethesda on Nov. 28, 2020.
• The Anteaters ended the year ranked 18th in the final CollegeInsider Mid Major poll.
• UC Irvine won a school record 32 games in 2024-25, the second time the program has hit the 30-win mark. That team advanced to the championship game of the NIT. The Anteaters had the 11th best winning percentage in the country, only the final four teams of Florida, Houston and Duke had more wins than UC Irvine.
• In a 12-year span, UC Irvine has won 10 Big West championships
• Two Big West Tournament Championship titles (2015, 2019)
• UC Irvine made its second NCAA Tournament appearance and won its first NCAA Tournament game in 2019
• UC Irvine has made 10 postseason appearances under the helm of Russell Turner, advancing to the NIT the last four seasons
• Coach Turner is the winningest coach in UC Irvine history and third most in the Big West (344)
• UC Irvine is the only California school to have a winning record in conference in play in each of the last 13 seasons
• The Anteaters have 13-straight winning seasons
• UC Irvine retired Scott Brooks jersey #12 in 2020 to honor the legendary player and NBA coach
• Nine All-Americans