UC Irvine basketball has won the Big West regular season three of the last four years with no NCAA Tournament appearances. Can this be the year that changes?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: UC Irvine basketball.
The Big West has proven to be very competitive the last few seasons, but one thing has remained the same. In the last 13 seasons, UC Irvine basketball has won outright or a share of the Big West title in eight of those seasons. However, they’ve only found themselves in the NCAA Tournament twice (they finished first in 2020 when the tournament was cancelled). In the last four years, they’ve finished first or second in the Big West, but have found themselves stuck in the NIT each time.
Russell Turner is a wizard and one of the most underappreciated coaches in college basketball. He hasn’t had a losing season in the past 15 years, and has won 30+ in a season twice. Last year, they took a step back from the incredible 32-win season from the year before, going 23-12 and 15-5 in conference play. That still earned them an outright Big West title, but they lost to Hawaii in the conference tournament final.
UC Irvine basketball lose their top four scorers from last season, but returns a lot of that second unit. They’re hoping those guys can take the leap and be key contributors to this program. You may also notice a large presence on the court or on the sideline, and that would be Olivier Rioux, the 7’9 giant who is the tallest player in college basketball history. We’ll see how much playing time he gets, but he’ll be an interesting player to watch all season long.
If you’re a betting man, then taking UC Irvine to win the regular season is as safe a bet as you can make, but we’ll see if this squad has what it takes to not only make that true, but finally head back to the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach: Russell Turner (17th season overall, all at UC Irvine)
2024-25 record: 23-12 (15-5)
2025 postseason finish: NIT first round exit
Notable departures:
- Jurian Dixon (15.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.5 APG)
- Kyle Evans (12.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 0.9 APG)
- Derin Saran (11.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG)
- Andre Henry (9.9 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 1.1 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- N/A
Projected Rotation
PG: Tama Isaac (6-2, 207, So.)
2025-26 stats: 6.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 37.4 FG%, 31.9 3P%
SG: Jovan Jester Jr. (6-4, 195, So.)
2025-26 stats: 6.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 44.1 FG%, 37.5 3P%, 67.5 FT%
SF: Nils Cooper (6-6, 185, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 54.9 FG%, 73.7 FT% (UC Davis)
PF: Harrison Carrington (6-7, 207, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 58.3 FG%, 36.4 3P%, 67.3 FT%
C: Elijah Chol (7-0, 195, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 4.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 1.0 BPG, 46.9 FG%
6: Torian Lee (6-0, 165, Jr.)
Missed 2025-26 season due to injury
2024-25 stats: 4.1 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 43.0 FG%, 37.6 3P%, 80.0 FT%
7: Josiah Johnson (6-5, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 87-ranked recruit
8: Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, So.)
2025-26 stats: 0.6 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 1.5 MPG (Florida)
9: Nes Emeneke (6-10, 225, So.)
2025-26 stats: 1.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.9 BPG, 43.6 FG%
10: Langston Redfield (6-4, 205, Sr.)
Missed 2025-26 season due to injury
2024-25 stats: 1.4 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 41.7 FG%
UC Irvine Basketball team MVP: Tama Isaac
Isaac is the only returning starter from last season, starting all 35 games as a freshman. He showed a lot of growing pains, shooting very inefficiently and turning the ball over more than twice a game, but he did lead the team in assists per game. Now, with a year under his belt and tons of valuable experience in coach Turner’s system, he should be able to take that jump. He might not average 20 points a game, but he can be one of the best facilitators in the conference and protect the ball better.
He and Jovan Jester should be a great duo, and Jester should help defensively, which is where Isaac struggled last year. Isaac isn’t the obvious MVP like some teams have, as this team is well balanced, but he has a chance to take a serious sophomore leap and be the leader on one of the best teams in the Big West.
UC Irvine Basketball make-or-break player: Josiah Johnson
Josiah Johnson is the highest-ranked recruit in program history by a large margin, being ranked 62nd in this class by 247Sports and 87th by the composite. He’s a 6’5 point guard who is coming off a season averaging 20 PPG, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a game, to go with 2 steals. He impacts winning in several ways and understands the importance of development rather than feeling the need to succeed right away, something that seems like a lost art in the transfer portal era.
You don’t earn a four-star out of high school for nothing. Johnson can transform this team, and we’ve seen in recent years more than ever how far along these college freshmen are and how much they can change a team. We may not see it on day one, but by conference play, he could be the best player on this team and one of the best in the conference.
He’s still a freshman in a tough and experienced league, though. With the returning guards on this team, it may be tough for him to showcase his ability early on. He’s absolutely a name to keep an eye on, though, especially once we hit March.
Stat to know: Opponent two-point %
Here’s where UC Irvine has ranked in college basketball in opponent two-point % the last four years:
2022-23: 8th
2023-24: 10th
2024-25: 2nd
2025-26: 1st
Last year, opponents shot just 43.1% from the field. A big reason why was Kyle Evans, who led college basketball in blocks per game last year, but the consistency over the last four seasons proves this wasn’t a one-man job. Turner coaches on crowding the paint and limiting easy baskets. They’ll live with a team shooting 50 threes, knowing they’re not going to make 50%, and winning the paint battle is extremely important to winning, as they’ve showcased year in and year out.
Elijah Chol, the 7-footer, looks to fill that role this year. He averaged one block a game last year, but his physical presence deterred a handful of shots as well. You can’t forget about Rioux as well. Stick him under the basket and tell him to put his hands up, and it will be impossible for anyone to get an easy shot against this UC Irvine basketball team. Expect a lot of low-scoring games from this team, but that’s what it takes to win.
UC Irvine basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 1st in the Big West
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64