It all looked so good on paper.
The UC Irvine Anteaters, the 2013-2014 Big West Champions, had a dominant offense, a stifling defense, depth at every position and two of the best big men in the conference. But then along came the Cinderella known as Cal Poly in the conference tournament.
"We got surprised," said center Mamadou Ndiaye, the Big West's Defensive Player of the Year last season. "We (were) not ready for Cal Poly."
Cal Poly earned its first-ever trip the Big Dance at the Division I level, leaving only three programs in the Big West, the Anteaters included, to be without an NCAA Tournament banner.
It still looks good for UC Irvine on paper, as it was picked to repeat as conference champions and return all but one starter. And as the Anteaters set to open the season, they're confident they have figured out how to maximize the efficiency of their big 7-footers.
"I think we figured out as the year went on, how to better play to the strengths of our guys," said head coach Russell Turner. "We need to do a better job getting the ball inside to our big guys. That's the other thing that I think is real clear when you look back at our team last year. We didn't do a good enough job putting it in there and putting pressure on teams with the talented big guys that we've got and our deep roster."
The Anteaters boast arguably the deepest roster in the Big West and Ndiaye is the marquee big guy. The tallest player in the nation at 7-foot-6, Ndiaye came in last season as a true freshman that was so raw yet so athletic for his size that no one knew how to play him. But he took great strides just during the season and benefitted as well from another offseason in the Drew League. Senior forward Will Davis II and Ndiaye were two of the most efficient shooters in the conference last season but it's Davis who can hurt you from inside, to the baseline and mid-range.
"Will is playing at a really high level right now," Turner said. "He was hurt through a huge portion of the conference season so I think we're going to be better because those guys have had another year to grow and mature and improve."
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The bigs have a renewed emphasis on free throws and offensive rebounds. But the star guards, Alex Young and Luke Nelson, saw some intangible improvements when both played in the FIBA European Championships for the England U20 team.
"That was really valuable for us," Turner said. "Last year, we had two really talented players in Luke and Alex but they didn't have a great familiarity with each other's games so I don't know that they did enough on the offensive end to compliment one another. I think that will be a big change for us this year, with the two of them playing off of each other and the two of them playing interchangeably."
Nelson is exceptionally polished for a sophomore and Young is a lock-down defender. The array of players they have to compliment the stars is impressive: Travis Souza can spot up for three, Mike Best and John Ryan, both 6-foot-10 forwards, will make you pay from underneath and there are three freshman -- Doc Rivers' son Spencer included -- who will compete for playing time.
They have a tough, but manageable schedule and a reinvigorated fanbase. It all sets up so nicely, on paper and off, for the Anteaters. Staying this course could finally mean a banner at the Bren.
"This is UC Irvine's year," Davis said. "I feel like we have all of the tools to push us over the edge and take us to the NCAA Tournament this year."
