SALT LAKE CITY—UC Irvine’s men’s basketball season came to an end Tuesday night, March 19, at the hands of Utah in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The Anteaters, who won the regular-season Big West Conference championship before falling to Long Beach State in the semifinals of the conference tournament, dropped an 84–75 decision to the Utes.
Branden Carlson had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead second-seeded Utah (20–14), which advanced to host No. 3 Iowa (19–14) in a second-round game Saturday or Sunday.
The victory was the first for the Utes in the postseason since 2018, when they reached the NIT championship game.
Deivon Smith had 13 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds for Utah. Gabe Madsen finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Hunter Erickson added 13 points.
UC Irvine (24–10) was led by Derin Saran’s 16 points. Devin Tillis contributed 14 points with seven rebounds, and Bent Leuchten finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
UC Irvine went on a 9–0 run to cut Utah’s lead to 77–73 with 2:05 left. Justin Hohn and Saran each made a 3-pointer to end that stretch.
Carlson made two free throws with 1:40 remaining to give Utah a 79–73 lead. He made two more with 1:14 left after Leuchten had missed a 3-pointer.
After a jumper made by Pierre Crockrell II, Madsen drew a foul and he made two free throws with 50.8 seconds left to give Utah an 83–75 lead. Madsen made one of two free throws with 36.5 seconds remaining to cap the scoring.
Utah held a 27–20 lead with 7:33 left in the first half before UC Irvine went on an 11–2 run. A layup by Dean Keeler with 4:46 remaining in the half put the Anteaters ahead 31–29.
After UC Irvine led 40–37 with 1:38 left, Utah ended the scoring before halftime with three straight 3-pointers, one by Erickson and two by Madsen.
Madsen’s last 3-pointer was a 35-foot shot at the buzzer that gave Utah a 46–40 halftime lead. Madsen had 11 points to lead Utah at the half. Leuchten and Tillis each had 11 for UC Irvine.
