Utah State at Cal Irvine

Utah State has slipped from its powerhouse days, going 16-15 last year under first-year coach Tim Duryea, who is back. Utah State was 7-11 in the Mountain West Conference to tie for eighth place. They open on the road against a talented UC Irvine squad that catches a nice scheduling break, playing three of its first four games at home. The Anteaters won a school-record 28 games last season (28-10). Defense was prevalent once again under Coach Russell Turner as UCI ranked third in the nation in field-goal percentage defense at .383%, #20 in blocked shots per game (5.2) and #43 in scoring defense (66.1 ppg). These teams met last season with the Anteaters claiming a 73-63 victory in Logan, Utah. Irvine was 11-2 in the Bren Events Center last season and has won 47 of its last 57 home games (.825%). Play UC-Irvine.