2026-27 Top 100 Teams Countdown #72: UC Irvine Anteaters

UC Irvine ranks 1st in Defensive Efficiency with a decent gap between 2nd place in Torvik and nearly top 50 in that category in the nation. 42% of their minutes returning helps a lot with that. UC Davis transfer Nils Cooper is a big addition to this team as he was a really good defender and bucket getter for the Aggies this past season, but a downside is he has just never been able figure out that 3 point shot in his career. I don't think this team is as good as the past few years because the offense declines a bit, but will still be a really strong Big West team with the amount of guys they have returning, the talent of their incoming freshmen, and the fact that you can never count out Russ Turner. Olivier Rioux is also on this team making them must watch and is expected to play a big role!

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