‘Eaters not highly touted in Big West

The UC Irvine men are picked sixth and the women eighth in preseason polls compiled Wednesday during Big West Conference basketball media day at the Irvine Hilton.

The UCI men lost three starters from a team that finished 18-16 last season and advanced to the conference tournament championship game. UCI was 9-7 in the conference regular season and finished fifth in 2007-08.

Coach Pat Douglass’ squad tied for sixth in the coaches’ poll with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Anteaters were sixth among nine schools in the media poll.

The UCI women, under first-year coach Molly Goodenbour, are coming off a 7-24 season that ended in a first-round loss in the conference tournament. The ’Eaters were 3-13 in regular-season conference games under then-coach Molly Tuter.

The UCI men are expected to be led by senior Kevin Bland, junior guard Chad DeCasas and sophomore guard Patrick Rembert. Nine members of the 14-player roster have never played a game in a UCI uniform.

Douglass said with so many new faces, he expected to be picked as low as eighth. But the veteran coach, entering his 12th season at UCI, said the ’Eaters “could be the surprise team of the conference.”

The UCI men play host to Cal Poly Pomona in an exhibition game Nov. 8 at 7:05 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. Its regular-season opener is Nov. 15 at USC at 12:30 p.m.

The UCI women, who will feature junior forward Kelly Cochran and junior guard Rebecca Maessen, play host to Cal Poly Pomona in an exhibition Saturday at noon at the Bren Center. The ’Eaters open the regular season Nov. 14 at New Mexico State.

Cal State Northridge topped the men’s coaches and media polls, with UC Santa Barbara, Pacific and Cal State Fullerton, respectively, rounding out the top four in both.

UC Riverside topped both women’s polls. UCSB, UC Davis and Pacific, respectively, rounded out the top four in the women’s coaches poll.

In the women’s media poll, UC Davis and UCSB tied for second with Cal State Fullerton fourth.

No UCI players were selected to the six-player men’s and women’s preseason all-conference teams.

— Barry Faulkner