DAVIS, Calif. — The race for the Big West regular-season crown is coming down to the wire, and the UC Davis men's basketball team will take center stage on national television for its regular-season finale. The Aggies' Saturday, March 7 matchup at UC Irvine has been selected as an ESPN wildcard contest and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
Tipoff from the Bren Events Center has been adjusted to 5 p.m. PT to accommodate the television schedule.
UC Davis (17-11, 10-7 Big West) enters the final stretch of the season firmly in the conference tournament field and right in the thick of the championship hunt, sitting just 1.5 games out of first place. This season the Aggies defense notably ranks 19th nationally in forced turnovers per game (14.86) and leads the Big West in steals (8.0 per game).
The Aggies will be looking for a regular-season sweep of the Anteaters, having already defeated UC Irvine 75-72 back on Jan. 17 at the University Credit Union Center.
Before heading to Irvine, UC Davis will host Hawai'i this Thursday in its lone contest of the week, followed by a road trip to Long Beach State on March 5.
UC Irvine (18-10, 11-5 Big West) currently sits in a three-way tie for first place in the league standings. The Anteaters are anchored by a stout defense, ranking third nationally in field goal percentage defense (37.8).
Later in the night following the conclusion of the wildcard matchup, the bracket will be set for the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men's Basketball Championship. The top eight teams will converge on Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, to compete for the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN Networks will air every game of the Big West Championships, including three linear men's basketball matchups. The first men's semifinal on Friday, March 13, will air live on ESPNU at 6 p.m., with the second semifinal slated for an 8:30 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2. The championship game on Saturday, March 14, is set for broadcast on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
