College basketball · 2026-27 preview · Big West
UC Irvine · 2026-27 preview
UC Irvine basketball preview 2026-27: transfers, recruits and schedule
UC Irvine's 2026-27 roster is not posted yet. So far it has added two transfers and one freshman, and lost three players to the portal.
Last season it ranked No. 118 in adjusted net rating (No. 265 on offense, No. 29 on defense). The biggest loss is Jurian Dixon, 15.9 points a game, gone to Virginia. The schedule has 27 games, none against last season's adjusted top 25.
2
transfers in, 3 out
1
freshman
No. 118
adjusted net rating, 2025-26
Newcomers
PPG
RPG
MPG
Nils Cooper
Transfer · UC Davis
12.3
4.6
24.7
Olivier Rioux
Transfer · Florida
0.6
0.5
1.5
Josiah Johnson
Freshman · No. 88 recruit
Who left
Where
PPG
MPG
Jurian DixonTransferred to Virginia
Transferred to Virginia
15.9
30.4
Derin SaranTransferred to Richmond
Transferred to Richmond
11.5
29.7
Kyle EvansTransferred to NC State
Transferred to NC State
12.0
Adjusted net rating, last three seasons
2023-24
+10.9 No. 72
2024-25
+12.4 No. 64
2025-26
+4.9 No. 118
Points per 100 possessions better than an average Division I team. Last season: offense 104.0 (No. 265), defense 99.0 (No. 29).
2026-27 schedule
November to January
Rank
Nov 22
Questions
Who did UC Irvine add for 2026-27?
Nils Cooper (transfer from UC Davis), Olivier Rioux (transfer from Florida), Josiah Johnson (freshman, No. 88 recruit).