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NCAA tournament: With swagger on and off court, UC Irvine stuns No. 4 seed Kansas State - USA TODAY

March 23, 2019 at 11:36AM

CLOSENCAA tournament: With swagger on and off court, UC Irvine stuns No. 4 seed Kansas State - USA TODAY

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — So much for the humble UC Irvine Anteaters.

Shortly after the 13th-seeded Anteaters upset the fourth-seeded Kansas State Wildcats 70-64 Friday in the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, UC Irvine head coach Russell Turner skirted the line between bold talk and trash talk.

"UC Irvine, folks, I don't know, live in the shadow, live like little brothers to UCLA and SC and maybe some others, Cal, Stanford, San Diego State,'' Turner said. "Maybe like little brothers.

"Well, little brother has been in the weight room, getting better, getting ready for a chance like this.''

NCAA tournament: With swagger on and off court, UC Irvine stuns No. 4 seed Kansas State - USA TODAY

UC Irvine guard Max Hazzard (2) reacts with guard Evan Leonard during the first round of the 2019 NCAA tournament. (Photo: Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports)

The comment drew chuckles in the postgame interview room, especially from those aware that the likes of UCLA, USC, Cal and Stanford are at home and the Anteaters are now the only California-based school left in the NCAA tournament.

"You know,'' Turner continued, "we need to stick our chests out a little bit right now, I believe.''

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Stick out those chests and pound them, Anteaters. Not only did they extend their winning streak to 17 games, but also notched their first victory in the NCAA tournament.

The historic victory came against a program that was making its 31st appearance in the NCAA tournament and a year ago reached the Elite Eight. Turner, in his ninth year as UC Irvine's head coach, also noted Kansas State is the reigning Big 12 conference champion.

"Those guys are getting rings, and we knocked them off,'' Turner said. "That's special for us, and sorry that they had to lose, but I'm really happy for the UC Irvine community.''

A boisterous section of UC Irvine fans at SAP Center far outnumbered Kansas State fans and chanted "U-C-I'' and "Eater Nation'' as the Anteaters rallied from a 10-point deficit late and pulled ahead by as many as nine points in the second half. The throng of Anteater backs included Caron Butler, the former NBA standout whose son JC is a freshman at UC Irvine.

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"That was definitely one of the things I noticed right off the bat, you know, the noise,'' said Evan Leonard, who scored 19 points for UC Irvine. "I don't think I've ever been in an arena that was that loud.''

There was plenty to cheer, especially when Max Hazzard, who also scored 19 points for UC Irvine, hit a 3-pointer with 1:29 left to play. He squatted low and crossed his arms fiercely while UC Irvine fans roared.

Soon they were celebrating a victory that sets up UC Irvine to play the winner of a first-round matchup between fifth-seeded Wisconsin and 12th-seeded Oregon.

"I just play with a lot of passion and a lot of joy,'' Hazzard said. "The stage doesn't get much bigger than this.''

And the Anteaters looked — and sounded — like it's a stage on which they belong.

Recent history proved more relevant as the Anteaters (31-5) extended their winning streak to 17 games in a row, a school record.

"Let's go Eaters,'' chanted UC Irvine's fans and cheerleaders periodically during the spirited game.

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NCAA tournament: With swagger on and off court, UC Irvine stuns No. 4 seed Kansas State - USA TODAYFirst round: Liberty Flames fans cheer during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.First round: Colgate Raiders fans react to a play during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers.First round: UC Irvine Anteaters fans react during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats.First round: The Kansas State and UC Irvine mascots perform.First round: The Cincinnati Bearcats mascot during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.First round: The Montana cheerleaders perform during the game against Michigan.First round: A Saint Mary's Gaels cheerleader performs before the game against Villanova.First round: Members of the Wofford Terriers band preform during a stoppage in play in the first half against Seton Hall.First round: The Gonzaga Bulldogs cheerleaders perform during the game against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.First round: A Kentucky Wildcats cheerleader performs during the game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats.First round: The Murray State Racers cheerleaders perform during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles.First round: The Kansas Jayhawks mascot interacts with a referee during the game against the Northeastern Huskies.First round: The Florida State Seminoles cheer squad performs during the game against the Vermont Catamounts.First round: Auburn Tigers mascot Aubie performs during the first half of the game against the New Mexico State Aggies.First round: LSU Tigers cheerleaders perform during the first half against the Yale Bulldogs.First round: The Georgia State Panthers cheerleaders and mascot pose for a group photo on the court.First round: The Yale Bulldogs mascot poses before the game against the LSU Tigers.First round: Minnesota Golden Gophers cheerleaders on the court before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.First round: Liberty Flames fans cheer during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.First round: Colgate Raiders fans react to a play during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers.First round: UC Irvine Anteaters fans react during the game against the Kansas State Wildcats.First round: The Kansas State and UC Irvine mascots perform.First round: The Cincinnati Bearcats mascot during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.First round: The Montana cheerleaders perform during the game against Michigan.First round: A Saint Mary's Gaels cheerleader performs before the game against Villanova.First round: Members of the Wofford Terriers band preform during a stoppage in play in the first half against Seton Hall.First round: The Gonzaga Bulldogs cheerleaders perform during the game against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.First round: A Kentucky Wildcats cheerleader performs during the game against the Abilene Christian Wildcats.First round: The Murray State Racers cheerleaders perform during the game against the Marquette Golden Eagles.First round: The Kansas Jayhawks mascot interacts with a referee during the game against the Northeastern Huskies.First round: The Florida State Seminoles cheer squad performs during the game against the Vermont Catamounts.First round: Auburn Tigers mascot Aubie performs during the first half of the game against the New Mexico State Aggies.First round: LSU Tigers cheerleaders perform during the first half against the Yale Bulldogs.First round: The Georgia State Panthers cheerleaders and mascot pose for a group photo on the court.First round: The Yale Bulldogs mascot poses before the game against the LSU Tigers.First round: Minnesota Golden Gophers cheerleaders on the court before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
First round: A Washington Huskies cheerleader performs during a game against the Utah State Aggies.First round: Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders perform during the game against the Colgate Raiders.First round: A Cincinnati Bearcats cheerleader during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.First round: Baylor cheerleaders perform during the game against Syracuse.First round: A fan roots for the Abilene Christian Wildcats against the Kentucky Wildcats.First round: The Gonzaga Bulldogs mascot performs during the game against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.First round: The Maryland Terrapins mascot performs during the game against the Belmont Bruins.First round: The New Mexico State Aggies cheer team poses before the game against the Auburn Tigers.First round: Actor Bill Murray sits in the stands before the game between Minnesota and Louisville.First round: A Washington Huskies cheerleader performs during a game against the Utah State Aggies.First round: Tennessee Volunteers cheerleaders perform during the game against the Colgate Raiders.First round: A Cincinnati Bearcats cheerleader during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes.First round: Baylor cheerleaders perform during the game against Syracuse.First round: A fan roots for the Abilene Christian Wildcats against the Kentucky Wildcats.First round: The Gonzaga Bulldogs mascot performs during the game against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.First round: The Maryland Terrapins mascot performs during the game against the Belmont Bruins.First round: The New Mexico State Aggies cheer team poses before the game against the Auburn Tigers.First round: Actor Bill Murray sits in the stands before the game between Minnesota and Louisville.

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