The UC Irvine basketball team’s nickname is the Anteaters, but its appetite is for rebounds.

“Irvine follows the core values defensively and on the boards,” Hawaii coach Eran Ganot said of today’s opponent at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif.

The Anteaters are fifth nationally in rebounding margin at plus-10.2 (40.6 boards per game to opponents’ 30.4). They have rebounded 35.9% of their missed shots, leading to 13.1 second-chance points per game.

“I think we’ve done a good job on the glass of late, but this will be as big a challenge as we’ve had,” Ganot said.

For the Anteaters, it begins with size. The rotation includes six players who are 6-foot-8 or taller. Forward Tommy Rutherford is a rugged senior who is connecting on a Big West-best 68.5% of his shots. Brad Greene, a 6-10 center who redshirted as a junior in 2018-19, is averaging 6.2 rebounds while hitting 57.4% of his field-goal attempts. Collin Welp, the son of the late Washington star Christian Welp, tops the Anteaters in scoring (14.2) and rebounding (6.8). At 6-9, Welp is a stretch 4 and top reserve.

While the Anteaters are a force inside — 33.9 paint points per game — they also have a wide-angle offense. Point guard Eyassu Worku has hit 48.4% from behind the 3-point arc.

“I like this team,” said UCI coach Russell Turner, who can tie Pat Douglass as the program’s winningest head coach (197) with a victory today. “We do have a mix of veteran guys who are good, and talented young players who are fighting for more roles.”

Last season, the Anteaters went 31-6, including 15-1 in the Big West, and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time. During the offseason, starting guard Max Hazzard transferred to Arizona. They were 8-8 in a preconference schedule that featured 10 games on the road or neutral sites.

“We play a really difficult nonconference schedule, and often get beat up a little bit, like we did this year,” Turner said. “It’s a difficult thing to play such a challenging nonconference schedule when you combine the academics here and, in this case, a team of young guys. But I’m glad we did that. We got a lot revealed about who we are and what we need to do to be good. I am consistently working to give our young guys an opportunity to play and gain experience. I know in a Big West (tournament) environment, when you have to play three games in three days, you need more than just five or six guys to perform well.”

The Anteaters, with a bye this week, are the last of the nine Big West teams to open league play. The Rainbow Warriors, in turn, beat Cal State Fullerton 75-69 on Thursday, giving them a day to prepare for the Anteaters.

“This is the first time we’re coming into these quick turnarounds on the road,” said Ganot, referencing two one-game road trips against Illinois and Oregon. “We’re excited about it. We’ve traveled well. We’re prepared. I think we take great pride in our prep work.”