SAN JOSE, Calif. -- For more than 50 years, the UC Irvine men's basketball program has existed in relative anonymity.
Without even an NIT win to their credit, let alone one in the NCAA tournament, the Anteaters have never had much of a chance at breaking into the consciousness of Southern California's sporting public. It wasn't necessarily a source of frustration for those around the program because it was a simple, easy-to-understand reality.
It was always going to take a special moment for that to change, if only momentarily. It finally came Friday as the 13th-seeded Anteaters beat fourth-seeded Kansas State 70-64 to secure their first NCAA tournament win and the first round's most significant upset.