Bill Mulligan, 61, has been a fixture on the U.C.-Irvine campus for 11 seasons and a college coach for 35 years. He announced on Feb. 13 that he would retire at the end of this season.
Tonight's the end of the season for Irvine, which, despite an 86-81 win Thursday over San Jose and a win a week ago at Fullerton, can't finish high enough to make the Big West Conference postseason tournament.As would be Utah State's luck this season, this is it for Mulligan, as well as a couple of long-time Anteater fixtures, seniors Jeff Herdman and Ricky Butler, and it will certainly be an emotional time for Irvine.
Herdman and Butler went into the week averaging 17.8 points a game each for the season. Herdman with 499 points and Butler with 498. Herdman has played four seasons and Butler three.
This makes a team that currently stands last in the league a lot more dangerous than its 5-12 record indicates as Utah State closes out the regular season in Bren Events Center tonight at 8:30 MST.
The 8-9 Aggies still have a shot at tying Pacific for third place in the Big West, a position that could allow them to begin the tournament in the bracket that won't contain No. 1-ranked UNLV.