Basketball Game Preview: Irvine Vaqueros vs. Whitney Wildcats + How To Watch

The Irvine Vaqueros will head out to square off against the Whitney Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Irvine is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 53.2 points per game this season.

Irvine took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 55-44 victory over Savanna. Given the Vaqueros' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while the Rebels are ranked 1024th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Chase Brito

Points

12/16/25 vs Savanna	18
11/21/25 vs San Juan Hills	18
12/05/25 vs Saddleback	15
11/24/25 vs Rancho Alamitos	15
11/29/25 vs Valencia	12
+ 7 more games

Chase Brito was his usual excellent self, shooting 41% from the field en route to 18 points along with five boards and three steals. He is becoming a predictor of Irvine's success: when he posts at least 15 points the team is undefeated (and 3-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Francisco Martinez, who posted nine points and six rebounds.

Whitney hasn't had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They came within six points of losing the streak, but they secured a 69-63 W against Godinez Fundamental.

Irvine's record is now 7-5. As for Whitney, their record now sits at 5-10.

Irvine and Whitney were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, but Irvine came up empty-handed after a 45-44 loss. Can the Vaqueros avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.