UC Irvine vs Long Beach State Predictions and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo content contributor Kyle Kargel offers his UC Irvine vs Long Beach State betting preview in the Big West Conference for Saturday, February 26. At the time of posting, the Anteaters are a 7-point home favorite against the road Beach, with the total sitting at 136.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Saturday, February 26 | Big West Conference Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | UC Irvine Anteaters -7 vs Long Beach State Beach |
Total: | 136.5 Points |
Game Time: | 11:59pm ET / 8:59pm PT |
Arena: | Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA |
TV: | ESPNU |
UC Irvine vs Long Beach State Analysis
It’s now or never for UC Irvine as they sit 2.5 games back of Long Beach State in the Big West Conference standings heading into their game tonight with three games left including this one to play.
The Anteaters need to win out to even have a shot at a regular season championship with The Beach among others needing to lose most of their remaining games.
The last time these two met at Long Beach State the Beach came away with a 73-67 win with UC Irvine being five point favorites.
Overall, against the spread the Beach are 4th best in the country with a 17-7 record which we need to take into consideration heading into this one as the conference leaders are once again dogs, but this time by seven points.
Anteaters Like Playing Inside the Paint
One must ask how the Anteaters are somewhat heavy favorites again playing the Beach with how the season has progressed thus far.
The Anteaters are 5th in the conference standings and are coming off a loss at CS Fullerton 66-64. They’re only 9-10-1 against the spread as well. What gives UC Irvine the edge is their #1 NCAA ranking at defending the three as they only allow opponents to shoot it at 25% from behind the arch.
On offense the team doesn’t shoot the three themselves as only 22% of their total points game-to-game are made up from behind the three point line which is 350th in the country.
Over 58% of their points come from inside the arch which is good for 18th nationally. They like to play at a slow pace as their 308th nationally in adjusted tempo.
There’s not much experience on the team except for senior playmaker Colin Welp who leads the team in points per game with 14+ and rebounds per game with 6+. He also shoots over 43% from the floor and over 86% from the free throw line.
He’ll need an outing like the 20 point, 11 rebound game he had the last time these two played if the Anteaters want a chance at covering the seven point spread.
The Beach Playing Ball Fast Paced
Opposite of UC Irvine, the Beach love to play fast up-tempo basketball as they rank 17th nationally in adjusted tempo.
The Beach will try to force the Anteaters out of their comfort zone of playing slow with quick plays in which they ultimately end up at the rim for a bucket or getting fouled and going to the free throw line.
They’re free throw shooting is average but over 22% of their points come from there which is 13th nationally. The Beach have been riddled with injuries throughout the season including key players Joe Hampton, Jordan Roberts and Drew Cobb.
They only had eight active players in their win against UC San Diego in which all starters scored in double digits en route to a 103-87 win.
Junior guard Joel Murray may have to pick up the slack once again as he averages 16 PPG, 3 RPG and 3 APG on the season while shooting at 44%. This game is at midnight EST so be sure to monitor the injury report for the Beach prior to game time.
UC Irvine vs Long Beach State Prediction
Injuries aside I still think Long Beach State can do what it needs to cover as seven point underdogs.
UC Irvine has a tendency to not take care of the ball and their offense overall isn’t that great ranking 230th in adjusted offensive efficiency. They’ll need to rely on their defense, but it’ll be tough for them to contain a fast paced Beach offense.
Considering the Beach’s ATS record and the fact they’re still first in the conference standings, I think they’ll give it their all as they want to walk away with a regular season conference championship at season’s end.
Prediction: Long Beach State +7
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UC Irvine vs Long Beach State GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Saturday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s UC Irvine vs Long Beach State contest.
NCAAB Odds Screen
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