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CSU Bakersfield vs. UC Irvine Prediction and Odds (Two of the Worst Offenses in the Nation go Head to Head)

By Matt De Saro

The UC Irvine Anteaters an CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners clash in Big West action tonight.
The UC Irvine Anteaters an CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners clash in Big West action tonight. / Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
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Two struggling Big West teams face off on Thursday night when the UC Irvine Anteaters host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at the Bren Events Center.

Neither team has done particularly well this year and both have identical 6-7 overall records and are 1-3 in conference play. The Roadrunners hit the road having lost five of their last seven games. Their last game was a 63-59 loss to Hawaii at home.

The Anteaters, meanwhile, are on a three-game losing streak and are losers of six of their last seven games overall. Making matters worse, the runners are just 3-7-1 ATS while the Anteaters are 5-7 ATS. While neither of these two teams are very good, they do match up well and I expect a pretty close game. Here are the odds for this Big West matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

CSU Bakersfield vs. UC Irvine Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • CSU Bakersfield +9.5 (-110)
  • UC Irvine -9.5 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • CSU Bakersfield +380
  • UC Irvine -510

Total: 122.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

CSU Bakersfield vs. UC Irvine Prediction and Pick

Neither team has been able to find much consistency in conference play based on one very important shortcoming that both programs share. They can't seem to buy a bucket. Both teams rank well outside the top 300 in terms of overall scoring with the Runners 345th and the Anteaters 327th. So, needless to say, this game won’t exactly be a shootout. 

In fact, with the Anteaters' 25th ranked scoring defense, we could be in for a grind 'em’ out type of game from UC Irvine. The Roadrunners, to their credit, have the 53rd ranked scoring defense in the nation and rank 2nd in opponent field goal attempts per game. 

All of this screams to play them under, and, despite some very low totals in recent games, the UNDER is 9-2-1 for the Anteaters this season. The UNDER is also 3-1 in the last four games that CSU Bakersfield has played as a road underdog. With both teams struggling mightily to put up points, I think this could easily be the lowest-scoring game of the day. 

Lean: CSU Bakersfield & UC Irvine UNDER 122.5 (-110)

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