Betsided

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Thursday, Jan. 25

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State: A pivotal game in the Big West with the conference up for grabs

By Iain MacMillan

Dec 9, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Justin Hohn (2) celebrates in
Dec 9, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Justin Hohn (2) celebrates in / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

A pivotal game in the Big West is set to take place on Thursday night when UC Irvine hits the road to take on Long Beach State. The conference is completely up for grabs with plenty of competition from top to bottom.

With a win tonight, the Anteaters would match UC David for the best conference record at 6-1.

Let's dive into the odds for the game and then I'll break down my best bet.

If you want to get in on the action, be sure to sign up for an account at FanDuel Sportsbook. If you click the link below to sign up for an account, you'll receive $150 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager.

Bet on college hoop at FanDuel now!

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State odds, spread, and total

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State betting trends

  • UC Irvine is 2-8-1 ATS in its last 11 games vs. Long Beach State
  • The UNDER is 5-0 in UC Irvine's last five road games
  • UC Irvine is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games
  • The OVER is 5-0 in Long Beach State's last five games
  • Long Beach State is 5-1 ATS in its last six home games vs. UC Irvine

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State how to watch

  • Date: Sunday, January 25
  • Game Time: 10:00 p.m. EST
  • Venue: Walter Pyramid
  • How to Watch (TV): ESPN+
  • UC Irvine Record: 13-6 (6-1 in Big West)
  • Long Beach State Record: 12-7 (4-3 in Big West)

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State key players to watch

UC Irvine

Justin Hohn: UC Irvine's guard has given the Anteaters something they haven't had for a number of years, a perimeter game. Now, they have a guy who can shoot the three ball to go along with their suffocating interior play. When he gets hot, UC Irvine is tough to beat.

Long Beach State

Aboubacar Traore: Long Beach State's forward is a jack of all trades. He leads the team in assists (4.3), steals (1.9), blocks (1.7) per game, while also coming in second in both points per game and rebounds per game. He's a tough player for any team to shut down.

UC Irvine vs. Long Beach State prediction and pick

UC Irvine has a big defensive advantage and this game and it could be the difference maker tonight. The Anteaters come in at 25th in the country in defensive efficiency, whereas Long Beach State is just 199th in that stat.

They're going to be able to pound Long Beach State down low. The Beach ranks just 259th in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 53.3% from two-point range. That's an area UC Irvine can absolutely take advantage of and it's enough for me to lay the three points on the Anteaters.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks