UC Santa Barbara vs UC Irvine Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, Picks, and Preview - January 16 | 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Season

The UC Irvine Anteaters will be home to face the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Monday in a Big West showdown. UC Irvine is up to 12-5, and they're currently riding a five-game winning streak, most recently beating CSU Northridge on the road. UCSB is 13-3, but they did just lose to UC Riverside, snapping a nine-game winning streak for the Gauchos. These schools split the 2021-22 season series, and interestingly enough, the road team came out on top both times. These conference rivals have been pretty evenly matched in recent years, and we should be in for a competitive contest tonight.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. UC Irvine Anteaters Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Total	Money Line
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	+2.5 (-110)	Over 135.5 (-110)	+120
UC Irvine Anteaters	-2.5 (-110)	Under 135.5 (-110)	-140

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UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. UC Irvine Anteaters Match Details

Fixture: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos @ UC Irvine Anteaters

Date & Time: Monday, January 16, 9:00 p.m. EDT

Venue: Bren Events Center

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. UC Irvine Anteaters Key Stats

UCSB is an excellent defensive team, and on their previous nine-game winning streak, they forced opponents to under 40% from the field pretty often. They're 4-1 in conference play, and overall they hold teams to just 93.5 points per 100 possessions. Ajay Mitchell is the Gauchos' leading scorer (15.9 PPG) and playmaker (4.5 APG), and he should have the ball in his hands a lot tonight. UCSB doesn't shoot a lot of threes, but they are usually pretty efficient within the arc. Overall, UCSB's success starts with their defense, and they have shot 49.8% from the field in Big West games, which is a huge plus.

On offense, guards Dawson Baker (14.1 PPG) and DJ Davis (13.9 PPG) lead the way for UC Irvine, and they should be the center of the Anteaters' offense tonight. As a team, the Anteaters score 109.6 points per 100 possessions, and they shoot 40.5% from deep, the fourth-highest mark in the country. They're a perfect 5-0 in conference games, and they've shot 51.6% from the field in these games. Defensively, they've also been great, as they hold opponents to a 40.3% clip.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. UC Irvine Anteaters Betting Prediction

These are two of the Big West's best teams, and recently both sides have been hot. There isn't much separating these teams in terms of talent, but their playstyles are very different. UCSB doesn't shoot a lot of threes, while UC Irvine is one of the most efficient three-point shooting teams in the nation. Since the home team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight head-to-head meetings. UC Irvine has the edge here. Expect the Anteaters, who are 4-0 ATS when favored by seven points or fewer, to win their sixth straight and cover.

Prediction: UC Irvine -2.5 (-110)

Lucas Abrenica's NCAA Basketball ATS & ML picks this season are 50-36-3 (+100.2 units)

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