UC Irvine vs UC Santa Barbara College Basketball Picks, Odds, Predictions 3/13/21

The UC Irvine Anteaters and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos meet Saturday in the college basketball Big West Final at the Michelob Ultra Arena.

The UC Irvine Anteaters look for another win after beating UC Riverside on Friday. The UC Irvine Anteaters are averaging 73 points on 45.3 percent shooting and allowing 63.4 points on 38.8 percent shooting. Collin Welp is averaging 14.8 points and 1.5 assists while Dawson Baker is averaging 10.6 points and 2.1 rebounds. Brad Greene is dishing 0.8 assists and DJ Davis is grabbing 1.2 rebounds. The UC Irvine Anteaters are shooting 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and 75.2 percent from the free throw line. The UC Irvine Anteaters are allowing 33.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36.6 rebounds per game.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos look for another win after beating UC Davis on Friday. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are averaging 75.8 points on 48.6 percent shooting and allowing 62.1 points on 41.6 percent shooting. JaQuori McLaughlin is averaging 15.9 points and 3.5 rebounds while Amadou Sow is averaging 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. Ajare Sanni is the third double-digit scorer and Miles Norris is grabbing 4.6 rebounds. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are shooting 35.4 percent from beyond the arc and 74.3 percent from the free throw line. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are allowing 33.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.3 rebounds per game.

The Anteaters are 18-8-1 ATS in their last 27 Saturday games. The Gauchos are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The under is 5-2 in Anteaters last 7 overall. The under is 4-1 in Gauchos last 5 overall.  

The UC Irvine Anteaters won both meetings back in December and remain a tough team to bet against because of their elite defense. UC Irvine is allowing 35.6 percent shooting from the field in its last five games and is winning those games by an average of 10.6 points. You can argue the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos were the better team this season, but I’m not betting against UC Irvine and that defense, something that gives them an even bigger edge playing on possible tired legs. Give me the Anteaters.