The Santa Barbara Gauchos will hit the floor running against the visiting UC Irvine Anteaters Saturday, looking to improve their record and boost wagering bankrolls in the process.

The Gauchos sport records of 7-6 and 5-6 ATS heading into this battle, while the Anteaters have 6-11 and 9-5-1 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 7-4 for the Gauchos and 7-8 for the Anteaters.



View UC Irvine vs Santa Barbara Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
If you're backing the visitors in this one, you'll find the Anteaters listed as 14.5-point underdogs

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Gauchos sit at No. 38 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Anteaters sit at No. 140 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Gauchos will win this game 74-66.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Santa Barbara's No. 69 nationally ranked offense (74.3 points per game) against a Anteaters defense that sits as the No. 247 at 70 PPG. The Gauchos have been averaging 45.6% from the field, more than the Anteaters have managed so far this season (40.3% on average).

Defensively, UC Irvine features the nation's No. 126-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.2 points per game. Santa Barbara, meanwhile, comes in at No. 43 nationally in scoring at home.

In their last action, UC Irvine was a 66-50 loser at home against Cal Poly. They failed to cover the 5.5-point spread as underdogs. UC Irvine got 15 points from Daman Starring but lost anyway, 66-50, to Cal Poly on Thursday at Bren Events Center.

Santa Barbara lost its last outing, a 79-70 result against UC Riverside on January 12. They failed to cover in that game as a 7.5-point favorite. Santa Barbara got 23 points from Orlando Johnson but lost anyway, 79-70, to UC Riverside on Thursday at Student Center.


UC Irvine Anteaters Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing CS Fullerton are 6-4
After playing Cal Poly are 6-4
After a loss are 3-7

Santa Barbara Gauchos Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 5-5
Before playing CS Northridge are 8-2
After playing UC Riverside are 8-2
After a loss are 5-5

A few Anteaters at Gauchos trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UC Irvine's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UC Irvine's last 6 games when playing on the road against Santa Barbara
UC Irvine is 3-14 SU in its last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Santa Barbara's last 5 games when playing UC Irvine
Santa Barbara is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home
Santa Barbara is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing UC Irvine
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Santa Barbara's last 6 games when playing at home against UC Irvine


Next up:
UC Irvine home to CS Fullerton, Saturday, January 21
Santa Barbara home to CS Northridge, Thursday, January 19