The UC Irvine Anteaters will try to pay off for their supporters on Saturday when they play host to the Long Beach State 49ers at Bren Events Center in NCAA basketball action.

The Anteaters are 16-13 so far on the season, and 12-15 ATS vs. the number. The 49ers, meanwhile, are 17-10 and 10-15 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen UC Irvine go 10-11 and the 49ers go 10-12 on the totals.



View Long Beach State vs UC Irvine Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
UC Irvine opened as 4.5-point favorites in this college basketball tilt over at Sportsbook but the number may be on the move. Watch for the Sportsbook total as well at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 43-rated Anteaters and the No. 162-ranked 49ers, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 73-68 result in favor of the Anteaters.



How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features UC Irvine's No. 136-ranked scoring average of 69 PPG, against a 49ers defense rated No. 263 and allowing 70.2 PPG. The Anteaters FG% has averaged 43.8% to date this season, less than the 49ers shooters have managed so far (44.5% per game).

Defensively, Long Beach State features the nation's No. 330-rated defense on the road, allowing 78.8 points per game. UC Irvine, meanwhile, comes in at No. 118 nationally in scoring at home.

Long Beach State was a 68-60 loser in their most recent outing at home against Stephen F. Austin. They failed to cover the 1-point spread as favorites. The 49ers endured a 68-60 loss at the hands of the Lumberjacks on Friday, despite a 24-point effort from Mike Caffey at The Walter Pyramid.

Last time out for UC Irvine, they were a 77-70 Sportsbook as they battled Texas-Arlington on the road. They covered in the match as a 4-point underdog. UC Irvine got 16 points from Will Davis II en route to a 77-70 victory over Texas-Arlington on Saturday at College Park Center.


Long Beach State 49ers Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing UC Davis are 9-1
After a loss are 6-4

UC Irvine Anteaters Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 7-3
Before playing Pacific are 6-4
After a win are 7-3

A few 49ers at Anteaters trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Long Beach State's last 6 games on the road
Long Beach State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Long Beach State's last 6 games when playing on the road against UC Irvine
Long Beach State is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games when playing on the road against UC Irvine
UC Irvine is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
UC Irvine is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of UC Irvine's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UC Irvine's last 5 games when playing Long Beach State


Next up:
Long Beach State at UC Davis, Thursday, March 7
UC Irvine at Pacific, Thursday, March 7