Oregon guard Payton Pritchard (3) against Wisconsin during the first half of a first round men's college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament Friday, March 22, 2019, in San Jose, Calif.

A Couple of West Coast Bracket Busters Meet in the Round of 32

This 13 vs 12 second-round game features teams that took very different routes to get to this point. UC Irvine is 20-1 straight up in 2019 and hasn’t lost since mid-January. Oregon scuffled at the beginning of conference play but has won nine straight, including the Pac-12 championship and an 18-point thrashing of Wisconsin in the first round. The Ducks are a 5-point favorite heading into this game with the total quite low at 123.5.

UC Irvine vs Oregon Game Center

Standout Stats

  • UC Irvine went 18-1 SU and 12-6-1 ATS in conference play. The Anteaters then knocked off Kansas State as a 3.5-point underdog in the Round of 64. However, they are 0-10 SU and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games vs the Pac-12.
  • Oregon has the No. 12 scoring defense in the country at 62.7 points per game. UC Irvine is right there too at No. 18 and 63.6 points against per game. Both teams are outside the top 100 in scoring offense.
  • Oregon is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS all-time in this matchup. These schools have not played since December 2015, when the Ducks won 78-63 as an 8-point favorite. Oregon’s average winning margin in the five all-time meetings is 19.0.
  • UC Irvine has never before advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Oregon is 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS in the second round of the tournament since 2002. The Ducks missed last year’s tournament after making it to the Final Four in 2017. Oregon is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last two tournament appearances.
  • Both teams have a +14 scoring margin over their last three games, while UC Irvine is No. 30 in the country on the season and Oregon is No. 36. UC Irvine is shooting just four-tenths of a percentage point better from the floor than Oregon this season. Both teams are in the top 20 when it comes to opponent field-goal percentage.
  • Both of these teams have been phenomenal bets of late with the Anteaters going 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 while the Ducks are 9-1 ATS in their last 10.
  • UC Irvine was an underdog just five times this season, going 4-1 ATS in those games. UCI is just 4-3 ATS in neutral-site games vs Oregon’s 8-1 neutral-site ATS record.

 My Best Bet for UC Irvine vs Oregon

Oregon -5.5

This is a tough one. The teams are very similar in terms of their makeup and statistics. They’re both playing their best basketball of the season coming into this game. The determining factor for me is that Oregon, as a school, has been in this spot before and has a history of success.

This is uncharted territory for the Anteaters and I expect that to be the difference. Additionally, the UC Irvine historical record vs Pac-12 teams must be considered.

Bettors should note: I’ll probably stay away from this game myself. I don’t see a real quantifiable edge here and the spread is big enough to raise doubt.

Oregon is 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS all-time in this matchup. home Both teams have a +14 scoring margin over their last three games. UC Irvine is 0-10 SU and 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games vs the Pac-12.away
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