Cal Poly Mustangs vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cal Poly Mustangs vs UC Irvine Anteaters

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA

TV: ESPN+

Bren Events Center is the location where the UC Irvine Anteaters (20-10) will attempt to defeat the Cal Poly Mustangs (13-17) on Thursday.

The Cal Poly Mustangs stepped onto the hardwood against UC-San Diego and ended up losing by a score of 80-64 in their last game. In the matter of fouls, the Mustangs ended up with 15 while UC-San Diego recorded 14 fouls. They converted 8 of their 24 attempts from beyond the perimeter. UC-San Diego finished 62.5% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of their 16 tries. Moreover, UC-San Diego collected 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UC-San Diego dished out 18 dimes and had 10 steals for the game. When discussing the defense, Cal Poly let their opponent shoot 46.3% from the field on 31 of 67 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists for the matchup while creating 6 turnovers and earning 3 steals. When talking about grabbing boards, they collected 36 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Mustangs buried 8 of 8 attempts for a rate of 100.0%. Cal Poly wrapped up the contest having earned a 37.9% FG percentage (22 out of 58) and made 12 out of their 39 3-point shots.

Hamad Mousa is a player who played a role for this contest. He left the arena with 19 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He saw the court for 34 mins and pulled down 9 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the field and dished out 2 dimes.

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Cal Poly will enter this contest with a mark of 13-17 so far this season. They are turning it over 15.6 times per contest and as a group are committing 19.2 fouls per game. As a unit, Cal Poly is pulling in 37.8 rebounds per contest and has tallied 397 dimes on the year, which is 241st in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Mustangs are hitting 33.6% from downtown (329 of 978) and 78.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 81.6 pts per contest (59th in college) while going 43.4% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Mustangs have forced 12.6 turnovers every game and they draw 19.9 fouls. They rank 320th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 471 surrendered this year. The Mustangs defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.8% (898 of 1,961) and they surrender 37.5 rebounds per contest as a squad. They relinquish 34.8% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 360th in college hoops in points per game allowed (85.0).

The last time they took the court, the UC Irvine Anteaters got the victory with a final of 64-60 when they faced UC Santa Barbara. In the matter of rebounding, UC Irvine permitted UC Santa Barbara to get 32 overall (6 on the offensive glass). They went 44.0% from distance by shooting 11 of 25 and ended up going 7 out of 9 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Anteaters permitted UC Santa Barbara to convert 21 of 49 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.9% for this game. When the game finished, the Anteaters went 23 out of 58 from the field which gave them a percentage of 39.7%. In regard to 3-point shots, UC Irvine converted 1 out of 10 attempts (10.0%). They were able to bury 17 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 63.0%. UC Santa Barbara committed 21 fouls in the matchup which got the Anteaters to the free throw line for a total of 27 attempts. They also coughed it up 7 times, while recording 9 steals for the contest. The Anteaters were able to corral 21 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 29 for the game.

Jovan Jester Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Anteaters for the game. He totaled 13 points in his 20 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 2 assists for this contest. He buried 4 out of 6 in the game for a rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 4 rebounds.

UC Irvine has a mark of 20-10 this season. The Anteaters are committing 15.8 fouls every game while shooting 68.1% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 16.1 times per game (60th in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 12.7 times per game. UC Irvine has totaled 2,289 pts this year (76.3 per contest) and they snag 40.0 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Anteaters are shooting 46.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 131st in the nation.

The Anteaters are ranked 35th in the nation in points given up per game with 67.5. They are forcing 13.8 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 38.0% from the floor (3rd in college). The UC Irvine defense surrenders 33.0% from downtown (231 of 699) and their opposition makes 70.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 12.7 dimes and 37.0 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 122nd and 325th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Irvine

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