Long Beach State Beach vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Long Beach State Beach vs UC Irvine Anteaters

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA

TV: ESPN+

Bren Events Center is the site where the UC Irvine Anteaters (11-5) will try to beat the Long Beach State Beach (5-10) on Thursday.

The Long Beach State Beach faced off with Cal Poly and notched a win by a score of 74-66 in their last game. Long Beach State walked away from the game having earned a 50.0% FG percentage (29 of 58) and made 4 out of their 17 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Beach buried 12 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 70.6%. In terms of grabbing boards, they earned 30 with 6 of them being offensive. They also dished out 16 dimes for the game as well as forcing 11 turnovers and having 5 steals. In reference to defense, Long Beach State allowed the other team to shoot 33.9% from the floor on 19 out of 56 shooting. Cal Poly distributed 15 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Cal Poly grabbed 33 boards (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Cal Poly finished the game at 72.0% when shooting free throws by burying 18 of their 25 attempts. They made 10 of their 30 attempts from long range. Regarding fouls, the Beach ended up finishing with 21 while Cal Poly finished the game with 14 fouls.

Petar Majstorovic is one guy who was a contributor for this contest. He ended up finishing with 25 points on 12 of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 32 minutes played and also snagged 10 rebounds. He finished the contest at 75.0% from the field and also recorded 3 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Long Beach State enters this contest with a win-loss mark of 5-10 on the campaign. They turn it over 12.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 19.9 fouls per contest. As a team, Long Beach State is pulling in 33.3 boards per game and has racked up 207 dimes this season, which is 230th in the country in terms of passing. The Beach are hitting 31.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (101 of 323) and 70.8% from the charity stripe. They average 74.9 points per contest (235th in D-1) while hitting 45.6% from the floor.

On defense, the Beach are able to force 14.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.0 fouls. They are giving up 37.7% on 3-point attempts while they are 279th in college in PPG from their opponents (77.4). The Beach are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 48.5% (397 of 819) and they relinquish 32.9 rebounds per game as a team. They are currently ranked 220th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 209 surrendered on the campaign.

For their last game, the UC Irvine Anteaters went home victorious with a score of 86-64 when they faced CSU Fullerton. In regard to cleaning the glass, UC Irvine allowed CSU Fullerton to pull down 26 in total (11 offensive). They went 36.7% from distance by shooting 11 out of 30 and ended up shooting 9 out of 12 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Anteaters permitted CSU Fullerton to bury 22 of 67 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 32.8% in this game. When all was said and done, the Anteaters finished the game shooting 32 for 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 56.1%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, UC Irvine made 11 out of their 24 tries (45.8%). They were able to convert 11 of them for a percentage of 57.9%. CSU Fullerton committed 13 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Anteaters to the charity stripe for a total of 19 tries. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 8 steals in this game. The Anteaters snagged 32 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 40 in this matchup.

Derin Saran pitched in for the Anteaters in this contest. He knocked down 7 of 12 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 58.3%, and totaled 11 rebounds. He had 16 points in his 29 mins of playing time and accumulated 6 dimes for the contest.

UC Irvine has a record of 11-5 this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Anteaters are shooting 47.5% from the field, which ranks 83rd in the country. UC Irvine has accounted for 1,263 points on the campaign (78.9 per contest) and they collect 40.3 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 17.6 times per contest (45th in college hoops) and they turn it over 12.3 times per contest. The Anteaters have committed 16.3 personal fouls per game and they hit 66.4% from the free throw line.

The Anteaters defensively are ranked 47th in the country in PPG surrendered with 66.9. They are forcing 13.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 37.5% from the floor (5th in college hoops). The UC Irvine defense surrenders 33.9% on 3-pointers (120 of 354) and opponents are knocking down 66.6% of their free throw attempts. They concede 11.9 assists and 37.3 rebounds per game, which is 68th and 301st in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Irvine

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.