UC Irvine Anteaters vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Prediction, 2/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Irvine Anteaters vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Location: The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Irvine Anteaters (15-7) are on their way to The Thunderdome on Saturday where they will go up against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (15-7).

The UC Irvine Anteaters faced Hawaii and went home with a win by a final score of 87-76 in their last game. UC Irvine wrapped up the game having earned a 47.1% FG percentage (33 of 70) and made 2 of their 11 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Anteaters converted 19 of their 29 tries for a rate of 65.5%. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 49 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 16 assists in the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defending, UC Irvine let their opponent shoot 33.3% from the field on 23 out of 69 shooting. Hawaii dished out 16 dimes and had 6 steals in the game. Furthermore, Hawaii totaled 35 rebounds (7 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't have a block. Hawaii finished the game shooting 89.5% from the free throw line by converting 17 of 19 attempts. They made 13 out of their 32 attempts from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Anteaters ended up with 17 while Hawaii recorded 21 personal fouls.

Jurian Dixon is one guy who was a contributor for the contest. He walked away with 19 points on 8 out of 16 shooting. He saw the court for 36 minutes and also grabbed 10 rebounds. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field and also distributed 4 dimes.

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UC Irvine comes into this game with a mark of 15-7 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 12.5 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.0 fouls every game. As a unit, UC Irvine is pulling in 41.0 boards per game and has tallied 353 dimes on the campaign, which is 100th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Anteaters are hitting 33.1% on 3-point shots (123 of 372) and 68.3% from the free throw line. They are averaging 77.4 points per outing (160th in the nation) while connecting on 46.4% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Anteaters are able to force 13.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 72nd in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 272 relinquished for the campaign. The Anteaters are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 37.3% (519 of 1,390) and they relinquish 36.9 rebounds per game as a team. They relinquish 33.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 36th in college in PPG allowed (67.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos walked away with a victory by a final of 83-69 when they faced CSU Fullerton. In the matter of rebounds, UC Santa Barbara allowed CSU Fullerton to collect 24 in total (4 on the offensive glass). They shot 39.1% from downtown by going 9 out of 23 and ended up shooting 12 of 18 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Gauchos allowed CSU Fullerton to make 24 out of their 55 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.6% for the contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Gauchos went 29 out of 60 from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.3%. In the matter of three-point attempts, UC Santa Barbara knocked down 11 out of their 33 tries (33.3%). They were able to knock down 14 of the free throws for a rate of 82.4%. CSU Fullerton earned 18 personal fouls for the game which took the Gauchos to the free throw line for a total of 17 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 16 times, while recording 13 steals in this game. The Gauchos were able to snag 28 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 38 in the matchup.

CJ Shaw ended up being a factor for the Gauchos for this contest. He buried 5 out of 9 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 26 minutes of playing time and accumulated 1 assist in the game.

UC Santa Barbara has a record of 15-7 on the year. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gauchos are shooting 48.1% from the field, which has them ranked 45th in college. UC Santa Barbara has accounted for 1,745 points for the season (79.3 per contest) and they grab 34.9 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 15.4 times per game (104th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 12.6 times per contest. The Gauchos are committing 18.5 personal fouls every game while shooting 76.0% from the free throw line.

The UC Santa Barbara defense surrenders 35.4% on shots from beyond the arc (156 of 441) and their opponents are making 71.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 12.4 dimes and 29.1 boards per contest, which has them ranked 103rd and 6th in those categories. The Gauchos defensively are ranked 128th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 71.7. They are forcing their opponents into 12.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 46.3% from the field (307th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Irvine

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