UC San Diego Tritons vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds
Game: UC San Diego Tritons vs UC Irvine Anteaters
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA
TV: ESPN+
Bren Events Center is the site where the UC Irvine Anteaters (17-9) will meet the UC San Diego Tritons (18-9) on Saturday.
The UC San Diego Tritons took the court against UC Riverside and went home with a win by a final score of 72-66 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Tritons ended up with 16 and UC Riverside accumulated 19 personal fouls. They made 8 of their 28 attempts from beyond the perimeter. UC Riverside walked away from this one shooting 87.5% when shooting free throws by making 14 of their 16 tries. Furthermore, UC Riverside had 36 rebounds (7 offensive, 29 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. UC Riverside doled out 12 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. In the matter of the defense, UC San Diego allowed 37.3% from the field on 22 of 59 shooting. They also distributed 19 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 10 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 37 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. From the charity stripe, the Tritons made 15 of their 20 shots for a rate of 75.0%. UC San Diego walked away from the contest with a 42.6% FG percentage (26 of 61) and buried 5 of their 25 shots from beyond the arc.
Hudson Mayes is one player who played a role in this contest. He finished the contest at 58.3% from the field and totaled 4 assists. He was on the court for 35 mins played and also snagged 7 boards. He left the arena with 24 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
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UC San Diego enters this contest with a record of 18-9 for the campaign. They average 76.3 points per outing (169th in college hoops) while connecting on 45.8% from the field. The Tritons are connecting on 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (234 of 695) and 68.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, UC San Diego is grabbing 37.4 rebounds per game and is sitting with 396 assists on the season, which has them ranked 125th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 11.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.2 fouls per game.
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On defense, the Tritons are forcing 12.0 turnovers per game and they draw 16.5 fouls. They currently rank 211th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 363 surrendered so far this year. The Tritons defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.4% (667 of 1,611) and they relinquish 35.8 boards per game as a unit. They give up 32.9% from 3-point land and they are 85th in college in points per game allowed (70.3).
In their last game, the UC Irvine Anteaters got the victory with a final of 86-65 against CSU Fullerton. In reference to team rebounding, UC Irvine allowed CSU Fullerton to collect 26 in total (8 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 31.3% from three-point range by shooting 10 out of 32 and ended up going 5 out of 9 from the charity stripe (55.6%). The Anteaters permitted CSU Fullerton to convert 25 out of their 67 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 37.3% for the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Anteaters went 35 for 61 from the floor which had them shooting 57.4%. When discussing three-point attempts, UC Irvine buried 10 of 24 attempts (41.7%). They were able to make 6 of the free throws for a percentage of 60.0%. CSU Fullerton had 12 fouls for the contest which took the Anteaters to the charity stripe for 10 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 14 times, while recording 6 steals for the matchup. The Anteaters pulled down 34 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 39 in this game.
Andre Henry ended up being a factor for the Anteaters in this game. He tallied 19 points in his 24 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He converted 8 of 8 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 100.0%, and had 3 rebounds.
UC Irvine has a mark of 17-9 for the campaign. As an offense, the Anteaters are shooting 46.3% from the field, which is 128th in the country. UC Irvine has tallied 2,019 points for the year (77.7 per game) and they pull down 40.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 16.2 times per contest (58th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.5 times per game. The Anteaters commit 16.2 fouls every game and they shoot 68.2% from the free throw line.
The Anteaters are ranked 43rd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 68.0. They are forcing 13.7 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 37.8% from the field (3rd in college). The UC Irvine defense gives up 33.3% on 3-pointers (204 of 612) and opponents are knocking down 70.3% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.7 dimes and 37.3 rebounds per game, which is ranked 123rd and 327th in Division 1.
Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC San Diego
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