UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs UC Irvine Anteaters

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (18-11) are on their way to Bren Events Center on Saturday where they will go up against the UC Irvine Anteaters (19-10).

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos played UC Riverside and walked away with a win by a score of 70-59 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Gauchos ended up with 19 and UC Riverside accumulated 20 fouls. They made 2 of their 16 shots from 3-point range. UC Riverside went 81.0% when shooting free throws by burying 17 of their 21 shots. On top of that, UC Riverside had 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. UC Riverside recorded 10 dimes and had 8 steals for the game. With regard to the defense, UC Santa Barbara allowed the other team to shoot 38.5% from the field on 20 out of 52 shooting. They also distributed 10 dimes for this contest in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they earned 36 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Gauchos buried 19 of 28 tries for a rate of 67.9%. UC Santa Barbara finished the contest with a 44.2% field goal percentage (23 of 52) and made 5 of 18 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Aidan Mahaney is someone who came through in this game. He notched 21 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. He played 36 mins and also pulled down 2 rebounds. He ended up going 46.7% from the floor and recorded 3 assists.

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UC Santa Barbara enters this contest with a record of 18-11 on the season. They currently have an average of 78.9 points per outing (112th in D-1) while going 47.2% from the floor. The Gauchos are connecting on 37.7% on shots from downtown (263 of 697) and 75.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, UC Santa Barbara is pulling in 35.1 rebounds per game and is sitting with 424 assists on the campaign, which ranks 124th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 12.6 times per game and as a group they commit 18.7 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Gauchos are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game and they draw 18.7 fouls. They are giving up 34.7% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 162nd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (73.1). The Gauchos defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.4% (729 of 1,572) and they surrender 30.0 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 114th in college in giving up assists with 363 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the UC Irvine Anteaters took home the win by a final score of 68-67 when they faced Cal State Northridge. The Anteaters were able to collect 25 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 15 times, while recording 14 steals for the matchup. Cal State Northridge had 13 fouls for the contest which got the Anteaters to the charity stripe for a total of 11 shots. They were able to make 9 of those for a rate of 81.8%. With regard to three-point shots, UC Irvine converted 5 of 16 tries (31.3%). Overall, the Anteaters shot 27 for 58 from the field which had them shooting 46.6%. The Anteaters allowed Cal State Northridge to make 25 of their 61 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 41.0% for the matchup. They shot 21.1% from beyond the arc by shooting 4 out of 19 and ended up shooting 13 out of 21 from the free throw line (61.9%). In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, UC Irvine permitted Cal State Northridge to grab 31 in all (13 on the offensive side).

Jurian Dixon was important for the Anteaters in this game. He recorded 14 points in his 32 mins on the court and had 4 assists in this matchup. He converted 6 of 12 in the game for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and earned 1 rebound.

UC Irvine has a mark of 19-10 on the campaign. The Anteaters are responsible for committing 16.0 fouls per game and they hit 68.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 16.3 times per game (49th in college) and they cough up possession 12.9 times per contest. UC Irvine has tallied 2,225 points this year (76.7 per contest) and they grab 40.1 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Anteaters are shooting 46.3% from the floor, which ranks 124th in D-1.

The UC Irvine defense allows 32.6% on 3-pointers (220 of 674) and opponents are making 70.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 12.7 assists and 37.2 total boards per game, which has them ranked 121st and 328th in the nation. The Anteaters are ranked 37th in college in points per game surrendered with 67.7. They are forcing their opponents into 13.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 37.9% from the floor (3rd in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Santa Barbara

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