UNLV Rebels vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, 3/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNLV Rebels vs UC Irvine Anteaters

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Location: Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: UC Irvine (-2)

The UNLV Rebels (17-16) are hitting the road to Bren Events Center on Tuesday where they will compete against the UC Irvine Anteaters (23-11) in the 1st round of the NIT. UC Irvine opens this matchup as 2-point favorites. The betting total comes in at 151.

The UNLV Rebels stepped onto the hardwood against Utah State and took a loss by a score of 80-60 in their last game. UNLV ended the contest with a 40.7% FG percentage (22 of 54) and buried 8 out of their 23 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Rebels made 8 of 15 attempts for a rate of 53.3%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 33 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 10 dimes in this matchup while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In relation to the defense, UNLV allowed the other team to go 50.9% from the field on 29 of 57 shooting. Utah State doled out 18 assists and had 12 steals for the game. Additionally, Utah State snagged 29 rebounds (8 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Utah State shot 63.6% at the free throw line by converting 14 of 22 shots. They also made 8 out of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Rebels left the arena with 23 while Utah State finished the game with 20 fouls.

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is one guy who was a major contributor for this game. He ended up scoring 17 points on 6 out of 17 shooting. He played 40 minutes and collected 3 rebounds. He went 35.3% from the field and also recorded 3 dimes.

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UNLV will play this game with a mark of 17-16 this year. They have an average of 79.4 points per game (96th in college) while going 47.0% from the floor. The Rebels are hitting 34.9% on shots from distance (243 of 697) and 68.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, UNLV is pulling down 35.0 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 470 assists this year, which is 143rd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.1 times per game and as a unit they commit 21.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Rebels are able to force 12.7 turnovers every game and they draw 19.6 personal fouls. They are surrendering 35.3% from 3-point land while they are 308th in college hoops in opponents PPG (78.6). The Rebels defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.6% (863 of 1,893) and they concede 34.8 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 292nd in the nation in giving up assists with 487 surrendered so far this year.

In their last game, the UC Irvine Anteaters walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-64 when they played Hawaii. The Anteaters snagged 25 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 38 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. Hawaii was called for 17 fouls for the contest which got the Anteaters to the charity stripe for a total of 17 tries. They were able to bury 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 88.2%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, UC Irvine converted 5 of 11 tries (45.5%). At the conclusion of this game, the Anteaters ended up going 22 out of 61 from the field which had them at 36.1%. The Anteaters allowed Hawaii to convert 27 of their 66 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 40.9% for the matchup. They went 30.8% from 3-point land by shooting 8 of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 9 out of 15 from the free throw line (60.0%). In regard to rebounding, UC Irvine permitted Hawaii to get 20 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Jurian Dixon was important for the Anteaters for the game. He converted 6 of 15 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and added 4 rebounds. He recorded 17 points in his 34 mins on the court and accumulated 3 dimes for the contest.

UC Irvine has a mark of 23-11 on the year. As an offensive team, the Anteaters are shooting 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 104th in the country. UC Irvine has earned 2,632 points so far this year (77.4 per game) and they grab 40.4 boards per contest. They are getting an assist 16.1 times per game (60th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 12.7 times per contest. The Anteaters are committing 15.7 personal fouls per game and they hit 69.2% from the free throw line.

The UC Irvine defense surrenders 33.0% on 3-point shots (271 of 820) and opponents are making 70.7% of their free throw shots. They concede 13.1 dimes and 36.7 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 163rd and 310th in college hoops. The Anteaters on the defensive end are ranked 48th in D-1 in PPG given up with 68.4. They are forcing 13.5 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 38.4% from the floor (3rd in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UC Irvine (-2)

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