Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Thursday, March 6

Iain MacMillan | Mar 6, 2025

UC San Diego is a massive favorite against Long Beach State on Thursday night. / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

UC San Diego has a one game lead on the Big West and has all the makings of a mid-major team that could pull off an upset in the NCAA Tournament.

On Thursday night, the Tritons will take on Long Beach State, which has had a tough season going just 3-15 in Big West play.

Can UC San Diego cover as massive favorites? Let's take a look.

Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Spread

• Long Beach State +22.5 (-110)
• California San Diego -22.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Long Beach State +2000
• UC San Diego -10000

Total

• OVER 136.5 (-105)
• UNDER 136.5 (-115)

Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, March 6
• Game Time: 10:00 PM EST
• Venue: LionTree Arena
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN+
• Long Beach State Record: 7-23 (3-15 Conference)
• UC San Diego Record: 26-4 (16-2 Conference)

Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego Key Players to Watch

Long Beach State

Devin Askew: Devin Askew is the clear best player for Long Beach State, leading the team in points (18.5), assists (4.7), and steals (1.6) per game. He's coming off an impressive 25-point in their latest outing. Can he put up a similar performance tonight?

UC San Diego

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones: UC San Diego is in the position their in because of Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones. He's leading the team in points (19.8), rebounds (5.3), and assists (3.4) per games. He's shooting 58.9% from the field, which is the 20th best field goal percentage in the country. This team will go as far as he can take them.

Long Beach State vs. UC San Diego Prediction and Pick

If there's a team in the Big West that can beat UC San Diego, it's going to be a team with a strong perimeter defense as the Tritons shoot the three ball at the 11th-highest rate in the country (49.1%). Unfortunately for Long Beach State, they have one of the worst perimeter defenses in college basketball. The Beach ranks 353rd out of 364 teams in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 37.9% from beyond the arc.

Covering a 22.5-point spread is a tall order, but Long Beach State has nothing to offer to challenge UCSD. If the Tritons do have one weakness, it's their rebounding where they rank outside the top 200, but Long Beach State ranks even worse.

This game is going to be a blowout.

Pick: UC San Diego -22.5 (-110) via BetMGM

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