UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge Prediction, Odds for College Basketball on Thursday, Feb. 26

There's a three-way tie atop the Big West heading into Thursday's slate of games, and two of those three teams will face each other tonight.

Both UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge are sitting at 11-5 on the season, tied with Hawai'i for the top spot in the conference. With just a few games left in the regular season, tonight's game is going to be extremely pivotal when it comes to locking in a top seed for the upcoming conference tournament.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bet for this intriguing Big West matchup.

UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

UC Irvine +1.5 (-105)
CSU Northridge -1.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Irvine +114
CSU Northridge -137

Total

OVER 154.5 (-110)
UNDER 154.5 (-110)

UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge How to Watch

Date: Thursday, February 26
Game Time: 10:00 pm ET
Venue: Premier America Credit Union Arena
How to Watch (TV): ESPN+
UC Irvine Record: 18-10 (11-5 in Big West)
CSU Northridge Record: 18-10 (11-5 in Big West)

UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge Betting Trends

UC Irvine is 2-4 ATS in its last six games
The UNDER is 5-1 in UC Irvine's last six games
UC Irvine is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games vs. CSU Northridge
UC Irvine has won 10 straight road games vs. CSU Northridge
CSU Northridge is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games
The OVER is 13-6 in CSU Northridge's last 19 games

UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge Key Player to Watch

Kyle Evans, F - UC Irvine Anteaters

UC Irvine has the most dominant front court in the Big West, and Kyle Evans is a big reason for that. He's averaging 8.8 rebounds and a blistering 3.4 blocks per game, which is 0.5 more blocks per game than any other player in college basketball. If CSU Northridge wants to win this game, they have to find a way to score when Evans is on the court.

UC Irvine vs. CSU Northridge Prediction and Pick

In today's edition of Daily Dunk, I wrote about why I'm backing UC Irvine as a short road underdog:

Any time UC Irvine takes the court, we have to take a look at what its opponent does. Teams have had success shooting the 3-ball against the Anteaters, but trying to shoot from two-point range is a recipe for disaster. UC Irvine leads all of college basketball in opponent two-point field goal percentage, keeping teams to shooting just 41.6% from down low.

Fortunately for them, CSU Northridge is going to play right into UC Irvine's strengths. The Matadors rank 47th in two-point shot rate, with 67.3% of their shots coming from two-point range.

That gives UC Irvine a massive stylistic advantage, so I'll back the Anteaters as underdogs in tonight's Big West matchup.

Pick: UC Irvine +1.5 (-105)

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