UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Big West Championship Final

Iain MacMillan | Mar 15, 2025

UC San Diego is favored against UC Irvine in the Big West Tournament final. / Erik Williams-Imagn Images

UC Irvine and UC San Diego were head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in the Big West this season, and now we rightfully get to see the two teams face off in the conference tournament final with a bid in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

The Anteaters will have to win on Saturday night to make the tournament, but if they're able to upset the Tritons, there are whispers that UC San Diego may still make the dance as an at-large bid, making the Big West a two-bid conference.

These two teams split their regular season series. UC Irvine won on January 11 by a score of 60-52 but then UC San Diego won the rematch in dominating fashion, 85-67, on February 8.

Let's dive into the odds, key players, and best bet for tonight's tournament final.

UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

Spread

• UC Irvine +5.5 (-110)
• UC San Diego 5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• UC Irvine +200
• UC San Diego -250

Total

• OVER 135.5 (-105)
• UNDER 135.5 (-115)

UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, March 15
• Game Time: 9:30 PM EST
• Venue: Lee's Family Forum
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN2/ESPN+
• UC Irvine Record: 28-5 (17-3 Conference)
• UC San Diego Record: 29-4 (18-2 Conference)

UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego Key Players to Watch

UC Irvine

Bent Leuchten: The Anteaters dominate the interior, both offensively and defensively, and a large part of that is due to their center, Brent Leuchten, who leads the team in points (15.6), rebounds (9.1), and blocks (1.3) per game. He put up 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in their semifinal win against Cal Poly.

UC San Diego

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones: There's a strong argument to be made that Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones is the best player in the Big West. He leads the Tritons in points (19.7), rebounds (5.4), and assists (3.6) per game. If the Anteaters want to pull off the upset, they have to find a way to slow down Tait-Jones.

UC Irvine vs. UC San Diego Prediction and Pick

This is a bad stylistic matchup for the Anteaters. UC Irvine does a lot of things well, but UC San Diego can counter them and attack their weaknesses better than any other team in the Big West. No team will have success attacking the interior of the Anteaters' defense, but they're vulnerable on the perimeter, ranking 179th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 33.7% from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately for UC Irvine, the Tritons are a three-point shooting team, ranking eighth in the country in three-point shot rate. They're also 57th in the country in three-point field goal percentage, hitting them at a rate of 36.4%.

When UC San Diego dominated UC Irvine in the most recent meeting between these two teams, the Tritons went 16-of-31 from beyond the arc, overpowering the Anteaters with their perimeter shooting. I expect a similar result tonight.

Pick: UC San Diego -5.5 (-110) via BetMGM

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