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The UCSB Gauchos take on the Long Beach State Beach. Our college basketball odds series has our UCSB Long Beach State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UCSB Long Beach State.
The college basketball season has been endlessly interesting, and the Big West Conference has done its part by giving us a compelling multi-team race for the regular season championship. Cal Santa Barbara leads the Big West with a 9-2 record, but several teams are close behind, including 8-4 Long Beach State. UC Irvine is 8-3 in second place. Hawaii and UC Riverside join Long Beach at 8-4 with UC Davis not completely out of the hunt at 7-4. Any game between any two of these top six teams will have a significant influence on the Big West standings and the team which gets the No. 1 seed for the Big West Conference Tournament in March.
Here are the UCSB-Long Beach State college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: UCSB-Long Beach State Odds
UCSB Gauchos: -1.5 (-105)
Long Beach State Beach: +1.5 (-115)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How To Watch UCSB vs. Long Beach State
TV: ESPNU
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch UCSB-Long Beach State LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
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Why UCSB Could Cover The Spread
If there is a favorite in the Big West, it remains UCSB. The Gauchos, coached by Joe Pasternack, have set the pace in the conference. Pasternack is viewed as one of the better mid-major coaches in the country and a guy who could grab the Stanford or Cal jobs if one or both of them come open one month from now. Pasternack gives UCSB a quality coach who can steer the Gauchos through the more difficult games on their schedule. Also keep in mind that UCSB just suffered a surprising loss to Cal State Northridge. That might seem like a reason to pick against the Gauchos, but it could simply be a case of having one clunker in a long season — which will happen — and resetting the dial for a new winning streak.
Before the loss to Northridge, UCSB had been winning games by comfortable margins, often by double digits. Long Beach State, in marked contrast, has won four recent games by either a margin of three points or in overtime. The Beach has become a close-game magnet, and while Long Beach has been winning those games, it's not sustainable, at least not generally. It is an act of playing with fire. The Beach is bound to get burned, especially with UCSB regrouping from its bad game versus Northridge.
Why Long Beach State Could Cover The Spread
The Beach has a great chance to take down UCSB and make a run at the Big West title. This is the game the team has to win. Given how good The Beach has been in close games recently, it's tempting to pick Long Beach to win in what is close to a pick 'em game.
Long Beach has won each of its last five games. Two wins were three-point decisions. Two other wins were in overtime, one in triple overtime. It does defy the odds to win all of these nail-biters without fail. Yet, it has to be said that when a team wins a few of these close games, that builds confidence for the next one. Do you want to bet against The Beach in a game with a one-point spread on The Beach's home floor?
Final UCSB-Long Beach State Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. Watch and enjoy it. Maybe look for a live betting play instead.
Final UCSB-Long Beach State Prediction & Pick: Long Beach State +1.5
