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The Santa Barbara Gauchos take on the Long Beach State Beach. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Santa Barbara Long Beach State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Santa Barbara Long Beach State.
The Santa Barbara Gauchos have never been able to find the key to unlock their potential in this college basketball season. The Gauchos are limping to the finish line in their league, two games under the break-even point (8-10) in the Big West Conference. This college basketball season was supposed to be a moment of opportunity for UCSB and star guard Ajay Mitchell, but it just hasn't worked out that way. The Gauchos have a player who can light up a gym, but they haven't surrounded him with the complementary players who can create a formidable five-man unit. It is a waste of Mitchell's talent and potential, and it's something the Gauchos need to study so that this kind of season isn't replicated in the near future. UCSB had been a major threat in the Big West in previous seasons, making the NCAA Tournament and being a real factor in West Coast hoops. This year, the magic has left the program, and one wonders when it will ever come back.
It could be a long wait.
Long Beach State is 10-8 in the Big West, aiming for a top-four seed at the Big West Tournament. The Beach is currently in fourth place and can solidify its position here with a win. UC Irvine is the team to beat in the Big West Tournament when it gets underway next week, but if you have followed college basketball for any appreciable length of time, and if you study Championship Week and the histories of the various conference tournaments, you know that the Big West Tournament usually delivers bracket chaos instead of an orderly and smooth coronation of the regular-season champion. Long Beach and UCSB will both try to use this game to get into form for the Big West tourney.
Here are the Santa Barbara-Long Beach State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Santa Barbara-Long Beach State Odds
Santa Barbara Gauchos: +4.5 (-102)
Long Beach State Beach: -4.5 (-120)
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How To Watch Santa Barbara vs Long Beach State
Time: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN Plus
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Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Santa Barbara Could Cover the Spread
The Gauchos have an elite player, Ajay Mitchell, and they want to build some confidence before the Big West Tournament. Does this guarantee that they will play well? No, but there are worse reasons to pick the Gauchos here.
One very good reason to expect UCSB to cover the spread is that Long Beach is really struggling toward the end of the season, having lost three games in a row. Has The Beach hit a wall? Have the tidal waves hammered The Beach into submission on the California coast? It's quite possible. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened, and it just as certainly won't be the last.
Why Long Beach State Could Cover the Spread
The Beach has been struggling, but it is now playing at home against a UCSB team which has been stuck in neutral pretty much the whole season. Skepticism of UCSB is the best reason to pick Long Beach State.
Final Santa Barbara-Long Beach State Prediction & Pick
There is no reason to bet on this game, because there's no reason to trust either team, period.
Final Santa Barbara-Long Beach State Prediction & Pick: Long Beach State -4.5
