The top team in the Big West takes to the court as UC Irvine hosts Santa Barbara. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Santa Barbara-UC Irvine prediction and pick.

Santa Barbara comes into the game at 16-8 on the year and 8-5 in conference play, placing them in fifth in the Big West. They opened up the season 6-1 before losing four of their next five games. They would then win five straight before dropping three of four. Since then, they have won three straight. In their last game, Santa Barbara faced Hawaii. Santa Barbara would lead by seven at the end of the first half. Still, Hawaii took the lead late in the second half but would not hold on, losing the game 76-72.

Meanwhile, UC Irvine is 20-4 on the year and 10-2 in conference play, placing them in first place in the Big West. They opened up the year 9-0 before losing two of their next three games. They would win their next seven games in a row before a loss to UC Riverside. They would then win their next three, and last time out, faced UC San Diego. UC San Diego led by just two at the end of the first half, and the game would be tied seven minutes into the second half. Still, UC San Diego would take off from there, winning the game 85-67.

Here are the Santa Barbara-UC Irvine College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Santa Barbara-UC Irvine Odds

Santa Barbara: +8.5 (-102)

Moneyline: +340

UC Irvine: -8.5 (-120)

Moneyline: -450

Over: 137.5 (-110)

Under: 137.5 (-110)

How to Watch Santa Barbara vs. UC Irvine

Time: 11:00 PM ET/ 8:00 AM PT

TV: ESPNU

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why Santa Barbara Will Cover The Spread/Win

Santa Barbara is 148th in KenPom's current rankings this year. They are 124th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 185th in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. Santa Barbara has been solid on the defensive end of the court. They are 49th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 81st in opponent effective shooting percentage. Further, they are 88th in the nation in opponent assist-to-turnover ratio this year.

Stephan Swenson leads the way for Santa Barbara. He leads the team in scoring, assists, and steals per game this year. Swenson is scoring 13.1 points per game, with 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Further, Swenson has 3.7 rebounds per game. He is joined in the backcourt by Jason Fontenet III. Fontenet is scoring 10.5 points per game while adding 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Finally, Deuce Turnver has 10.2 points per game while adding 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

In the frontcourt, Kenny Pohto leads the way. Pohto leads the team in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per game. He is also scoring 12 points per game with 1.8 assists per game.

Why UC Irvine Will Cover The Spread/Win

UC Irvine is 69th in KenPom's current rankings this year. They are 188th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 16th in adjusted defensive efficiency this year. UC Irvine has also been solid on defense this year. They are 37th in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 12th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Further, they do not send other teams to the free-throw line. UC Irvine is fourth in the nation in opponent free throw attempts per game while sitting fifth in opponent free throws made per game this year.

Bent Leuchten leads the way for UC Irvine. Leuchten leads the team in both scoring and rebounds this year, coming in with 16 points per game and 9,1 rebounds. Further, he has 1.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Meanwhile, Devin Tillis is scoring 13.3 points per game while adding eight rebounds and two assists per game.

In the backcourt, Myles Che leads the way. He is scoring 12.5 points per game, with 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Meanwhile, Justin Hohn leads the team in assists and steals per game. He has 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game this year. Hohn is also scoring 12 points and adding 3.4 rebounds per game this year.

Final Santa Barbara-UC Irvine Prediction & Pick

While both teams are solid on the defensive end of the court, UC Irvine has been better there. Still, there are a few key factors that will determine this game. The first will be the rebounding game. UC Irvine is 37th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage, while Santa Barbara is 46th. UC Irvine will also get extra possessions via the steal. They are 172nd in the nation in steals per game, while Santa Barbara is 276th. Finally, UC Irvine has been lock down on defense in the second half. They are 19th in the nation in opponent points per game in the second half. Take UC Irvine in this one.

Final Santa Barbara-UC Irvine Prediction & Pick: UC Irvine -8.5 (-120)