It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UC Irvine-Hawaii prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UC Irvine-Hawaii.

The UC Irvine Anteaters are tied atop the Big West Conference with an 11-2 record. Irvine is battling the breakout team in the conference, UC San Diego, for the Big West regular-season championship. With the race all square in the middle of February, every game feels like a championship game for coach Russell Turner and his team. Mid-major teams obviously have only one path in most cases for the NCAA Tournament, winning the automatic bid at the conference tournament. However, knowing that the conference tournament is a one-and-done high-wire act with great volatility and uncertainty, the most attainable prize for these teams is the conference championship, the product of two and a half months of excellence against the other competitors in a team's back yard. Winning the Big West would mean a lot to UC Irvine and its players. That's the obvious and huge incentive going into this game on the island against Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors are trying to play spoiler and set themselves up for a run in the conference tournament which might have to go through the big boys in the Big West.

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

College Basketball Odds: UC Irvine-Hawaii Odds

UC Irvine: -5.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -235

Hawaii: +5.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +184

Over: 140.5 (-110)

Under: 140.5 (-110)

How to Watch UC Irvine vs Hawaii

Time: 11:59 p.m. ET/8:59 p.m. PT

TV: ESPN Plus

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

Why UC Irvine Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Anteaters are a really good team. What else is there to say after winning 11 out of 13 conference games? Irvine has consistently stood up to the challenge provided by its Big West competitors. Russell Turner is regarded as one of the better coaches in mid-major college basketball. His name gets brought up in coaching carousel cycles, but he has been content to stay at Irvine and work with a smaller school instead of climbing the ladder as so many other coaches do. His players respect him, and there is obviously total buy-in from the Irvine roster. That fosters continuity and cohesion, and it should serve Irvine well in this long-distance road trip for a late-night game in Hawaii against an opponent which is not terrible, but not particularly distinguished, either. The spread is not massive. Irvine winning this game by seven to nine points seems like a very possible outcome. Would anyone be really shocked if that happened? Probably not.

Why Hawaii Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Rainbow Warriors had this game circled on the calendar since the moment the Big West schedule was revealed for the 2024-2025 college basketball season. It's the middle of February. Irvine is making the long commute to the island. Hawaii is waiting to spring the ambush against the Anteaters. One of the things we always talk about in college basketball in mid-February is that the long parade of games is bound to create one of those nights when a good team just doesn't have the same juice and energy it normally does. Guys are looking ahead to March Madness and are hitting a physical and mental wall. UC Irvine is entering a trap in Hawaii, the very kind of game in which a good team gets caught with low fuel against an opponent which is gearing up to play the game and is treating it as its Super Bowl for the season. It's a classic upset scenario, and Hawaii can still cover this spread even if it loses by five points.

Final UC Irvine-Hawaii Prediction & Pick

Our lean is to Irvine, but this is an obvious trap situation for the Anteaters. Maybe wait for a live play.

Final UC Irvine-Hawaii Prediction & Pick: UC Irvine -5.5