Check out our free UC Santa Barbara vs Long Beach State pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Long Beach. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
UC Santa Barbara vs Long Beach State Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 9th Betting Odds
Gauchos vs Beach Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at Long Beach State Beach
- Where: Long Beach at Walter Pyramid
- Date: Thursday, February 9th
- Betting Odds: UC Santa Barbara +1, USCB -110 | LBST -111 O/U 145.5
Gauchos Preview:
UC Santa Barbara heads into this matchup having played 22 games and have an overall record sitting at 18-4. So far, the Gauchos have played 11 games on the road, with a record of 8-3. For the season, UC Santa Barbara has been the underdog in 4 games, sitting with a mark of 3-1. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Gauchos being +1 point underdogs.
UC Santa Barbara’s leading scorer this season is Ajay Mitchell, who is averaging 15.5 points per contest. So far, Mitchell has accounted for 22.0% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 2.73 rebounds per game and 4.68 assists. Miles Norris is the second leading scorer for the Gauchos, averaging 13.77 points per game. Between him and Norris, they are accounting for 41.6% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, UC Santa Barbara is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.8 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 22 games, they have only hit 33.2% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 29.99% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.
Beach Preview:
Long Beach State will take their 6 game win streak into today’s game. So far, the team has an overall record of 14-10. Currently, the Beach have been the home team 13 times, sitting with a record of 9-4. The Beach’s are sitting with a betting line that is -1 points in their favor. For the season, Long Beach State has been favored to win in 14 games, sitting with a mark of 10-4.
Long Beach State’s leading scorer this season is Marcus Tsohonis, who is averaging 15.68 points per contest. So far, Tsohonis has accounted for 16.12% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.42 rebounds per game and 1.84 assists. Lassina Traore is the second leading scorer for the Beach, averaging 11.79 points per game. Between him and Traore, they are accounting for 31.4% of the team’s scoring.
On offense, Long Beach State is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 73.9 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 24 games, they have only hit 35.4% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 31.73% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.
Free Spread Prediction: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos +1
Our NCAA basketball betting model has identified this game as an excellent opportunity to take the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos to cover the spread as the +1 point betting underdogs. Throughout the game, look for both UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State to focus on working the ball inside, as the team’s are ranked 426th and 545th, respectively in made 3’s per game. We see this primarily benefiting the Gauchos, who have been a profitable school to bet on vs the spread on the road. In UC Santa Barbara’s last 10 games on the road, they are 7-3 vs the spread. In this spot, we like the Gauchos to cover.
