The Long Beach State Beach (15-13, 9-7 Big West) and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (20-7, 11-5) meet Thursday at The Thunderdome (UCSB Events Center) in Santa Barbara, Calif. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Long Beach vs. UCSB game odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Long Beach has dropped 2 straight games and 3 of its past 4 both straight up and against the spread (ATS). The Over has cashed in 4 of the past 5 games for the Beach, too.
These teams met in Long Beach on Feb. 9, with the Gauchos coming away with a 75-72 win and covering as 1.5-point favorites on the road as the Over cashed.
UCSB is a 20-win team but has dropped 3 straight games, going 0-3 ATS during the skid and 2-5 ATS its past 7 games overall. The Over is 8-1 in UCSB’s previous 9 contests, with UCSB allowing 70 or more points in 6 in a row.
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Long Beach State at UCSB odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:56 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Long Beach State +175 (bet $100 to win $175) | UCSB -230 (bet $230 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Long Beach State +5.5 (-115) | UCSB -5.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Long Beach State at UCSB picks and predictions
Prediction
UCSB 75, Long Beach State 71
Moneyline
The payout for UCSB (-230) is too steep and Long Beach State (+175) isn’t worth pursuing in what should be a very close game.
AVOID.
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Against the spread
LONG BEACH STATE +5.5 (-115) is worth a look, but play it lightly.
The Beach is 6-1 ATS across their past 7 games following a non-cover, while going 4-1 ATS in their past 5 after a straight-up loss.
On the flip side, UCSB -5.5 (-105) has managed to cover just twice in its past 7 games overall. And the home team is just 3-10 ATS in the past 13 meetings in this series, too.
Over/Under
UNDER 147.5 (-110) is the lean, but go only with a half-unit wager at most.
The Under is 16-6 in the past 22 for Long Beach against teams with a winning overall record, while going 5-1 in the past 6 after a non-cover.
For UCSB, the Over has been a frequent occurrence lately, but the Under is 8-3 in its past 11 against teams with a winning overall mark.
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