UC Santa Barbara Gauchos betting odds line spread pick predictions best bets

March Madness: UC Santa Barbara vs. Baylor odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s UC Santa Barbara vs. Baylor odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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The 14th-seeded UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (27-7) meet the No. 3 Baylor Bears (22-10) in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Denver Friday. The contest at Ball Arena will tip off at 1:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UC Santa Barbara vs. Baylor
odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

UC Santa Barbara swept the regular-season and tournament titles in this season’s Big West Conference play. UCSB sported that league’s most efficient offense, averaging 72.2 points per game. The Gauchos are a good shooting team and one that takes care of the ball and frequently totes it to the free-throw line. They enter this game on a 7-game win streak.

Baylor lost it regular-season finale and Big 12 Tournament opener and is just 2-4 in its last 6 games. The 11th-ranked Bears have struggled with their 2-point shooting over that stretch while their 3-point shooting (40.6% on 26.7 attempts per game over those 6 games) has continued to be Baylor’s bread and butter.

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UC Santa Barbara vs. Baylor odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 10:44 p.m. ET.

Moneyline: UC Santa Barbara +450 (bet $100 to win $450) | Baylor -700 (bet $700 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): UC Santa Barbara +11.5 (-112) | Baylor -11.5 (-108)
Over/Under (O/U): 143.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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UC Santa Barbara vs. Baylor picks and predictions

Prediction

Baylor 74, UC Santa Barbara 63

Moneyline

Avoid the pool of juice floating these tags. PASS.

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Against the spread

UCSB is 20-10-1 ATS and the Gauchos have not been an ATS loser since Feb. 20. Peg UC Santa Barbara as just a sliver of a lean here. The Bears are quite dangerous and can so easily flip a late 8-point lead to 14 in short order. The Gauchos would be an actionable play at +12.5 or +13.

PASS.

Over/Under

The Gauchos play at a bottom-3rd pace, and they will try to grind this game down to as few possessions as possible. They do take good enough care of the basketball to at least keep BU from 3-bombing them to death in transition.

There will be plenty of build-up by 3s and clock-stopped-1s (free throws), but look Baylor saving some in reserve for the weekend. Look for a score in the 130s.

TAKE THE UNDER 143.5 (-110).

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Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Thursday’s Long Beach State at UC Santa Barbara odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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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UC Santa Barbara at Hawaii odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Thursday’s UC Santa Barbara at Hawaii odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks & predictions.

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (16-3, 7-1 Big West) and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (15-5, 6-2) clash in a battle of 2 squads residing in the top-third of the Big West standings. The contest at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu will tip off at 11:59 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the UC Santa Barbara vs. Hawaii odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

UCSB has won 3-consecutive games straight up and against the spread, and the Gauchos are 12-5 ATS overall. The Big West’s 1st-place team has allowed just 110 points over its last 2 games combined. Santa Barbara’s defensive scoring average is 61.8 points per game; only Hawaii (61.2 PPG) has been better in the Big West.

Hawaii split a pair of games with the Gauchos last season, but the Rainbow Warriors are just 1-4 across their last 5 games against UCSB. That stretch includes a pair of losses in Honolulu. At home this season, UH is 10-2; among the 10 wins is a victory over KenPom top-75 Washington State (62-51) Dec. 23.

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UC Santa Barbara at Hawaii odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:50 p.m. ET.

Moneyline: UC Santa Barbara -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Hawaii -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): UC Santa Barbara +1.5 (-115) | Hawaii -1.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 127.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

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UC Santa Barbara at Hawaii picks and predictions

Prediction

UC Santa Barbara 66, Hawaii 64

Moneyline

Cal-Santa Barbara is playing solid basketball of late. The Gauchos do a good job in generating a lot of quality looks in close, and they have their offense humming along nicely in recent games.

UCSB has a veteran core that has made the voyage to UH before. Give the Gauchos an edge in the turnover battle and a legit chance to take this one outright.

TAKE UC SANTA BARBARA -105.

Against the spread

PASS … and avoid the extra dose of juice for the 1 point of cushion.

Over/Under

Both teams play at bottom-third tempos, but there is some zag lean here. Their schedules — while not top shelf by any means — have both tilted toward better defensive teams so far.

UCSB has some offensive numbers on the upswing, and the game figures to have enough transition and foul-line points to tilt the scale toward a loftier score.

Consider a partial-unit play on the OVER 127.5 (-110).

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March Madness: Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Saturday’s Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara odds and lines, with March Madness Round X picks and predictions.

The 5-seed Creighton Blue Jays (20-8) face the 12-seed UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (22-4) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we analyze the Creighton-UC Santa Barbara odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.

Creighton was dusted in the Big East final by Georgetown, falling 73-48 as 8.5-point favorites. While there are a lot of things to like about the Blue Jays, they are just 3-3 SU/ATS across the past six outings, and each of those three losses were by at least eight points, with two of them by a dozen or more. And bettors in a close game will be pulling out their hair with Creighton, as they ranked just 321st in the nation from the free-throw line at 65.1 percent.

UCSB routed rival UC Irvine in the Big West final by a 79-63 count, winning for the fifth straight time while covering in back-to-back games. They haven’t covered three in a row since a 5-0 ATS run from Jan. 15-29. The Gauchos are a lockdown defense, ranking 15th in the nation with just 62.1 PPG allowed. They’re also an impressive 13-3 ATS in the past 16 games against winning teams, too.

Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara: Odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:25 a.m. ET.

Money line: Creighton -300 (bet $300 to win $100) | UC Santa Barbara +280 (bet $100 to win $280)
Against the spread/ATS: Creighton -7.5 (-110) | UC Santa Barbara +7.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 137.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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Creighton vs. UC Santa Barbara: Odds, lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Creighton 69 UC Santa Barbara 66

Money line (ML)

Backing Creighton (-300) is risky business, especially risking three times your potential return. They just haven’t been playing good basketball lately, and they have really struggled offensively in recent games. AVOID.

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Against the spread (ATS)

UC SANTA BARBARA +7.5 (-110) should be able to use timely offense and their tremendous defense to push for an upset in this 12-5 game. The Gauchos have been a very good team this season, especially protecting their own rim. However, Creighton -7.5 (-110) will be the biggest and most talented team UCSB has faced all season, and in the end the Blue Jays will scratch out the narrow win.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 137.5 (-105) is worth playing as Creighton has really struggled putting points on the board lately. In fact, they have averaged a mere 53.5 PPG in the past two outings, and they’re not going to be able to roll up big points against a tremendous and poised UCSB defense. The Under is 4-1 in the past five as an underdog for the Gauchos, while the Under is 5-2-1 in the past eight as a favorite for the Blue Jays.

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