UC Irvine vs. Oregon Prediction
Which double-digit seed will move on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament when No. 12 Oregon faces No. 13 UC Irvine at 9:40PM ET in the South Region?
873 UC Irvine vs. 874 Oregon
Sunday, March 24, 2019
9:40PM ET – SAP Center
TV: TBS
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, Oregon is favored in this game, as the Ducks are getting odds of -4.5 points against UC Irvine. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 125.5 points. The public betting currently has 51 percent going on UC Irvine. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Irvine keeps rolling
The Anteaters won their 19th consecutive game on Friday with a 70-64 upset victory over Kansas State. UCI has also covered the spread in eight of its last 10 games. The Anteaters are 31-5 on the season, 6-1 on a neutral floor, 21-13-1 against the spread and 18-17 with the over.
UCI is a strong defensive team that is giving up just 63.3 points per game while holding opponents to just 38 percent shooting. Offensively, the Anteaters are putting up 72.8 points per game while shooting 45.9 percent as a team. In Friday’s win, the Anteaters connected on nine 3-pointers and were 17 of 19 from the line. Evan Leonard had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead the team while Max Hazzard added 19 points.
Ducks dominate Wisconsin
Oregon is on quite the hot streak as well. The Ducks have now won nine straight games following a 72-54 win over Wisconsin on Friday. Oregon has covered the spread in all nine victories as well. The Ducks are now 24-12 on the season, 6-1 on a neutral floor, 21-15 against the spread and 24-12 with the under.
The Ducks are a strong defensive team, allowing just 62.7 points per game while holding opponents to 39.9 percent shooting from the field and 29.1 percent from the arc. Offensively, Oregon is putting up 70.5 points per game while shooting 45.2 percent as a team. In Friday’s win, Oregon shot 54.9 percent from the field and the Ducks were 7 of 15 from the arc. Wisconsin was just 20 of 60 from the field and 6 of 30 from the arc. Payton Pritchard led Oregon with 19 points and eight assists while Louis King added 17 points.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Cal Irvine
UCI is 12-3-1 against the spread in its last 16 games overall but just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games against Pac-12 opponents.
Oregon
Oregon has covered the spread in their last eight games following a win and in six straight on a neutral floor.
Prediction:
Oregon has won five straight meetings with UCI, going 4-1 against the spread in the five meetings. The Ducks beat a Wisconsin team that came from the Big Ten, which went 7-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. UCI bested a Kansas State team that came from a Big 12 Conference that isn’t shining thus far in March Madness. I think Oregon is much better than the 12 seed it was given. While UC Irvine is on a great win streak, I think the Anteaters will be meeting their match in Oregon today. The Ducks can really lock in on defense and forced UCI to play a style that it doesn’t want to.
College Basketball Prediction: Oregon -4.5