Long Beach State Beach (11-6) vs. UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos (9-6)
January 13, 2024 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos -1; Over/Under: +159.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Long Beach State Beach and the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos meet in college basketball action from the Thunderdome on Saturday night. Can UCSB get a win at home to get back to .500 in conference play? Or will Long Beach State pick up a solid road win? Let’s dive in and find out with our Long Beach State vs. UC-Santa Barbara Prediction.
Long Beach State Team Preview
The Long Beach State Beach come into this one looking to rebound from an 88-74 loss to UC-San Diego in their last matchup. Marcus Tsohonis leads the Beach in scoring with 17.6 PPG along with 3.6 RPG while Aboubacar Traore has 12.8 PPG with 7.9 RPG and a team-high 3.8 APG to lead the Beach in the assist department. Jadon Jones has 11.7 PPG and Lassina Traore has 12.3 PPG with a team-high 10.4 RPG to lead the Beach on the glass while rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Long Beach State this season. As a team, Long Beach State is averaging 80.4 PPG on 46.2% shooting from the field, 28.6% from three and 67.9% from the foul line this season. Long Beach State is 11-6 in the Big West standings.
UC-Santa Barbara Team Preview
The UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos come into this one looking to build on back-to-back wins after a 66-64 OT loss to Cal State Bakersfield last time out. Ajay Mitchell leads the Gauchos in scoring and assists with 19.8 PPG and 3.5 APG while Yohan Traore has 14.6 PPG with 4.9 RPG. Josh Pierre-Louis has 11.1 PPG with 5.5 RPG and 3.5 APG of his own and Cole Anderson has 10.9 PPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for UCSB so far this season. As a team, UC-Santa Barbara is averaging 77.7 PPG on 51% shooting from the field, 36.9% from three and 69.4% from the foul line this season.
Long Beach State vs. UC-Santa Barbara Prediction
I’m on Long Beach State here. Two wins for UCSB against two of the worst teams in the Big West doesn’t really move the needle all that much for me if I’m being honest. Long Beach State has been another one of the gatekeepers for the Big West this season. I just don’t see UC-Santa Barbara getting it done at home here personally, so give me the Beach and the points here.
