UC-Santa Barbara vs UC San Diego 12/31/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UC San Diego Tritons and the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos meet Saturday in college basketball action from UCSB Events Center. UC San Diego is fresh off a Thursday game versus Long Beach State. The Tritons ended up eking out a two-point victory. As for UC Santa Barbara, they played CSU Fullerton in their last matchup Thursday. In that one the Gauchos won by eight points. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

UC San Diego went 2-4 over their first six games this year, beating only California and George Washington. A 3-3 stretch came over the next six games, featuring wins over Eastern Michigan, Bethesda and Occidental. 

In Thursday’s Long Beach State game, the Tritons were down 32-29 going into the second half but managed to force overtime. At the buzzer the Tritons emerged with an 85-83 win. Bryce Pope led the team on 25 points with eight rebounds. 

Over on the UC Santa Barbara side, they hit a 4-2 run out of the gate this year with losses to Northern Arizona and Duquesne. The Gauchos would then win five straight versus Pacific, Pepperdine, SDCC, Portland State and Appalachian State. 

Matched up against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday, the Gauchos took a 30-25 edge into the break. UC Santa Barbara scored another 36 points in the second and won it 66-58. Ajay Mitchell was tops in scoring with 24 points and three boards. 

PICK: I’m going to stick with UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos are currently riding a six-game win streak, hitting 66 or more points in five of those games. UC Santa Barbara has a couple of dud performances and a few close calls this year, but overall they’re playing pretty well on both sides of the ball. UC San Diego is on a 2-3 run over their last five with 58 or fewer points in three of those games. I like the Gauchos to keep the Tritons in check in a UCSB cover here.