It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UC San Diego-UC Irvine prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UC San Diego-UC Irvine.

There are tons of college basketball games on Saturday, but while the SEC and the heavyweight conferences go at it, you won't want to ignore this game in the Big West. It's a game which has big implications for the Big West regular-season championship.

UC Irvine leads the conference at 10-1, while UC San Diego is second at 9-2. No one else in the league has fewer than four conference losses, so these are the clear-cut two best teams in the Big West. Irvine, which is unbeaten at home this season and is 20-3 overall, already won on the road at UC San Diego. Therefore, if the Anteaters beat the Tritons a second time, they would have a two-game lead in the standings plus the head-to-head tiebreaker, essentially giving them a three-game lead with one month left in the conference season. That would be a very, very tall mountain for UC San Diego to climb. An Irvine win gives the Anteaters one foot in the door for the Big West title and the No. 1 seed at the Big West Tournament. A UC San Diego win, however, would create a flat-foot tie in the standings. Both teams would be 10-2 in the league with one win against the other in the head-to-head series. That's a massive swing based on one game's outcome. If you haven't paid attention to Big West basketball in 2025, this is a great time to start.

UC San Diego: -1.5 (+104)

Moneyline: -110

UC Irvine: +1.5 (-128)

Moneyline: -110

Over: 140.5 (-115)

Under: 140.5 (-105)

Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

TV: ESPNU

The Tritons more desperately need this game than Irvine does. If UC San Diego loses, the conference race is almost essentially over, even though there is still one full month left in the Big West regular season. UCSD cannot afford to fall behind by three games, which — as we explained above — is what would happen if the Tritons get swept by Irvine. You're going to see UC San Diego play this game like a conference tournament game, in other words, an elimination game. The loss to Irvine at home came about because the Tritons scored just 52 points. Chances are they will score in the mid-60s at the very least, possibly in the lower 70s. If they hit the lower 70s, they should win this game outright, and given that the moneyline is the same price for each side, this game is essentially a pick 'em.

Irvine solved UC San Diego's offense in the first meeting between these two teams. Irvine head coach Russell Turner is one of the best coaches in mid-major college basketball. He has remained at Irvine instead of jumping for a bigger offer from a power conference program. Having that continuity and steadiness at its head coaching position puts UC Irvine in such a good position for big games such as this one. Having Turner on the bench consistently puts Irvine in position to win big games and compete for Big West titles. Playing at home, Irvine has to like its chances of nailing down a conference championship in this game — not officially, but essentially.

The game is priced as a pick 'em. You don't have to bet on the spread, only the straight-up winner. We don't have a strong lean, but if you have an angle, you have a chance to test your college basketball instincts. Good luck!