Pepperdine vs UC Irvine 11/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
UC Irvine Anteaters (3-0) vs. Pepperdine Waves (3-1)
November 19, 2022 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pepperdine Waves -1 / UC Irvine Anteaters +1; Over/Under: +142
(Get latest betting odds)
The UC-Irvine Anteaters and the Pepperdine Waves meet in college basketball action from the Firestone Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
The UC-Irvine Anteaters will look to build on back-to-back wins after a 79-64 win over Loyola Marymount last time out. DJ Davis leads UC-Irvine with 16.3 PPG while Dawson Baker has 14.7 PPG as the only other double-digit scorer for UC-Irvine so far this season. Bent Leuchten has 9.7 PPG with 5 RPG to lead the Anteaters on the glass while Pierre Crockrell II has a team-high 5 APG as well this season. As a team, UC-Irvine is averaging 81.3 PPG on 46.5% shooting from the field, 43.8% from three and 64% from the foul line this season.
The Pepperdine Waves will try to add to their 94-80 win over subdivision Vanguard last time out. Maxwell Lewis leads the Waves in scoring with 19.3 PPG along with 6.5 RPG and 4.5 APG while Mike Mitchell Jr. has 16.5 PPG with a team-high 5 APG and 3 RPG. Jevon Porter has 14.3 PPG with a team-high 8.8 RPG to lead the Waves on the glass while Houston Mallette has 13.8 PPG with 4.5 APG and 4.3 RPG to cap off the scoring in double figures for the Waves on the season so far. As a team, Pepperdine is averaging 90.5 PPG on 55.5% shooting from the field, 46.2% from three and 71.4% from the foul line this season.
UC-Irvine is 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 road games and 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS win while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 Saturday games. Pepperdine is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a win while the under is 4-1 in their last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record.
I get the case to be made for certain teams laying points at home, but I have no idea why UC-Irvine is an underdog here. They’ve looked better playing the tougher schedule up to this point and already have a road win over Oregon under their belts. Pepperdine does have their fair share of returning talent, but that’s not enough to push me in their direction. Give me UC-Irvine and the free point here.
