UC Irvine is one win away from a second-straight appearance in the Big West Basketball Tournament championship game, and the Anteaters are determined to get the job done this time.
They were the No. 2 seed last season and lost to UC San Diego in the championship game. The Anteaters (22-10, 15-5 Big West) head to Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, as the top seed this year. The top two seeds in the Big West Tournament earn a bye all the way to Friday’s semifinals.
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UC Irvine heads into the tournament on a four-game winning streak, including a 79-69 overtime win against UC Davis in the regular-season finale. The win clinched the Anteaters’ third Big West regular-season championship in the past four seasons.
Hawaii (22-8, 14-6) earned the No. 2 seed in its final season in the Big West. The Rainbow Warriors will join the Mountain West next season. They’ve won four of their past five games, including an 87-85 victory at No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton (17-15, 12-8).
Cal State Northridge (19-13, 12-8) is the No. 4 seed, and reigning champion, San Diego, is No. 5. UC Davis is No. 6, followed by UC Santa Barbara at No. 7 and Cal Poly at No. 8.
Cal State Fullerton leads the conference with 83.7 points a game, while UC Irvine is giving up a conference-low 68.1 points a game.
The Anteaters lead the Big West with 190 blocked shots and rank No. 2 in the league with 40.3 rebounds per game, thanks in large part to Big West Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Evans, who leads the country with 109 blocked shots. The 6-foot-10 forward also averages 11.9 points and 8.5 rebounds a game.
Hawaii is led by 7-foot center Isaac Johnson, who is averaging 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. Six-foot-6 guard Dre Bullock is adding 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds a night.
Cal State Fullerton’s offense runs through 6-foot-1 senior Joshua Ward, who leads the team with 14.5 points a game and 110 assists and averages 4.4 rebounds a night.
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Big West Basketball Tournament Odds
UC Irvine is a +165 college basketball betting odds favorite to win the Big West Tournament on BetMGM as of this writing.
Hawaii is at +200, followed by UC San Diego (+750) and UC Santa Barbara (+850).
| Team | BetMGM Odds |
| UC Irvine | +165 |
| Hawaii | +200 |
| UC San Diego | +750 |
| UC Santa Barbara | +850 |
| CSUN | +1600 |
| UC Davis | +2200 |
| Cal State Fullerton | +2200 |
| Cal Poly | +10000 |
| Odds as of March 11 |
Big West Basketball Tournament Sleepers
UC Irvine and Hawaii are the clear favorites, but Cal State Northridge has the pieces in place to make a run at the championship.
CSUN has two scorers that rank in the top 10 in the conference, including Big West Player of the Year Josiah Davis. The 6-foot-3 Niagara transfer leads the league and ranks No. 3 in the country with 236 assists. He ranks No. 8 in the conference with 15.7 points a game. The Matadors’ leading scorer, St. Louis transfer Larry Hughes II, ranks No. 4 in the conference with 17.6 points a night and leads the team with 51 steals.
CSUN split with Hawaii this season, and the Matadors came up just short of a major upset in a 68-67 loss to UC Irvine in late February.
UC San Diego is an even longer shot to keep an eye on. The Tritons have won six of their past seven games, including a 71-69 victory at UC Irvine.
Big West Basketball Tournament Predictions
I predict UC Irvine will win its first Big West Tournament championship since 2018-19.
The Big West is full of teams that can get hot and steal the crown. No. 8 seed Cal Poly ranks No. 2 in the conference with 82.5 points a game. Hawaii and CSUN both average at least 80 points a game, and the Rainbow Warriors are only giving up 70.1.
UC Irvine has what may be the conference’s most complete lineup, and that well-rounded approach is going to lead it to the title.
Six-foot-4 sophomore Jurian Dixon is a talented scorer (15.9 PPG), Evans is dominant in the paint, and Derin Saran is a lanky, versatile guard who is averaging 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, leads the team with 52 steals, and has 106 assists on his resume. Freshman Tama Isaac leads the team with 131 assists.
