Top-seeded UC Irvine and No. 2 Hawaii meet for the third time this season in the Big West Tournament championship tonight at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.
The Anteaters (23-10, 15-5 Big West) are looking for their third tournament title since 2015 and first since 2019. This year marked the eighth time since 2014 that they’ve won at least a share of the regular-season championship.
Hawaii (23-8, 14-6) is looking for its second tournament title in its final season in the Big West. The Rainbow Warriors will join the Mountain West later this year.
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UC Irvine and Hawaii split a pair of games in the regular season. The Warriors won, 67-66, at home on Jan. 10, and the Anteaters took the rematch, 87-76, in overtime on their home court on Jan. 29.
The Anteaters have won five-straight games, including a lopsided 93-78 win over No. 4 Cal State Northridge in the semifinals on Friday. Six-foot-5 guard Derin Saran led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Six-foot-4 guard Jurian Dixon added 18 points, seven assists, and five rebounds, while Big West Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Evans finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Big West Sixth Man of the Year Andre Henry came off the bench to add 12 points.
Dixon leads the team and ranks No. 7 in the conference with 16 points a game. Evans, a 6-foot-10 forward, leads the country with 110 blocked shots, averages 12 points a night, and ranks No. 2 in the league with 8.5 rebounds a game.
Hawaii needed a big second half to knock off No. 3 Cal State Fullerton, 78-63, in the semifinals on Friday. The Warriors trailed early in the second half but pulled away thanks to a decisive 17-3 run. The Warriors dominated the paint. They out-rebounded Fullerton 53-26 and scored 18 second-chance points while the Titans managed just eight. Hawaii also outscored Fullerton, 42-22, in the paint.
Seven-foot center Isaac Johnson led Hawaii with 19 points and five rebounds. Six-foot-9, 230-pound forward Harry Rouhliadeff added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and 6-foot-8 forward Isaac Finlinson chipped in with eight points and nine rebounds.
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UC Irvine vs. Hawaii Odds
UC Irvine is a 1.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite to win the Big West Tournament championship on BetMGM as of this writing. The Over/Under is 141.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -135 for the Anteaters and +110 for Hawaii.
UC Irvine vs. Hawaii On TV
The Big West Tournament Championship featuring UC Irvine and Hawaii will be televised on ESPN2.
Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
UC Irvine vs. Hawaii Prediction
I predict UC Irvine wins the Big West Tournament championship 78-75.
Two of the best frontcourts in the conference will face off in the finals. The Anteaters rank No. 2 in the league with 40.4 rebounds a game, and Hawaii is No. 3 with 39.2.
Johnson is a force in the paint for the Rainbow Warriors. He’s averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 rebounds a game and leads the team with 31 blocked shots. Six-foot-6 guard Dre Bullock gives the team another reliable option down low. He’s putting up 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
The difference is that UC Irvine has one of the best rim protectors in the country. Evans is a talented scorer, and he doesn’t mind throwing his body around to battle for rebounds. He and Dixon both posted double-doubles in the Anteaters overtime win over Hawaii in the regular season.
Another thing separating the teams in tonight’s Big West final is how they take care of the ball. UC Irvine is No. 3 in the conference with a +.82 turnover margin, while Hawaii ranks No. 9 with a -1.32. Those add up in a game of this magnitude.
