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Big West Conference Tournament Odds, Preview, Schedule & Predictions

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Basketball

Updated Mar 6, 2023 · 10:27 AM PST

UC Irvine Anteaters guard Dawson Baker looking confused
Nov 29, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; UC Irvine Anteaters guard Dawson Baker (1) and San Diego State Aztecs forward Keshad Johnson (0) react during the first half at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
  • The Big West Conference Tournament will be held Tuesday-Saturday in Henderson, Nevada
  • Top-seeded UC Irvine is favored to win the 10-team event
  • See the Big West Conference Tournament odds and predictions

UC Irvine is the top seed in the Big West Conference Tournament, which will be held Tuesday-Saturday at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.

UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara both were 15-5 in conference play. The Anteaters are the #1 seed via a tiebreaker.

Ten of the conference’s 11 teams will take part as UC San Diego was forced to withdraw because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Cal State Fullerton is the defending champion and seeded fourth in this year’s event.

Big West Conference Tournament Odds

Team Odds
#1 UC Irvine (22-10) +220
#2 UC Santa Barbara (24-7) +250
#4 Cal State Fullerton (18-12) +600
#3 UC Riverside (21-11) +650
#5 Hawaii (22-10) +700
#6 UC Davis (18-13) +1100
#7 Long Beach State (17-15) +1300
#8 Bakersfield (10-21) +16000
#10 Cal Poly (7-24) +25000
#9 CSUN (7-24) +25000

UC Irvine is a +220 favorite to win the Big West Conference Tournament, giving it a 31.25% implied win probability, and is a #14 seed in the latest projected March Madness bracket. UC Santa Barbara is the second choice and has a 28.57% IWP at +250.

 

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Odds as of March 5th at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Big West Conference Tournament Schedule

The first round will be held Tuesday with two games — Bakersfield vs CSUN at 9 p.m. ET and Long Beach State vs Cal Poly at 11:30 p.m.

The quarterfinal matchups Thursday are Bakersfield-CSUN winner vs UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton vs Hawaii, UC Riverside vs UC Davis and Long Beach State-Cal Poly winner vs UC Santa Barbara.

The semifinals will be played Friday and the championship game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET Saturday and will be televised on ESPN2.

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UC Irvine Big West Tournament Favorite

Shooting is tournament favorite UC-Irvine’s strength as it is 33rd in the country from three-point range (37.5%) and 48th in overall field goal percentage (47.1%). The Anteaters are also 12th in field goal defense (39.4).

The backcourt duo of Dawson Baker (15.4) and DJ Davis (15.2), both juniors, are averaging a combined 30.6 points a game.

Senior guard Pierre Crockrell II is scoring just 4.8 points a game but is second in the Big West in assists with a 5.0 average.

UC Irvine won its last two regular-season games to wrap up the top seed in the tournament after losing back-to-back games.

UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Fullerton Big West Tournament Contenders

UC Santa Barbara, the oddsmakers’ second choice, also puts the ball in the basket. The Gaucho have a 49.5 field goal percentage to rank seventh nationally. They are also 49th in scoring defense (65.4).

Sophomore guard Ajay Mitchell is averaging 15.7 points and a conference-leading 5.2 assists a game. Senior forward Miles Norris is scoring 14.2 points and grabbing 6.4 rebounds a game.

Norris’ 49.5 field goal percentage is second in the Big West and Mitchell is third at 49.4 for UC Santa Barbara, which is on a four-game winning streak. The streak comes on the heels of three straight losses.

Cal State Fullerton is the hottest team in the conference. The tourney’s third choice is on a six-game winning streak since standing 12-12.

The Titans win with defense as they are 23rd in Division I in three-point shooting allowed (30.4%) and 36th in points given up (64.5). They are also 43rd in three-point shooting (37.1).

Junior guard Latrell Whitesell Jr. is averaging 16.3 points, good for fourth in the Big West. Senior guard Jalen Harris (12.7) and junior guard Max Jones (12.1) are also scoring in double figures.

Hawaii Big West Tournament Darkhorse

Hawaii is a strong defensive team, ranking 11th nationally in three-point percentage allowed (29.5), 16th in points allowed (61.8) and 28th in overall field goal percentage defense (40.7).

That defense makes Hawaii a potential value play at +700.

Big West Conference Tournament Prediction

No team stands out head and shoulders above the rest in the Big West. Let’s go with the hot team in Cal State Fullerton with its defense and fine guard play to defend its title.

Pick: Cal State Fullerton (+600)

 

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