| MATCHUP | Cal Irvine Anteaters | UC San Diego Tritons |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 13-7 | 15-5 |
| Where | LionTree Arena, San Diego, CA | |
| When | Saturday, January 24, 2026 | |
| Time | 10:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The UC Irvine Anteaters and the UC San Diego Tritons meet Saturday in college basketball action from the RIMAC. Here’s a UC Irvine vs UC San Diego prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UC Irvine vs UC San Diego pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
UC Irvine Anteaters Betting Preview
The Anteaters started out the year on a rough run at 3-4, but then hit a 9-1 stretch. Those wins came courtesy of South Dakota State, San Jose State, UC Riverside, CSU Northridge, North Dakota State, Norfolk State, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Fullerton and Long Beach State. After that came a couple of losses to Hawaii and UC Davis, giving the Anteaters a 12-7 run over the first 19 games.
On Thursday versus UC Riverside, the Anteaters were up by five points 38-33 going into the second half. UC Irvine hit a 42-33 advantage the rest of the way, cruising to a routine road victory 80-66 by the end of the game. The Anteaters were led by Jurian Dixon with 15 points and there rebounds. Kyle Evans had a team-high 15 boards with seven points and one assist.
UC San Diego Tritons Betting Preview
Over on the UC San Diego side, they kicked off the year on a great stretch. The Tritons won 10 of their first 11 games, losing to only Nevada in that time. After that came a spotty 4-4 stretch over the next eight, however. The losses in that time came courtesy of San Diego, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Northridge. Over the first 19 games of the year the Tritons had a 14-5 record in the books.
Matched up against UC Davis on Thursday, the Tritons were in trouble by the end of the first half, looking up at a 30-25 deficit on the scoreboard. UC San Diego got it going in the second half however, hitting a 55-44 run the rest of the way for a nice win on the road 80-74. Hudson Mayes was the leading team performer, notching a double-double on 19 points and 12 rebounds.
UC Irvine Anteaters @ UC San Diego Tritons Betting Trends: January 24, 2026
Why the UC San Diego Tritons will win
- UC San Diego has won each of its last 11 Saturday games against Conference opponents.
Why the UC Irvine Anteaters will win
- UC Irvine has won 36 of its last 42 night games against Conference opponents.
- UC San Diego has lost three of its last four night games at LionTree Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- UC Irvine has won the first half in six of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
UC Irvine vs UC San Diego Prediction
I’ll lean toward UC San Diego but you could call this one either way. It should be a pretty good game. The Tritons are coming off a nice road win over a decent UC Davis team, shooting 49.1 percent from the field with a 46-28 rebidding advantage and a 36-22 edge on points in the paint. UC San Diego did have 15 turnovers though, so it wasn’t perfect. The Tritons have been a bit spotty in the record column as of late, but they’re sitting on consecutive wins right now with a combined 163 points scored in that pair.
As for UC Irvine, they didn’t have too many issues versus UC Riverside in their latest outing. The Anteaters shot 45.8 percent from the field with 39 rebounds and 40 points in the paint, however they did have 13 turnovers and a pretty rough 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from outside. Still, UC Irvine is 6-2 in their last eight games with 72 or more points scored in seven of those outings.