Long Beach State vs UC San Diego Prediction 2/5/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Long Beach State Beach and the UC San Diego Tritons meet Thursday in college basketball action from the RIMAC. Here’s a Long Beach State vs UC San Diego prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Long Beach State 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.

Long Beach State Beach Betting Preview

The Beach limped to a 2-9 start this season featuring wins over only Nobel and San Diego. A nice 6-2 run came next though, as Long Beach State took looses to only Iowa State and UC Irvine in that time. The Beach have since lost four straight however, falling to Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside and Hawaii in succession. That makes for an 8-15 record so far.

In the Saturday matchup with Hawaii, the Beach went into the second half sporting a 36-31 deficit. Long Beach State didn’t end up getting any closer than that, falling further behind on a 53-51 run on the way to a home loss 89-82. Both Petar Majstorovic (five rebounds) and Shaquil Bender (three rebounds) notched a team-high 22 points with one assist each in the losing effort.

UC San Diego Tritons Betting Preview

Over on the UC San Diego side, they only lost one game over their first 11 outings. That defeat came on December 2 versus Nevada. The Tritons haven’t been as good since then on a 5-7 run however, taking losses to San Diego, Cal Poly, CSU Fullerton, CSU Northridge, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara and CSU Northridge again along the way. The Tritons have a 15-8 overall record this year.

In the CSU Northridge rematch on the road last weekend, the Tritons were in major trouble at the break with a 41-28 deficit. UC San Diego didn’t get any closer than that on a 40-36 deficit in the second half and took the loss on the road in the end 81-64. Hudson Mayes led the team in the losing effort with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists while Leo Beath had 10 points with seven boards and two assists. Alex Chaikin added 10 points with one assist as well.

Long Beach State Beach @ UC San Diego Tritons Betting Trends: February 5, 2026

Why the UC San Diego Tritons will win

• Long Beach State has lost each of its last 11 road night games against the Big West Conference.
• UC San Diego has won four of its last five games against Long Beach State.
• UC San Diego has won the first half in each of its last three night games against Long Beach State.

Why the Long Beach State Beach will win

• UC San Diego has lost each of its last four home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• The road team has won the first half in three of the last four games between Long Beach State and UC San Diego.

Long Beach State vs UC San Diego Prediction

I’ll lean toward UC San Diego. The Tritons really need to get it together after three consecutive low-scoring losses, though. UC San Diego shot just 34.3 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from the line (8-of-18) in their latest loss to CSU Northridge, adding a 42-32 deficit in the paint and a 39-30 disadvantage on the boards. UCSD has been below 65 points in three straight defeats over the last trio.

These teams last met up quite a while ago in an 80-74 road win for the Tritons back on December 6. In that one UC San Diego shot a very nice 52 percent from the field and 45 percent (9-of-20) from outside along the way. If UCSD can keep that shooting percentage elevated in the home rematch I think they’ll be okay.

Andrew Jett's Pick: UC San Diego Tritons TBA