UC San Diego vs Cal Irvine Prediction 2/21/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The UC San Diego Tritons and the UC Irvine Anteaters meet Saturday in college basketball action from Bren Events Center. Here’s a UC San Diego vs UC Irvine prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UCSD vs UC Irvine 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 San Diego Tritons Betting Preview

The Tritons had a pretty solid run in their first 20 games, taking losses to only Nevada, San Diego, Cal Poly, CSU Fullerton and CSU Northridge in that time. A 1-4 run came next with losses to UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge and Hawaii. The last two games have been wins over UC Davis and UC Riverside however, giving the Tritons an 18-9 record so far.

Last weekend versus UC Riverside, the Tritons held a fairly modest four-point edge 32-28 by the break. UC San Diego hit a 40-38 run the rest of the way in a 72-66 victory on their home court in the end. Topping the scorers was Hudson Mayes with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Bol Dengdit had 16 points with eight rebounds and three assists in the victory.

UC Irvine Anteaters Betting Preview

Over on the UC Irvine side, they won just three of their first seven games, then posted a 9-1 run after that. Those wins were versus 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 pair of losses against Hawaii and UC Davis, then wins over UC Riverside, UC San Diego, Hawaii and CSUB before a loss to UC Santa Barbara, a loss to Cal Poly and a win over CSU Fullerton.

Matched up against Long Beach State in Thursday’s game the Anteaters posted a four-point edge the first half 24-20. UC Irvine hit the gas in the second on a 45-38 run and powered out the 69-58 victory on the road in the end. Kyle Evans was tops on 14 points with 11 boards and six blocks. Derian Saran had 13 points with four steals and Harrison Carrington had 13 points in 21 minutes.

UC San Diego Tritons @ UC Irvine Anteaters Betting Trends: February 21, 2026

Why the UC Irvine Anteaters will win

• UC Irvine has won each of its last seven games against the Big West Conference at Bren Events Center.
• UC San Diego has lost three of its last four night games following a home win.
• UC San Diego has lost the first half in four of its last five road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the UC San Diego Tritons will win

• UC San Diego has won 10 of its last 12 road night games against the Big West Conference.

UC San Diego vs UC Irvine Prediction

I’ll stick with UC Irvine. The Anteaters posted a double-digit win on the road versus a struggling Long Beach State team this week thanks to 52.2 percent shooting and just 31.8 percent allowed on defense. UC Irvine did well on the boards and in the paint but also coughed up a whopping 22 turnovers along the way. The Anteaters are 6-2 in their last eight games but they’ve got to get the mistakes under control.

UC Irvine was able to get a victory 61-59 on the road the last time these teams met up back on January 24. In that game the Anteaters didn’t shoot very well with 40.3 percent from the field, 25 percent (4-of-16) from outside and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the line. That said, UC Irvine held the Tritons to just 33.8 percent shooting on defense while notching a 32-26 edge on points in the paint. I’d like to see the home boost inflate the Anteaters’ shooting percentage in Saturday’s rematch.

Andrew Jett's Pick: UC Irvine Anteaters -4