The Denver Pioneers will get their season started when they clash against the UC Irvine Anteaters (0-1) at Magness Arena. The game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 137.5 points with Denver opening as a 6-point favorite. Action gets underway at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 12, 2017.
UC Irvine Anteaters vs. Denver Pioneers Odds Preview
The last time the Anteaters played, they were beaten by the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 65-54. With 12 points on 5-for-18 shooting, Eyassu Worku was UC Irvine’s leading scorer. South Dakota State did a fantastic job of making free throws (17-23; 73.9 percent). UC Irvine, on the other hand, had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (39.0 vs. 26.1).
Last season, Denver failed to reach the tournament following a 16-14 regular season.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. Dating back to last season, the Denver offense ranks 35th in the nation in that metric at 0.548, while the UC Irvine defense ranks fourth in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.437).
Since last season, the Anteaters have had records of 21-15 straight up (SU) and 17-16-1 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has been fairly accurate when predicting totals of UC Irvine games since last season with 18 unders compared to 15 overs.
On the other side, the Pioneers owned records of 16-14 SU and 15-12 ATS last season. Of the Pioneers’ 27 games last year, 16 finished over the projected point total.
UC Irvine Anteaters at Denver Pioneers Odds Prediction
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Predictions: SU Winner – UC Irvine, ATS Winner – UC Irvine, O/U – Over
Betting Notes (2016-Present):
- The Anteaters rank 190th in three pointers attempted per game (20.4) while the Pioneers rank 257th (18.5).
- UC Irvine allows the 41st-fewest assists per game (11.4) while Denver ranks 56th (11.6).
- UC Irvine ranks 67th in blocks per game (4.2) while Denver ranks 249th (2.1).
- The Anteaters rank 14th in rebounds per game (39.9) while the Pioneers rank 180th (35.3).
- UC Irvine ranks 76th in steals allowed per game (5.5) while Denver ranks 232nd (6.9).
