The No.2-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters (25-8) and No.3-seeded Long Beach State 49ers (19-13) meet in the second round of the BigWst tournament at Honda Center. Action begins at 12:00 am ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Anteaters played well in their last game, blowing out Cal Poly 84-64 in the 1. Luke Nelson was the game’s leading scorer with 36 points on 11-for-15 shooting. The 49ers, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-74 win against UC Riverside in the 1. Nick Faust claimed his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Nelson has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Anteaters. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers. Justin Bibbins has been hot for the 49ers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 15.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as UC Irvine ranks 14th in the nation, allowing just 98.0 points per 100 possessions, while Long Beach State is 33rd (103.5). Also, the 49ers commit the 15th-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 17.3%), while the disruptive defense of the Anteaters causes the 31st-most (opponents’ TO% of 17.5%).
The Anteaters have emerged victorious in both games against the 49ers this year, including a decisive 84-64 victory in their last matchup. Nelson was the game’s top overall scorer with 36 points.
Notes
UC Irvine won its last game by a 20-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Long Beach State is 2-4. UC Irvine is 7-3 in blowouts this season.
The UC Irvine Anteaters have a defensive rating of 98.0 (ranked 14th), while the Long Beach State 49ers have an offensive rating of 105.5 (ranked 193rd).
The UC Irvine Anteaters average a field goal percentage of 46.3% this season. The Long Beach State 49ers have an abysmal record of 2-10 when opponents have a FG% of 46.3% or greater.
The UC Irvine Anteaters rank higher based on their field goal percentage (63rd) than their effective field goal percentage (102nd). The Long Beach State 49ers rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (176th) than their field goal percentage (216th).
UC Irvine ranks 67th in assists, recording 15.2 per game. Long Beach State ranks 68th with 15.1 assists per game.
UC Irvine, the 19th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 5.3 per game. Long Beach State ranks lower at 286th with 2.5.
The UC Irvine Anteaters make an average of 5.6 steals per game. The Long Beach State 49ers are 12-8 when they allow 5 or more steals.
