Cal Irvine at Illinois State

UC Irvine lost a tough, defensive battle 50-47 to UC Davis in the Big West Conference Championship game, but the Anteaters enjoyed a successful season considering they had to replace four starters from last year's squad. Irvine won eight of its last 10 games and covered the number nine of its 15 road contests. Luke Nelson averages a team-leading 16.9 points and Jaron Martin scores 13.8 points per game and makes 85.1 percent of his free throws. The Anteaters held UC Davis to just a .346 shooting percentage in Saturday's loss but both teams struggled from beyond the arc. The Anteaters are sixth in defensive field goal percentage and #26 in points allowed per game. Illinois State also is strong defensively, but the Redbirds average only 68.8 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. Deonte leads the team with 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Illinois State has won all of its home games, but it's only 6-8 ATS on its home court and 3-5 ATS its last eight games overall, including a humiliating 71-51 loss to Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship game. This is too many points to lay against a good defensive team. Take the points on UC Irvine.