Chattanooga Mocs vs UC Irvine Anteaters Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 04/03/2025

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Thursday, April 3, 2025

Venue:  Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

Where to Watch:  ESPN, ESPN+

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Chattanooga +3.5, UC Irvine -3.5; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Chattanooga +3.5, UC Irvine -3.5; Over/Under:  146.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Chattanooga +3.5, UC Irvine -3.5; Over/Under:  146.5 points

Chattanooga Mocs:  28-9 (15-3) (1st place, Southern)

UC Irvine Anteaters:  32-6 (17-3) (2nd place, Big West)

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Chattanooga Mocs:  4-1  last 5

UC Irvine Anteaters:  4-1  last 5

Chattanooga is entering this game with a 28-9 record overall, a 15-3 record in conference games, and they are 2-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Loyola Ramblers in their last game. Trey Bonham led the team in points in that game with 23 while Honor Huff and Bash Wieland each were next on the team with 12. Garrison Keeslar led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Garrison Keeslar led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 52.5% from the field, 42.9% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.6 PPG against them. Chattanooga has an ATS record of 23-13 this season and their O/U record is 20-16.

UC Irvine is entering this game with a 32-6 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 5-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the North Texas Mean Green in their last game. Devin Tillis led the team in points in that game with 16 while Bent Leuchten was next on the team with 14. Justin Hohn led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Devin Tillis led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 49% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 70.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 75.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.5 PPG against them. UC Irvine has an ATS record of 24-13 this season and their O/U record is 16-21.

The current betting odds have UC Irvine listed as a 3.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UC Irvine has looked really good in their games this season with their 32-6 record overall and their 17-3 conference record which had them right near the top of the Big West. They have also looked great in neutral site games this year with their 5-1 record in those. Meanwhile, Chattanooga has looked really good in their games this season with their 28-9 record overall and their 15-3 conference record which had them right at the top of the Southern Conference. They have only played in 3 neutral site games this season and they were 2-1 in those games. Both of these teams have looked great in this tournament and have beaten some good teams to get to this Championship. UC Irvine has had a few close calls and did start out really slow in their last one, but they were able to make a big comeback in the game and they have the much better defense coming into this one. Chattanooga beat Loyola IL in their last one and were never really down big in that game, but they have also had a few close calls throughout this tournament. They shoot the ball very well and have been able to bail themselves out with shooting in this tournament, but their defense hasn't been nearly as good. These two teams play very different styles, but UC Irvine has the advantage with their better defense as an off-shooting night for Chattanooga could put them in a big hole. The best way to place a bet here is on UC Irvine to cover the spread in this game. 

Chattanooga UC Irvine Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, April 3, 2025 (9:00 pm ET start time) is UC Irvine 69 Chattanooga 62.

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Chattanooga Mocs: 1-4 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 80%). 5-9 1H ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 5-14 1H ATS versus excellent teams - shooting 45% or more with a defense of 42% or less. 13-2 OVER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games.

UC Irvine Anteaters: 9-3 ATS as a neutral court favorite or pick. 24-14 ATS in non-conference games. 23-12 ATS when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 18-11 OVER when playing only their 2nd game in 8 days.

Chattanooga Mocs:  None.

UC Irvine Anteaters:  None.

"Not to sound like too much of a cliché but everybody says this, but super proud of our guys. Another hard-fought win, competitive game, both teams going at it. Credit to Loyola Chicago. They are a very good team. Obviously their bigs were giving us fits, and they have a variety of different guys on the perimeter that can score the ball. We got stops when we needed to down the stretch, and just played with tremendous toughness, I thought, throughout. The fact that we took care of the ball, 22 assists, eight turnovers, is kind of who we are on the offensive end, and these two guys, again, were phenomenal. Total team win. Proud of the guys. Let's see if we can get one more." - Dan Earl after his team’s win against Loyola IL in the NIT Semi Final. 

“It feels comparable to an NCAA Tournament appearance at this point, even though they’re very different things. It feels like there’s energy here and momentum here, because of what our team’s doing. It feels like that to me, but I’m kind of in the middle of it, so it’s hard for me to be the one who makes those claims. Hopefully, that’s what everybody here feels, or a lot of people here feel.” - Russ Turner on his team playing in the NIT.

T. Bonham 

F. Champion 

H. Huff 

G. Keeslar 

B. Wieland

M. Che 

J. Dixon 

J. Hohn 

B. Leuchten 

D. Tillis

PPG: H. Huff (15.1)

APG: F. Champion (3.8)

Reb/G: F. Champion (4.7)

PPG: B. Leuchten (15.4)

APG: J. Hohn (3.7)

Reb/G: B. Leuchten (9)

Coaches:

Chattanooga Mocs: Dan Earl (3rd season)

UC Irvine Anteaters: Russ Turner (15th season)