UC Irvine (15-8, 12-4) vs. Long Beach State (5-10, 4-7)
The Walter Pyramid, Long Beach, California; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UC Irvine goes for the season sweep over Long Beach State after winning the previous matchup in Long Beach. The teams last played on March 5, when Long Beach State made only eight free throws on 12 attempts while the Anteaters went 16 for 22 en route to a three-point victory.
STEPPING UP: Collin Welp is averaging 15 points and 7.6 rebounds to lead the way for the Anteaters. Brad Greene is also a big contributor, maintaining an average of 9.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The Beach have been led by Isaiah Washington, who is averaging 15.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists.CLUTCH COLLIN: Welp has connected on 36.2 percent of the 47 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 5 of 13 over his last five games. He’s also made 82.4 percent of his free throws this season.
PERFECT WHEN: UC Irvine is a perfect 9-0 when the team records eight or more steals. The Anteaters are 6-8 when they steal the ball fewer than eight times.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Anteaters have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Beach. Long Beach State has an assist on 33 of 83 field goals (39.8 percent) over its past three matchups while UC Irvine has assists on 41 of 91 field goals (45.1 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: UC Irvine has posted an outstanding offensive rebound percentage of 34.5 percent, ranking the Anteaters 27th nationally in that category. The offensive rebound percentage for Long Beach State sits at just 21.6 percent (ranked 325th).
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