Long Beach State Beach vs Pepperdine Waves Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Long Beach State vs Pepperdine NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Malibu.

Long Beach State vs Pepperdine Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Beach and Waves. The game is starting at 9:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Waves at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, CA. Get ready to place your bets! The odds for this non-conference game currently have Pepperdine as the -6.5 favorite, with the over/under line sitting at 138.5 points.

Long Beach State vs. Pepperdine Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Long Beach State Beach at Pepperdine Waves
Where: Malibu at Firestone Fieldhouse
Date: Thursday, December 19th
Betting Odds PEPP -6.5, LBST +210 | PEPP -263 O/U 138.5

Beach Preview: Can Long Beach State Pull Out the Win as Road Underdogs?

Long Beach State Beach Recent Game/Games

Long Beach State improved to 3-8 on the season with a 76-70 road win over San Diego on Tuesday. The Beach were +4.5 point underdogs but not only pulled off the upset, they also covered the spread.

Long Beach State led 33-30 at halftime and scored 43 points in the 2nd half while allowing 40. The total points for the game ended at 146, going over the pre-game O/U line of 139.

Beach Offense Breakdown

Long Beach State's offense was clicking in their last game, shooting 58.1% from the field and 53.8% from three-point range, hitting 7 of 13 attempts. Their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 65.1%, with their two-point shooting at 60% (18/30).

Kam Martin was perfect from beyond the arc, hitting all 5 of his three-point attempts and finishing with 25 points on 8/10 shooting. Devin Askew added 23 points and 8 assists, shooting 57.1% from the field and 66.7% from three.

Beach Team Defense

Long Beach State's defense gave up 70 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 43% from the field. They allowed 25 made field goals on 58 attempts.

From beyond the arc, the opposition hit 11 of 25 threes, shooting 44%. Long Beach State also sent them to the line 11 times, where they made 9 free throws, an 81% clip.

Waves Preview: Will Pepperdine Pull Through as the Favored Home Team?

Pepperdine improved to 4-6 on the season with an 86-76 home win over Northern Arizona on Saturday. The Waves, who were -4 favorites, covered the spread with the victory.

After leading 44-42 at halftime, Pepperdine's defense stepped up in the 2nd half, allowing just 34 points while scoring 42. The game’s total points reached 162, going over the pre-game O/U line of 146.

Waves Offense Breakdown

Pepperdine put up 86 points in their last game, shooting 54.2% from the field and hitting 53.8% from beyond the arc, going 7-for-13. Their effective field goal percentage was 61%, and they connected on 75% of their free throws, making 15-of-20.

Trent McLaughlin led the way with 26 points, hitting 7 threes, while Boubacar Coulibaly was perfect from the field, going 10-for-10 for 22 points. Moe Odum added 20 points, hitting all 3 of his three-point attempts, and dished out 8 assists.

Waves Team Defense

Despite giving up 76 points, Pepperdine's defense struggled, allowing the opponent to shoot 54% from the field. They connected on 32 of 59 attempts, including 25 of 46 from two-point range.

The Waves also gave up 7 three-pointers on 13 attempts, a 53% shooting performance. From the free-throw line, the opponent hit 15 of 20, shooting 75%. Pepperdine limited them to 6 offensive rebounds.

Beach vs Waves Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, Long Beach State has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 64 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
Although Pepperdine has a straight up record of 2-8 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 2-8. The team averaged 67 points per game in these games.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Beach have a straight up record of 3-7. But, their mark vs the spread was just 4-5-1.
Through their last five games as the favorite, the Waves have an ATS record of 3-2 and a straight up mark of 3-2.