Check out our free UC Riverside vs Bakersfield pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Bakersfield. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
UC Riverside vs Bakersfield Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 2nd Betting Odds
Highlanders vs Roadrunners Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: UC Riverside Highlanders at Bakersfield Roadrunners
- Where: Bakersfield at Icardo Center
- Date: Thursday, February 2nd
- Betting Odds: UC Riverside -8.5, UCRVS -431 | CSU +324 O/U 126.5
Highlanders Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs Bakersfield, the UC Riverside Highlanders will be taking the floor for the 23rd time this season and have an overall record of 15-7. So far, the Highlanders have played 12 games on the road, with a record of 8-4. This season, UC Riverside has been favored to win in 11 games, sitting with a mark of 8-3. For today’s contest, UC Riverside has a betting line set -8.5 points in their favor.
UC Riverside’s leading scorer this season is Zyon Pullin, who is averaging 18.76 points per contest. So far, Pullin has accounted for 20.09% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 4.18 rebounds per game and 3.88 assists. Flynn Cameron is the second leading scorer for the Highlanders, averaging 11.55 points per game. Between him and Cameron, they are accounting for 36.1% of the team’s scoring.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for UC Riverside this season, as they are currently ranked 344th in college basketball at 66.6 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Highlanders’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 32.0%, placing them 368th in the NCAA.
Roadrunners Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs UC Riverside, the Bakersfield Roadrunners will be taking the floor for the 22nd time this season and have an overall record of 6-15. Currently, the Roadrunners have been the home team 10 times, sitting with a record of 4-6. So far, the Roadrunners have been the underdog 17 times, going 3-14 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +8.5 underdogs on the spread.
Bakersfield’s leading scorer this season is Antavion Collum, who is averaging 10.38 points per contest. So far, Collum has accounted for 17.59% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 4.67 rebounds per game and 1.05 assists. Kaleb Higgins is the second leading scorer for the Roadrunners, averaging 13.08 points per game. Between him and Higgins, they are accounting for 31.3% of the team’s scoring.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Bakersfield this season, as they are currently ranked 401st in college basketball at 64.0 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Roadrunners’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 30.0%, placing them 464th in the NCAA.
Free Spread Prediction: UC Riverside Highlanders -8.5
The UC Riverside Highlanders will begin their matchup against Bakersfield Roadrunners as the strong favorites to win with a point spread of -8.5. Our analysis favors UC Riverside’s chances to pull away with an easy win and cover the spread. When considering how each team prefers to play, both UC Riverside and Bakersfield are near the NCAA average in possessions per game. We like how this scenario benefits UC Riverside, as their superior talent should come through throughout the game in an easy win. Although the Highlanders don’t have a great track record vs the spread as the betting favorite, going 2-3 (last 5), we like their chances to come away with the ATS win.
