Halftime Report
UCSB is on the road but looking no worse for wear. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but UCSB leads 37-34 over UC Riverside.
If UCSB keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 8-4 in no time. On the other hand, UC Riverside will have to make due with a 5-9 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
UCSB Gauchos @ UC Riverside Highlanders
Current Records: UCSB 7-4, UC Riverside 5-8
How To Watch
What to Know
UC Riverside will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. The UC Riverside Highlanders and the UCSB Gauchos will face off in a Big West battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at Student Recreation Center. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they’ll have plenty of motivation to get the ‘W’.
Last Thursday, the Highlanders couldn’t handle the Anteaters and fell 73-66. UC Riverside has struggled against UC Irvine recently, as their match on Thursday was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, UCSB unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 76-62 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Aggies. UCSB didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game.
UCSB struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That’s the fewest offensive rebounds they’ve managed all season.
The Highlanders bumped their record down to 5-8 with that defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road. That poor showing could be blamed on the team’s lackluster offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 59.7 points per game. As for the Gauchos, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-4.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: UC Riverside have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.1 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like UCSB struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 39.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
UC Riverside came up short against UCSB in their previous matchup back in March, falling 92-87. Will UC Riverside have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
UCSB is a slight 1.5-point favorite against UC Riverside, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Gauchos as a 2-point favorite.
The over/under is set at 142.5 points.
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Series History
UCSB has won 6 out of their last 10 games against UC Riverside.
- Mar 10, 2023 – UCSB 92 vs. UC Riverside 87
- Feb 18, 2023 – UC Riverside 74 vs. UCSB 63
- Jan 14, 2023 – UC Riverside 65 vs. UCSB 64
- Feb 26, 2022 – UCSB 97 vs. UC Riverside 90
- Feb 27, 2021 – UC Riverside 68 vs. UCSB 52
- Feb 26, 2021 – UCSB 72 vs. UC Riverside 68
- Feb 27, 2020 – UCSB 65 vs. UC Riverside 60
- Jan 25, 2020 – UCSB 65 vs. UC Riverside 63
- Feb 14, 2019 – UC Riverside 71 vs. UCSB 57
- Jan 12, 2019 – UCSB 72 vs. UC Riverside 64
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