UC Irvine vs Cal State-Bakersfield 1/27/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners will travel to the Bren Events Center to take on the UC Irvine Anteaters this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners dropped to 6-7 on the season after being defeated by the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 63-59, this past Thursday. CSU Bakersfield led by a 28-26 margin at halftime, however, the Roadrunners struggled defensively in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after the Rainbow Warriors took a 59-56 lead with 2:51 left in regulation. CSU Bakersfield shot 42.0% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Hawaii to shoot 46.2% from the field & 29.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Roadrunners was Justin McCall who had 22 points, 9 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, CSU Bakersfield is averaging 64.6 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners are averaging 4.2 three-pointers per game on 31.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, CSU Bakersfield has been led by Justin McCall (11.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Kaleb Higgins (9.7 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.4 spg), Justin Edler-Davis (9.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg), & Shawn Stith (6.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

Defensively, CSU Bakersfield is holding their opponents to an average of 63.6 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners have a rebound margin of 3.2 and a turnover margin of 3.3.

The UC Irvine Anteaters lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 6-7 on the season after being defeated by the Long Beach State Beach, 73-67, this past Saturday. UC Irvine fought back from a 54-41 deficit midway through the 2^nd half to tie the game late, however, the Anteaters could not come back after the Beach took a 68-64 lead with 1:47 left in regulation. UC Irvine shot 43.6% from the field & 21.1% from beyond the arc while allowing Long Beach State to shoot 38.2% from the field & 30.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Anteaters was Collin Welp who had a double-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds, & 1 steal.

On the season, UC Irvine is averaging 66.9 ppg on 43.5% shooting from the field. The Anteaters are averaging 5.4 three-pointers per game on 33.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UC Irvine has been led by Collin Welp (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.7 apg), DJ Davis (8.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.0 apg), Justin Hohn (7.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg), & Austin Johnson (6.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg).

Defensively, UC Irvine is holding their opponents to an average of 60.4 ppg on 37.8% shooting from the field. The Anteaters have a rebound margin of 4.2 and a turnover margin of -0.9

The Roadrunners are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games & 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 Away games. The Anteaters are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games, however, are 2-1 ATS in their last 3 home games.

CSU Bakersfield has been led by their defense which ranks 48^th in scoring defense & 120^th in defensive FG%, however, the Roadrunners have struggled offensively as they come into this game ranked 312^th in scoring offense & 282^nd in FG%. UC Irvine has also been led by their defense which ranks 18^th in scoring defense & 11^th in defensive FG%, however, like the Roadrunners, the Anteaters can struggle on the offensive end as they come into this matchup ranked just 288^th in scoring offense & 213^th in FG%.

UC Irvine is a better team that we’ve seen so far this season, however, the Anteaters have struggled scoring the basketball this season and I think those struggles will continue against a CSU Bakersfield team that been very goo don the defensive end of the court this season. CSU Bakersfield has already picked up an impressive win at Boise State this season and although the Roadrunners might not pick up a win here, I think they do enough with the double-digit points to cover. Good Luck!