Cal Baptist vs UTRGV 2/12/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros will travel to the CBU Events Center to take on the California Baptist Lancers this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros lost their 2^nd straight game and dropped to 7-17 on the season after being defeated by the Seattle U Redhawks, 67-59, this past Thursday. UT Rio Grande Valley had no answers on the offensive end against Seattle U and could not fight back after the Redhawks took a 50-41 lead with 8:55 left in regulation. UT Rio Grande Valley shot just 27.6% from the field & 17.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Seattle U to shoot 33.3% from the field & 13.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Vaqueros was Justin Johnson who had 19 points, 9 rebounds, & 1 block.

On the season, UT Rio Grande Valley is averaging 72.7 ppg on 44.8% shooting from the field. The Vaqueros are averaging 6.8 three-pointers per game on 32.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UT Rio Grande Valley has been led by Justin Johnson (17.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.4 apg), Marek Nelson (10.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 spg), Mike Adewunmi (9.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Ricky Nelson (8.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 4.6 apg).

Defensively, UT Rio Grande Valley is allowing their opponents to average 78.1 ppg on 43.9% shooting from the field. The Vaqueros have a rebound margin of -3.9 and a turnover margin of -2.5.

The California Baptist Lancers snapped their 5-game losing streak and improved to 13-11 on the season after defeating the Lamar Cardinals, 83-61, this past Thursday. California Baptist led by a 34-25 margin at halftime and had no trouble pulling away for the victory after taking a 67-42 lead with 8:37 left in regulation. California Baptist shot 50.0% from the field & 39.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Lamar to shoot 40.0% from the field & 14.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lancers was Tre Armstrong who had a double-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, California Baptist is averaging 73.3 ppg on 45.1% shooting from the field. The Lancers are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 32.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California Baptist has been led by Daniel Akin (12.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 bpg), Tre Armstrong (12.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apg), Ty Rowell (11.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 spg), & Reed Nottage (10.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.8 apg). Reed Nottage missed the Lancers last game against Lamar and should be considered questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, California Baptist is allowing their opponents to average 67.8 ppg on 40.8% shooting from the field. The Lancers have a rebound margin of 4.0 and a turnover margin of -1.9.

The Vaqueros are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record, however, are just 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Saturday games. The Lancers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record & 10-11 ATS overall on the season.

UT Rio Grande Valley has lost 6 of their last 7 games and has really struggled on the defensive end this season as they Vaqueros rank just 337^th in scoring defense, 238^th in defensive FG%, & t-315^th in rebound margin. California Baptist has also had trouble picking up wins as of late, however, the Lancers have been solid at home this season, posting a 12-4 home record, and as I think the Vaqueros will struggle to slow down the Lancers offense on the road, I’m taking California Baptist to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!