Cal Poly vs UC Riverside 1/13/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UC Riverside Highlanders will travel to the Robert A. Mott Athletics Center to take on the Cal Poly Mustangs this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The UC Riverside Highlanders had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 7-5 on the season after being defeated by the UC Irvine Anteaters, 68-51, this past Saturday. UC Riverside went into halftime with a 29-28 lead, however, the Highlanders struggled on both ends of the court throughout the 2^nd half and could not fight back after UC Irvine took a 55-41 lead with 6:50 left in regulation. UC Riverside shot 38.5% from the field 7 15.0% from beyond the arc while allowing UC Irvine to shoot 51.0% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Highlanders was J.P. Moorman II who had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.

On the season, UC Riverside is averaging 62.9 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Highlanders are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 30.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UC Riverside has been led by Zyon Pullin (11.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.4 apg), J.P. Moorman II (11.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.1 apg), Flynn Cameron (10.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Callum McRae (8.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.2 apg).

Defensively, UC Riverside is holding their opponents to an average of 59.7 ppg on 39.6% shooting from the field. The Highlanders have a rebound margin of 7.2 and a turnover margin of -3.8.

The Cal Poly Mustangs lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 3-9 on the season after being defeated by the CSU Northridge Matadors, 68-55, this past Saturday. Cal Poly led by a 33-32 margin at halftime, however, the Mustangs game out flat out of halftime and could not fight back after CSU Northridge took a 50-37 lead with 10:29 left in regulation. Cal Poly shot 34.0% from the field & 22.7% from beyond the arc while allowing CSU Northridge to shoot 43.6% from the field & 38.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Mustangs was Kyle Colvin who had 24 points, 8 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, Cal Poly is averaging 61.9 ppg on 39.9% shooting from the field. The Mustangs are averaging 5.1 three-pointers per game on 29.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Cal Poly has been led by Alimamy Koroma (12.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Kyle Colvin (9.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg), Trevon Taylor (8.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg), & Camren Pierce (7.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.7 apg).

Defensively, Cal Poly is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Mustangs have a rebound margin of 3.1 and a turnover margin of -1.3.

The Highlanders are 7-13 ATS in their last 20 games, however, are 7-0 in their last 7 road games vs. Cal Poly. The Mustangs are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games, however, are just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 January games.

UC Riverside has been led by their defense this season which currently ranks 19^th in scoring defense & 47^th in defensive FG%, however, offense has been tough to come by for the Highlanders as they currently rank just 324^th in scoring offense, 260^th in FG%, & 308^th in 3P-FG%. Cal Poly has also been led by their defense which ranks 124^th in scoring defense, 118^th in defensive FG%, & 127^th in rebound margin, however, have also struggled offensively and come into this matchup ranked just 331^st in scoring offense & 322^nd in FG%.

These are two low-scoring teams, however, there is no doubt that UC Riverside is the more talented team in this one as despite coming off a 17-point loss at the hands of UC Irvine, this is the same team that was competitive on the road at Oregon and have two quality road wins at Arizona State & UTEP. Cal Poly is going to struggle to get anything going against an above average UC Riverside defense and as I think the Highlanders will do some damage offensively, I think they do enough to cover this mid-range road spread. Good Luck!