The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos and the UC Davis Aggies meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Pavilion. UC Santa Barbara is currently 22-7 on the year and fresh off a win over UC San Diego. As for UC Davis, they’re sitting at 17-12 overall. The Aggies beat Cal Poly in their last game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
UC Santa Barbara managed an 18-4 record through their first 22 outings of the year. The Gauchos are 4-3 in the last seven with wins over Long Beach State, UC Davis, Long Beach State again and UC San Diego during that time.
Back on Saturday versus UC San Diego, the Gauchos went into the locker room up 40-36. UC Santa Barbara hit a 47-35 run in the second half and cruised to the win 87-71. Miles Norris scored 25 points and Andre Kelly doubled on 11 points and 11 rebounds.
UC Davis Aggies
Over on the UC Davis side, they were sitting at 13-9 in their first 22 outings. The Aggies have since gone 4-3 in their last seven as well, taking wins over Hawaii, Cal State Northridge, UC San Diego and Cal Poly along the way.
In the Cal Poly game on Saturday, the Aggies were trailing 26-24 going into the second half. UC Davis stormed back on a 34-26 run and took the win 58-52. Elijah Pepper topped the team with 20 points and Kane Milling doubled up with 10 points and 11 boards.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stick with UC Davis here. You could make a good case either way, though. The Aggies had a little trouble early in their last game versus a struggling Cal Poly team, but they were eventually able to power out the win. UC Davis is 3-1 in their last four with 73 or more points scored in each outing. These teams last met up back on February 11 at UCSB Events Center. The Gauchos posted a steady game in that matchup, winning 84-74. I like UC Davis to play better in the home rematch and post a cover/win. Should be a fun one.