UC Riverside vs Sacramento State 12/19/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Sacramento State Hornets and the UC Riverside Highlanders meet Sunday in college basketball action from UC Riverside Student Recreation Center. Sacramento State is 4-5 this year and coming off a win versus Menlo. As for UC Riverside, they’re 6-4 so far. The Highlanders beat California Baptist in their last game. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Sacramento State went 3-2 in their first five games this year, with wins over William Jessup, Cal Poly and UC Davis. After losses to Arizona, Montana and Montana State, the Hornets beat Menlo in their last outing on Friday. 

Matched up against Menlo, the Hornets posted a 36-25 advantage in the first half and ultimately took the win 67-53. Zach Chappell finished with a team-high 15 points, and William FitzPatrick added 12 points and three assists. 

Over on the Highlanders’ side, they posted a 5-2 run to open the season. UC Riverside took out Arizona State, La Sierra, Bethesda, UTEP and Florida A&M in that stretch. After losses to Saint Mary’s and Oregon, the Highlanders beat Cal Baptist in their last game. 

Last weekend versus Cal Baptist, UC Riverside scored 37 points in the first half and 33 more from there in a 70-54 win. Both JP Moorman (19 points; 10 rebounds) and Zyon Pullin (18 points; 12 rebounds; five assists) doubled up for UC Riverside in the victory. 

The Highlanders are 4-0 ATS in their last four Sunday games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 after a straight-up win. UC Riverside is 1-4 ATS in their last five after an ATS win.
Meanwhile, the Hornets are 4-0 ATS in the last four Sunday games and 0-5 ATS in their last five after a straight-up win. The under is 4-1 in Sac State’s last five Sunday games. 

PICK: I’m going with UC Riverside. The Highlanders have been all over the place when it comes to scoring this year, but they’ve managed to hit 65 or more in three of their last six outings (going 4-2 in that time). Sacramento State likely isn’t going to be much of an offensive threat—they’ve hit 67 or fewer in each of their last four—so this could very well be a lower-scoring game. Whatever the case, I think UC Riverside can keep the Hornets at bay if the Highlanders are playing to their capabilities.