Big West foes will lock horns when the UC Riverside Highlanders (10-11) challenge the Long Beach State 49ers (9-11) at Student Recreation Center. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Highlanders lost a winnable game to UC Davis 58-55 on Thursday. Jaylen Bland was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 12 points. The 49ers, meanwhile, are coming off a 77-67 win over UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday. Justin Bibbins led the game in scoring by accounting for 25 points on 8-for-12 shooting.
Bibbins has been hot over the last five games for the 49ers, averaging 18.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers.
Long Beach State takes on UC Riverside as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 143 points. The Highlanders have gone 10-11 Straight Up (SU) and 5-8 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-5 ATS. The Highlanders are one of the best in Division I in terms of three-point field goals, making 8.0 shots per game from beyond the arc.
On the other side, the 49ers head into the game with records of 11-6-1 ATS and 9-11 SU. Offensively, they average 77.2 points per game on the road, which is 39th in the country. Defenses have a tough time accounting for every player when up against the 49ers, who are known for distributing the ball with 16.2 assists per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time UC Riverside and Long Beach State played, Long Beach State won, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 10-0. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Long Beach State has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. UC Riverside has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – CalRv, ATS Winner – CalRv, O/U – Over
Notes
UC Riverside is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of UC Riverside’s last 5 games.
UC Riverside is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games.
UC Riverside is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
UC Riverside is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of UC Riverside’s last 9 games when playing at home against Long Beach State.
UC Riverside is struggling at 1-4 SU in its conference, while Long Beach State sits at 3-2 SU.
The UC Riverside Highlanders have a defensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 93rd), while the Long Beach State 49ers have an offensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 170th).
UC Riverside has an average field goal percentage of 43.1%. Long Beach State is an abysmal 3-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The UC Riverside Highlanders and the Long Beach State 49ers both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. UC Riverside is 225th and 183rd in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Long Beach State is 196th and 135th in these categories.
Long Beach State ranks 43rd in assists, recording 16.2 per game. UC Riverside performs worse at 247th with 12.5 assists per game.
UC Riverside records 5.6 steals per game. Long Beach State is 5-7 when giving up at least 5 steals.
