Big West foes will collide when the Cal State Fullerton Titans (10-17) challenge the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (14-12) at Titan Gym. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Titans enter this game hoping for similar success after barely hanging on to beat Cal Poly 78-77 on Thursday. Tre’ Coggins was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting. The Gauchos, meanwhile, are coming off a 78-63 win against Cal State Northridge on Thursday. Gabe Vincent was the game’s top scorer, registering 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Gauchos winning the first matchup 81-68. Michael Bryson had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and three three-pointers.
The Titans come into this game 10-17 Straight Up (SU) and 9-15 Against The Spread (ATS). Cal State Fullerton’s defense has put it all together in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game dropped to 66.1 during that span, compared to its 74.0 season average.
As for their opponent, the Gauchos have 14-12 SU and 14-10 ATS records. UC Santa Barbara has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 2-8 record. The Gauchos allow just 68.9 points per road game, ranking them 42nd in the nation. The UC Santa Barbara defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .404 shooting from the field to its opponents.
In their previous meeting this season, UC Santa Barbara beat Cal State Fullerton, bumping its SU record over their most recent meetings to 7-3. The Gauchos also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2. UC Santa Barbara held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while Cal State Fullerton was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UC-SB, ATS Winner – UC-SB
Notes
“CS Fullerton is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“CS Fullerton is 2-11 SU in its last 13 games “.
“CS Fullerton is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“CS Fullerton is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of CS Fullerton’s last 6 games at home”.
“CS Fullerton is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Santa Barbara”.
“CS Fullerton is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Santa Barbara”.
“CS Fullerton is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Santa Barbara”.
UC Santa Barbara sits at 8-5 SU against the conference, while Cal State Fullerton is 3-11 SU.
Cal State Fullerton scores just 73.8 points per home game (ranked 170th). UC Santa Barbara ranks 42nd in points allowed on the road, giving up 68.9 points.
On average, Cal State Fullerton has 69.8 possessions per game and scores 1.021 points on each possession. UC Santa Barbara has both fewer possessions (68.7) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.021).
Cal State Fullerton has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.6%. UC Santa Barbara is a losing 4-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Cal State Fullerton attempts an average of 19.0 three pointers per game and UC Santa Barbara attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Cal State Fullerton Titans have a losing 5-8 record while the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have a 7-8 record.
UC Santa Barbara, the 99th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 37.7 rebounds per game. Cal State Fullerton does worse, ranked 117th with 37.3.
The Cal State Fullerton Titans average 5.1 steals per game. When allowing 5 or more steals, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are an even 6-6 this season.
