It will be a battle between Big West opponents when the UC Davis Aggies (10-12) welcome the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (10-12) to The Pavilion. The game begins at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 11.
The Aggies barely escaped UC Riverside 50-49 the last time they played. Josh Fox was the team’s high scorer with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. The Gauchos, meanwhile, are coming off an 81-68 win against Cal State Fullerton in their last outing. Michael Bryson was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 25 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The Aggies enter the game with records of 10-12 Straight Up (SU) and 8-11 Against The Spread (ATS). UC Davis has been on fire lately, averaging 70.4 points per game, well over their season average of 64.5. Opposing teams know they’re in for a battle when they play UC Davis’s stingy defense. The Aggies are one of the top teams when it comes to defense, allowing just 65.1 points per game.
In the other locker room, the Gauchos have 10-12 SU and 11-9 ATS records. Offensively, the Gauchos have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 70.3 points per game after averaging only 60.1 during that stretch. The Gauchos average 69.9 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 60.5 points per game during that span. The UC Santa Barbara defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .310 shooting from three-point range.
UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UC Santa Barbara came out on top, moving its SU record against UC Davis to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Additionally, UC Santa Barbara leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-3-1. UC Santa Barbara has led in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) twice over the last five matchups. UC Davis has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – UC-SB, ATS Winner – UC-SB
Notes
UC Santa Barbara scores an average of just 70.3 points per game (ranked 187th). UC Davis ranks 28th in points allowed, giving up 65.1 points per game.
UC Santa Barbara scores just 71.5 points per away game (ranked 114th). UC Davis ranks 24th in points allowed at home, giving up 60.8 points.
With 67.1 possessions and .960 points per possession, the UC Davis Aggies perform worse on both metrics than the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara averages 69.0 possessions and 1.019 points per possession.
The UC Davis Aggies average an effective field goal percentage of 48.6% this season. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have an abysmal record of 2-7 when opponents have an eFG% of 48.6% or greater.
UC Davis attempts an average of 14.0 three pointers per game and UC Santa Barbara attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UC Davis Aggies are winless at 0-4 while the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have a 6-8 record.
UC Santa Barbara ranks 90th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.19. UC Davis is ranked lower at 333rd with an A/TO of .76.
The UC Davis Aggies average 6.2 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have a poor record (3-5) this season.
