UC Riverside vs UCSB Game Preview and Pick

The UC Riverside Highlanders and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos will face off in a crucial Big West Conference game on March 10, 2023. The game will take place at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, and will be broadcasted on ESPNU/ESPN+ at 11:30 PM Eastern Time.

The UC Riverside Highlanders (22-11, 14-6 Big West) have had a solid season and come into this game with a two-game winning streak. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (25-7, 15-5 Big West) have been one of the best teams in the conference this season, winning five straight games and clinching the regular-season conference title.

In this article, we will provide a detailed analysis of both teams, betting trends, public betting data, odds, injuries, and make a pick with a spread using data from the KingPin.pro app.

UC Riverside Highlanders

The UC Riverside Highlanders are led by guard Zyon Pullin, who is averaging 18.1 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Pullin has been outstanding this season, shooting an impressive 77.0% from the field. Forward Lucas Olbrich is averaging 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and has been a force on the boards for the Highlanders.

UC Riverside has been an efficient scoring team this season, averaging 72.0 points per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. The Highlanders' defense has also been solid, allowing 68.5 points per game. UC Riverside is one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, averaging 36.9 rebounds per game.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have been one of the best teams in the Big West Conference this season. The team is led by guard Ajare Sanni, who is averaging 15.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Forward Amadou Sow is averaging 12.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and has been a force in the paint for the Gauchos.

UC Santa Barbara is an efficient scoring team, averaging 71.6 points per game while shooting an impressive 49.3% from the field. The Gauchos' defense has also been solid, allowing 65.1 points per game. UCSB is a good passing team, averaging 14.2 assists per game.

Betting Trends

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have been the more dominant team this season, and as a result, they are favored to win this game by 3.5 points. The total points for this game have been set at 133.5. The KingPin.pro app shows that the betting trends slightly favor the Gauchos, with 53.2% of bets placed on UCSB to cover the spread.

Public Betting Data

The public betting data also slightly favors the Gauchos, with 53% of the bets placed on UCSB to win the game. However, it is worth noting that the betting volume for this game is relatively low, with only a few hundred bets placed so far. This suggests that there may not be a strong consensus among bettors, and that the odds and point spread could potentially shift as more bets come in.

Odds

The current odds for the game have the UCSB Gauchos as 3.5-point favorites, with an over/under of 133.5 points. This means that UCSB is expected to win by at least 4 points, and the total number of points scored by both teams is predicted to be around 133.5.

Injuries

Both teams appear to be relatively healthy heading into the game, with no major injuries reported for either side. This is good news for bettors, as injuries can have a significant impact on a team's performance and make it more difficult to predict the outcome of a game.

Prediction

Overall, this promises to be a closely contested game between two talented teams. The Gauchos have a slight edge in terms of both overall record and conference record, but the Highlanders have been playing well recently and will likely put up a tough fight.

One key factor to watch in this game will be the battle between the two top scorers, as UCR's Zac Pullin and UCSB's Ajare Sanni will both look to lead their teams to victory. Pullin has been particularly impressive in recent games, averaging 20.2 points per game over his last 5 outings, and will be a player to watch closely in this matchup.

Another key factor to watch will be the performance of the Gauchos' defense, which has been particularly strong this season. UCSB ranks first in the Big West conference in both field goal percentage defense and scoring defense, and will look to stifle the Highlanders' offense and come away with a victory.

Ultimately, while the Gauchos have a slight edge on paper, this game has all the makings of a closely contested matchup that could potentially go either way. With the point spread set at just 3.5 points, bettors may want to consider taking the Highlanders and the points in this game, as they could potentially keep things close and even pull off an upset.

Pick: UC Riverside +3.5

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