College basketball point spread favors Gauchos in battle with Highlanders

Bettors will hope to hit paydirt on Thursday when the Santa Barbara Gauchos try to run the UC Riverside Highlanders off the court at Thunderdome in college hoops action.

The Highlanders will look to vanquish their hosts on Thursday, as they are 11-11 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Gauchos are 10-9-1 ATS. UC Riverside is 12-9 against the total, while Santa Barbara is 12-7 versus the number.

View UC Riverside Highlanders vs Santa Barbara Gauchos Odds and Stats.

On the Sportsbook NCAA basketball line for this matchup, Santa Barbara sat as -16-point favorites over at Sportsbook. Also, check out the current total, which often goes up first at online sportsbook Sportsbook.

The Gauchos sit at No. 50 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Highlanders sit at No. 311 on the same chart.



Last time out for UC Riverside, they were a 70-52 loser as they battled UC Irvine on the road. They failed to cover in the match as a 13-point underdog. UC Riverside suffered a 70-52 loss against UC Irvine on Saturday, getting 12 points from Taylor Johns in a losing effort at Bren Events Center.

Santa Barbara lost its last outing, an 80-78 result against CS Northridge on February 15. They failed to cover in that game as a 12-point favorite. Alan Williams scored 22 points and chipped in with 17 rebounds for a double-double, but his team still lost 80-78 against CS Northridge in college basketball action at Thunderdome.

How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Highlanders rank No. 178 in NCAA Division 1 with 34.16 per game. That compares with Santa Barbara’s No. 115 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Santa Barbara is college basketball's No. 67-ranked team at 7.17 per game, while the Highlanders rate No. 245 with 4.44 per game.

Next up:
UC Riverside at Cal Poly, Saturday, February 22nd
Santa Barbara at CS Fullerton, Saturday, February 22nd