College hoops betting interest focuses on the Portland State vs UC Riverside battle Saturday at Stott Center as the Vikings look to defend home court and cover the NCAA basketball point spread.

The Vikings currently sports a 7-16 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 9-12 ATS. The Highlanders are 6-20 and 9-14-1 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Vikings produce a 12-6 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Highlanders have gone 10-9 against the number.



View UC Riverside vs Portland State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Vikings were listed as 1.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark earlier in the day. It opened first at Sportsbook, where the total was expected shortly.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Vikings rated this week at No. 321 and the Highlanders sitting at No. 293. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 64-59 result in favor of the Vikings.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Portland State's No. 126-ranked offense, averaging 69.5 PPG, against a Highlanders defense that ranks No. 191 at 67 PPG. The Vikings field goal percentage has averaged 46% so far, more than the Highlanders marksmen have achieved on the year, 41.8% per game.

Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, UC Riverside owns the country's No. 185-rated mark, allowing 69.9 points per game on the highway. Portland State, on the other hand, rates No. 57 in scoring at home.

UC Riverside was a 54-45 Sportsbook in its last match at home against Santa Barbara. They covered the 1.5-point spread as underdogs. UC Riverside earned a 54-45 victory over Santa Barbara on Wednesday, getting 14 points from Chris Harriel at Student Center.

Last time out for Portland State, they were an 89-80 Sportsbook as they battled Eastern Washington at home. They covered in the match as a 4.5-point favorite. Portland State earned an 89-80 victory over Eastern Washington on Monday, getting 20 points from Renado Parker at Stott Center.


UC Riverside Highlanders Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 2-6
Before playing UC Davis are 4-6
After playing Santa Barbara are 3-7
After a win are 1-9

Portland State Vikings Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing North Dakota are 0-1
After playing Eastern Washington are 6-4
After a win are 6-4

A few Highlanders at Vikings trends to consider:
UC Riverside is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Portland State's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland State's last 6 games at home
Portland State is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games at home
Portland State is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games


Next up:
UC Riverside home to UC Davis, Thursday, February 28
Portland State home to North Dakota, Thursday, February 28