The Cal Poly Mustangs will hit the floor running against the visiting UC Riverside Highlanders Thursday, looking to improve their record and boost wagering bankrolls in the process.

It's a game in the Big West Tournament, which will decide the conference title, not to mention deciding which teams make the Field of 68. Honda Center is the location for this game, which makes it a neutral-site matchup.

The Mustangs currently sports a 17-14 record overall in NCAAB action, and have posted a corresponding betting slate of 10-17 ATS. The Highlanders are 14-16 and 11-16 ATS. Betting totals have seen the Mustangs produce a 12-14-1 OVER/UNDER record on the season, while the Highlanders have gone 10-17 against the number.



View UC Riverside vs Cal Poly Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Sportsbooks had set the Mustangs as 5.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook line for this contest.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 178-rated Mustangs and the No. 204-ranked Highlanders, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 67-59 result in favor of the Mustangs.



How They Match Up:
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Highlanders rank No. 205 in NCAA Division 1 with 34 per game. That compares with Cal Poly’s No. 179 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Cal Poly is college basketball's No. 102-ranked team at 6.9 per game, while the Highlanders rate No. 331 with 4.2 per game.

Defensively, UC Riverside features the nation's No. 33-rated defense on the road, allowing 63.2 points per game. Cal Poly, meanwhile, comes in at No. 184 nationally in scoring at home.

Last time out for UC Riverside, they were a 72-69 Sportsbook as they battled UC Irvine at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 4-point favorite. The Highlanders got a terrific 27-point effort from Phil Martin as UC Riverside defeated UC Irvine 72-69 on Saturday at Student Center.

Last time out for Cal Poly, they were a 67-38 Sportsbook as they battled Pacific at home. They covered in the match as an 8.5-point favorite. The Mustangs blew out Pacific on Saturday, running up a 20+ point victory in a 67-38 win at Mott Gymnasium.


UC Riverside Highlanders Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-5
After playing UC Irvine are 5-5
After a win are 5-5

Cal Poly Mustangs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 2-8
After playing Pacific are 7-3
After a win are 4-6

A few Highlanders at Mustangs trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Cal Poly's last 9 games when playing UC Riverside
Cal Poly is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing UC Riverside
Cal Poly is 3-8-1 ATS in its last 12 games when playing UC Riverside
Cal Poly is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games