A key college battle sees the visiting Cal Poly Mustangs travelling to Santa Barbara Saturday to take on the Gauchos.

The Gauchos are 6-10 so far on the season, and 7-7 ATS vs. the number. The Mustangs, meanwhile, are 7-8 and 6-6-1 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen Santa Barbara go 7-4 and the Mustangs go 5-5 on the totals.



View Cal Poly vs Santa Barbara Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to go with the Gauchos in this one found them listed as 2.5-point favorites earlier on the NCAA basketball betting menu for Monday's contest. Check for updates as money coming in on the Mustangs was expected to move the line.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 235-ranked Gauchos and the No. 294-rated Mustangs in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 66-62 win for the Mustangs on Saturday.



How They Match Up:
Rating these schools in several key categories is important for handicappers and Santa Barbara has the nation's No. 213-rated offensive output, at 66.1 PPG. The visiting Mustangs defense ranks No. 163 allowing on average 65.7 PPG. The Gauchos FG% has averaged 42.7% so far, more than the Mustangs marksmen have achieved on the year, 42% per game.

Defensively, Cal Poly features the nation's No. 145-rated defense on the road, allowing 68.6 points per game. Santa Barbara, meanwhile, comes in at No. 246 nationally in scoring at home.

Cal Poly lost its last outing, a 77-55 result against Pacific on January 12. They failed to cover in that game as a 6.5-point underdog. Cal Poly was crushed on Saturday, getting blown out by Pacific and falling by a 77-55 score at Spanos Center.

In their last action, Santa Barbara was a 66-59 Sportsbook on the road against UC Davis. They covered the 4-point spread as underdogs. Alan Williams scored 28 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double, leading Santa Barbara over UC Davis, 66-59, on Saturday at UC Davis Pavilion.


Cal Poly Mustangs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 3-7
Before playing Hawaii are 1-2
After playing Pacific are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4

Santa Barbara Gauchos Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing CS Northridge are 8-2
After playing UC Davis are 8-2
After a win are 5-5

A few Mustangs at Gauchos trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Cal Poly's last 8 games when playing on the road against Santa Barbara
Cal Poly is 3-9-1 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
Cal Poly is 2-13 SU in its last 15 games on the road
Cal Poly is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cal Poly
Santa Barbara is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cal Poly
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Santa Barbara's last 8 games when playing at home against Cal Poly
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Santa Barbara's last 7 games when playing Cal Poly


Next up:
Cal Poly home to Hawaii, Thursday, January 24
Santa Barbara home to CS Northridge, Thursday, January 24