UC Riverside looks to cover the Highlanders-Gauchos pointspread on Thursday and improve its overall 8-8 mark when they host Santa Barbara in college basketball action.

Supporters of the Gauchos have watched them go 7-5 and 5-5 ATS on the year, while the Highlanders are at 8-8 and 4-9 ATS. In totals betting, the Highlanders are 5-8, while the Gauchos have a 6-4 mark.



View Santa Barbara vs UC Riverside Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Gauchos are listed as 8-point favorites at many online sportsbooks.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Highlanders sit at No. 252 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Gauchos sit at No. 38 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Gauchos will win this game 72-63.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up UC Riverside's No. 319 nationally ranked offense (59.3 points per game) against a Gauchos defense that sits as the No. 233 at 69.3 PPG. The Highlanders have been averaging 41.1% from the field, less than the Gauchos have managed so far this season (46.4% on average).

Defensively, Santa Barbara features the nation's No. 221-rated defense on the road, allowing 72.8 points per game. UC Riverside, meanwhile, comes in at No. 323 nationally in scoring at home.

Santa Barbara was a 77-64 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against CS Fullerton. They covered the 9–point spread as favorites. The Gauchos grabbed a 77-64 win over the Titans on Thursday, behind a 23-point effort from Orlando Johnson at Thunderdome.

Last time out for UC Riverside, they were a 64-57 Sportsbook as they battled Pacific on the road. They covered in the match as a 3.5-point underdog. UC Riverside got 29 points from Phil Martin en route to a 64-57 victory over Pacific on Saturday at Spanos Center.


Santa Barbara Gauchos Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-3
Before playing UC Irvine are 4-6
After playing CS Fullerton are 7-3
After a win are 7-3

UC Riverside Highlanders Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 3-7
Before playing Cal Poly are 4-6
After playing Pacific are 4-6
After a win are 4-6

A few Gauchos at Highlanders trends to consider:
Santa Barbara is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against UC Riverside
Santa Barbara is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Santa Barbara is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
UC Riverside is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UC Riverside's last 5 games when playing Santa Barbara
UC Riverside is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Santa Barbara
UC Riverside is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Santa Barbara


Next up:
Santa Barbara home to UC Irvine, Saturday, January 14
UC Riverside home to Cal Poly, Saturday, January 14