UC Santa Barbara vs. UC Riverside, Picks and Prediction for Thursday, February 12, 2026
Use Code WWWC UC Riverside (16-8, 9-4 Big West) will be trying to move into first place in the Big West standings when they visit SRC Arena on Thursday night to face UC Riverside (8-17, 3-10 Big West) at 10 PM. ET. Read on to find out which team picks up the win in this Gauchos vs. Highlanders prediction. If you are struggling to pick winners, you've come to the right place. We have the best NCAAB Predictions available.Â
The Gauchos are coming off an 84-79 win over UC Irvine as 1.5-point favorites. The Highlanders are coming off an 88-74 loss to Cal State Northridge as 10.5-point underdogs.
UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara split their last 10 meetings.
UC Santa Barbara Going For Second Consecutive Win
The Gauchos bounced back from their loss to UC Davis with a win over UC Irvine in their last game. They are second in the Big West standings, half a game behind the conference leaders, and will try to move into a tie for first with a win on Thursday.
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UC Santa Barbara averages 79.3 points per game. They’ve made 48 percent of their field goals and 38 percent of their three-pointers.
Aidan Mahaney leads UC Santa Barbara with 14.6 points and 2.8 assists per game. Miro Little averages 12 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while CJ Shaw averages 11.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
UC Santa Barbara is giving up 72.6 points per game. Opponents have made 47 percent of their field goals and 36 percent of their three-pointers against them.
UC Riverside Trying To Snap Three-Game Losing Streak
The Highlanders haven’t had much go their way this season, and they haven’t fared much better in conference play. They’ve lost three straight games and will try to put an end to the streak with a win on Thursday.
UC Riverside averages 72.2 points per game. They’ve made 43 percent of their field goals and 32 percent of their three-pointers.
Andrew Henderson leads the Highlanders with 17.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Marqui Worthy Jr. averages 15.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Osiris Grady averages 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
UC Riverside is giving up 78.2 points per game. Opponents have made 48 percent of their field goals and 35 percent of their three-pointers against them.
UC Santa Barbara vs. UC Riverside Picks
Point Spread Pick for UC Santa Barbara vs. UC Riverside
- UC Santa Barbara Gauchos to cover. (4 Units)
The Gauchos have the edge here because they’re playing well offensively, scoring more than 80 points in two of their last three games, while making over 49 percent of their shots. They’ve also done a better job at the charity stripe, making over 78 percent of their free throws, while the Highlanders made less than 70 percent of theirs. They rebound the ball well and grab more than 11 offensive rebounds per game, which will give them more scoring chances. They also do a good job of protecting the ball on the road, and won’t give up a lot of easy-scoring chances. The Highlanders aren’t very good defensively, and they gave up more than 85 points per game in their last three games, so expect them to have a hard time slowing down the Gauchos. Take UC Santa Barbara to cover the spread.
Over/Under Pick for UC Santa Barbara vs. UC Riverside
- Over (4 Units)
The Gauchos average 79.3 points per game. They play at the 272nd-fastest pace in the nation, averaging 69 possessions per game, and they’re facing a team that gave up 86.7 points per game in their last three games. The Highlanders average 72.2 points per game. They play at the 118th-fastest pace in the nation, averaging 72.2 possessions per game, and they’re facing a team that gave up 77.7 points per game in their last three games. Expect these teams to score enough points to push the score over the total.
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