It’s a contest of teams from the Big West on the hardwood as the seventh-seeded Cal Poly Mustangs battle the third-seeded UC Riverside Highlanders Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament in the Silver State and we have you covered with our Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside prediction. Cal Poly downed UC Davis 86-76 in their first-round matchup Wednesday night, covering the line as a one-point favorite. UC Riverside closed the regular season with a 64-59 road win over CSU Fullerton in their previous game Saturday, failing to cover the line as a 14.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, the Highlanders own a 59-50 advantage though the Mustangs picked up a 112-100 overtime win at home in the most recent matchup on February 22. Read more about this Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside prediction! Get our top NCAAB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!
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Cal Poly Looking to Extend Season
Cal Poly ran their win streak to four games as they used a big second half to down UC Davis in their first-round matchup Wednesday night. The Mustangs improved to 15-18 overall on the year after posting an 8-12 mark in Big West play during the regular season. Against UC Davis, Cal Poly found themselves down nine points at the half before staging a rally. The Mustangs trailed by four with 14:32 remaining before reeling off 14 unanswered points to take a 66-56 advantage with 8:52 to go. Cal Poly didn’t let UC Davis closer than seven the rest of the way to earn the win. The Mustangs shot 55.6% from the field, including 11 of 25 from three-point range, and forced 16 turnovers to offset allowing the Aggies to shoot 50% in the game.
For the season, the Mustangs have been above average on the offensive end of the floor, averaging 81.8 points per game, which puts them 24th in the nation in scoring offense. Cal Poly grabs 35.1 rebounds per night and hands out an average of 15 assists per contest. The Mustangs are 360th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 82.5 points per game. Owen Koonce leads the team and is one of four players averaging in double figures with 17.2 points per game on the year. Jarred Hyder (14.4 points), Isaac Jessup (11.7 points) and Mac Riniker (9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds) are secondary scoring options. Peter Bandelj (10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds), Kieran Elliott, Luka Tarlac, Aaron Price Jr., Guzman Vasilic, Paul Bizimana and Ethan Menzies all log solid minutes for the Mustangs this season. Cal Poly shoots 46.2% from the field as a team this season. The Mustangs connect on 11.3 three-pointers a night (3rd) while shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc. Cal Poly has been above average at the free throw line as they convert 76.4% of their attempts this season, which is 35th in the nation.
Highlanders Seeking to Advance
UC Riverside closed the regular season with wins in five of their last six games, including each of their last three, as they took down CSU Fullerton though it was less than an inspiring performance. The Highlanders finished the regular season 21-11 overall and went 14-6 in the Big West on the year. Against CSU Fullerton, UC Riverside trailed 11-3 early before rallying to tie the game at 25 at the half. The Highlanders were tied at 38 with 13:16 remaining before going on a 13-6 run to take a 51-44 advantage with 7:18 to play. After CSU Fullerton trimmed the margin to one with 3:28 to go, UC Riverside scored the next five points to take a 61-55 lead with 45 seconds to play and hung on for the win. The Highlanders shot 39.3% from the field, including six of 27 from three-point range, and held the Titans to 35% shooting. Barrington Hargress led UC Riverside with 22 points in the win.
The Highlanders put up an average of 74.9 points per game on the season, putting them 147th in the nation in scoring offense. UC Riverside pulls down 37.7 rebounds per game and dishes out 13.1 assists a night. The Highlanders are slightly below average defensively, ranking 231st in the nation by allowing 73.5 points per game. Isaiah Moses is one of four players on the team averaging in double figures as he puts up an average of 11.6 points plus three assists a game this season. Barrington Hargress (20.6 points, four assists) and Kaleb Smith (11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds) provide secondary scoring offensive production. Nate Pickens (10 points), Joel Armotrading, Rikus Schulte, Niyi Olabode, Parker Strauss, Jack Whitbourn and Gavin Davis are important role players this season for the Highlanders. UC Riverside shoots a putrid 42.6% from the field as a team this season. The Highlanders drain nine triples a night while sinking 34% of their attempts from beyond the arc. UC Riverside is above average at the free throw line as they convert 75.3% of their attempts.
Best Bets for Cal Poly vs. UC Riverside (UCR)
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
We know that Cal Poly is capable of putting up big offensive numbers. The Mustangs’ issue is that they can’t stop anyone as they are fifth-worst in all of Division I when it comes to scoring defense. While the teams split this season, the Mustangs gave up 80 and 100 points, respectively, in the two meetings. UC Riverside a decent offensive team and they are better on the defensive end of the floor. Cal Poly is extremely perimeter oriented and the Highlanders did a solid job keeping them in check from out there. The Mustangs shot just 20 of 65 (30.8%) from beyond the arc in the two games while turning the ball over a combined 28 times. UC Riverside should do enough defensively to punch their ticket to the semifinals.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
For the year, the Mustangs have seen the over post a 20-12 record in their 32 games with a posted total. Cal Poly is 143rd in the nation in offensive efficiency and 252nd in defensive efficiency this season. The Mustangs are 39th in effective field goal percentage (55%), 111th in three-point shooting and 24th in two-point shooting (57.2%) this season. Cal Poly is 3rd in tempo as they average 74.7 possessions a night. UC Riverside has seen the over hit in six of their last seven contests. The Highlanders are just 254th in effective field goal percentage (49.4%), 94th in offensive rebounding percentage (32.6%) but stand only 295th in field goal percentage. They are 195th in adjusted tempo with 67.2 possessions a night this season. The first meeting had 142 combined points while the second meeting saw 212 points on the board. Look for this one to fall in between but still enough to wind up over the mark.
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