Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Prediction, 3/13/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Location: Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV

TV: ESPN+

The Cal State Northridge Matadors (18-14) are hitting the road to Dollar Loan Center on Wednesday where they will try to defeat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (16-14).

The Cal State Northridge Matadors took the court against Hawaii and took a loss by a final of 72-70 in their last contest. Cal State Northridge ended the game with a 45.6% field goal percentage (31 of 68) and knocked down 4 of 12 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Matadors converted 4 of 5 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. In the matter of rebounding, they earned 31 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When discussing defense, Cal State Northridge allowed the other team to go 40.7% from the floor on 24 out of 59 shooting. Hawaii recorded 15 assists and had 4 steals in this contest. In addition, Hawaii grabbed 39 boards (12 offensive, 27 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Hawaii finished the contest at 61.5% from the free throw line by converting 16 of 26 attempts. They made 8 of 25 tries from downtown. With respect to fouls, the Matadors walked away with 26 while Hawaii finished the game with 13 fouls.

De'Sean Allen-Eikens is one guy who was a factor for this game. He totaled 34 points on 14 of 23 shooting. He saw the court for 36 mins played and totaled 9 boards. He finished the game shooting 60.9% from the floor and earned 2 dimes.

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Cal State Northridge enters this matchup with a mark of 18-14 on the season. They are averaging 74.9 pts per contest (142nd in D-1) while shooting 45.5% from the field. The Matadors are connecting on 30.7% on shots from beyond the arc (154 of 501) and 67.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Cal State Northridge is pulling down 40.1 boards per contest and has accounted for 438 dimes so far this year, which ranks 123rd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 14.3 times per game and as a group they commit 20.5 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Matadors are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 19.1 personal fouls. They are giving up 32.2% from 3-point land and they are ranked 230th in the nation in opponents points per game (73.3). The Matadors defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 40.5% (777 of 1,919) and they surrender 34.7 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are 303rd in college basketball in allowing assists with 453 surrendered this season.

The last time they took the court, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos took a loss by a final score of 81-64 when they faced UC Riverside. In relation to cleaning up the glass, UC Santa Barbara permitted UC Riverside to get 37 in total (13 on the offensive glass). They went 46.7% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 14 out of 30 and ended up going 7 out of 7 at the free throw line (100.0%). The Gauchos allowed UC Riverside to convert 30 out of 64 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 46.9% for this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Gauchos shot 23 out of 47 from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.9%. In reference to shots from beyond the arc, UC Santa Barbara made 5 of 12 attempts (41.7%). They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 68.4%. UC Riverside earned 17 fouls for the matchup which took the Gauchos to the charity stripe for 19 attempts. They turned the ball over 16 times, while earning 4 steals in this matchup. The Gauchos pulled down 17 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards for a total of 22 in this contest.

Josh Pierre-Louis ended up having an impact for the Gauchos for this game. He buried 6 of 10 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and earned 3 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 35 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in this matchup.

UC Santa Barbara has a win-loss record of 16-14 on the campaign. The Gauchos commit 16.1 personal fouls every game and they connect on 73.4% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 13.4 times per game (152nd in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.1 times per contest. UC Santa Barbara has 2,253 pts on the season (75.1 per game) and they average 34.7 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Gauchos are connecting on 49.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 9th in the country.

The Gauchos are ranked 225th in D-1 in PPG given up with 73.1. They have forced 10.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.3% from the field (277th in D-1). The UC Santa Barbara defense gives up 32.4% on shots from beyond the arc (200 of 617) and their opponents are making 68.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 12.1 dimes and 31.7 rebounds per game, which ranks them 111th and 28th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UC Santa Barbara

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