UC Riverside at UC Irvine 1/18/20 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

UC Irvine (10-8, 2-0) has taken an early lead in the Big West and will be looking to continue that trend when the team hosts UC Riverside (12-7, 2-1) this weekend. The UC - Irvine Anteaters have won two straight, which ended a 1-3 stretch before conference play. The UC Riverside Highlanders lost their last game, which ended a three-game win streak. The Highlanders have won five of the last seven games.

Riverside has a stout defense, 17th nationally holding opposition to 60.4 points. Riverside struggles on the offensive end though, managing 65.7 points. The team averages 37 rebounds. Irvine is more balanced, averaging 74.6 points and giving up 66.4. The Anteaters are 24th nationally in rebounding at 41.3 per game.

Irvine has three players in double figures. Collin Welp averages 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Eyassu Worku averages 12.8 and Evan Leonard is at 10.8. Brad Green is getting 6.8 rebounds per game. Irvine has 109 three-pointers and is shooting 33 percent from there. The team is shooting 45 percent inside. Worku has made 35 threes and welp has 27. Both are shooting 48 percent from three-point land but the percentage falls off from there.

Arinze Chidom is the only Riverside player in double figures, at 11.3 per game, and he has played in only eight games. Chidom leads the team in rebounding as well at 7,5. Three players have 25 or more three-pointers and the team is shooting 34 percent from behind the arc. The Highlanders are shooting 43 percent overall.