UC San Diego at California Riverside 1/6/22 - College Basketball Picks & Predictions

Last Updated: 01/05/2022 at 10:39 PM ET

The SRC Arena in Riverside,CA will host a Big West Conference matchup between the UC San Diego Tritons and the UC Riverside Highlanders Thursday night. UC San Diego is playing good basketball in recent weeks coming into Thursday 8-5 overall riding a two game win streak following an 8 point win against CSU Northridge. The UC San Diego offense did just enough against Northridge making 45.1% of their shots to score 72 points in the game leading to the eight point victory. 

Jake Killingsworth led all scorers for UC San Diego with 20 points on six of eight shooting in 35 minutes on the floor. Bryce Pope was second on the team in scoring with 18 points and five rebounds, while Toni Rocak added 14 points on six of 12 shooting in 33 minutes.

The UC Riverside Highlanders have been up and down this season following a 16 point win against California Baptist that ended a two game skid. Offensively Riverside woke up against California Baptist making 44.8% of their shots and 33.3% from beyond the arc to score 70 total points in the game. 

The Riverside offense has been mediocre this season averaging just 64.5 points per game on 42.7% shooting, but the defense has carried the team holding opponents to just 59.7 points per game. Zyon Pullin leads the team with 12.2 points per game to go along with a team high 4.7 assists. Flynn Cameron is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points and J.P. Moorman II its third on the team scoring 10.7 points as the only other player averaging double figures. Big man Callum McRae adds 8.4 points and a team high 8.5 rebounds.

UC San Diego has played better through the first part of the year and will use that momentum and the better offense Thursday night to get the cover. The Tritons average nearly 8 more points than the Highlanders and will use that to offset the UC Riverside defense. Riverside could get the home win but the Tritons will cover as an underdog win is a strong possibility. Final Score Prediction UC Riverside wins but UC San Diego gets the cover 70-65.

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