Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Davis Aggies Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Davis Aggies

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: University Credit Union Center in Davis, CA

TV: ESPN+

University Credit Union Center is where the UC Davis Aggies (7-5) will take on the Cal State Northridge Matadors (8-6) on Thursday.

The Cal State Northridge Matadors faced off with Stanford and took a loss by a final of 88-80 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Matadors ended up finishing with 24 while Stanford totaled 21 fouls. They also converted 11 out of their 27 tries from distance. Stanford finished the game shooting 71.1% from the free throw line by converting 27 of their 38 tries. Furthermore, Stanford grabbed 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Stanford recorded 16 dimes and had 9 steals for this game. In relation to defense, Cal State Northridge allowed the other team to shoot 48.1% from the floor on 25 of 52 shooting. They also doled out 14 assists in this matchup as well as forcing 13 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 28 with 4 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Matadors buried 24 of their 30 attempts for a rate of 80.0%. Cal State Northridge finished the game with a 47.1% FG percentage (24 out of 51) and made 8 of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Larry Hughes Jr. is a player who was a major contributor in this contest. He racked up 26 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He played 35 mins and also grabbed 3 boards. He finished the game shooting 64.3% from the field and earned 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

Cal State Northridge heads into this matchup with a mark of 8-6 for the campaign. They turn it over 13.4 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Cal State Northridge is collecting 41.4 boards per game and has earned 230 assists for the season, which is 38th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Matadors are hitting 32.6% on shots from downtown (107 of 328) and 70.0% from the free throw line. They average 80.6 pts per game (119th in Division 1) while shooting 44.0% from the field.

On defense, the Matadors are able to force 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They are giving up 33.0% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 300th in college in PPG allowed (78.4). The Matadors defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.1% (362 of 859) and they relinquish 35.4 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 312th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 204 surrendered for the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the UC Davis Aggies got the victory with a final of 108-52 when they faced Pacific Union. The Aggies collected 33 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive rebounds for a total of 52 in this contest. They coughed it up 10 times, while earning 18 steals for the contest. Pacific Union had 23 personal fouls for the game which got the Aggies to the charity stripe for a total of 32 tries. They were able to make 25 of the free throws for a rate of 78.1%. With respect to 3-point attempts, UC Davis converted 9 of their 28 tries (32.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Aggies went 37 out of 76 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.7%. The Aggies allowed Pacific Union to make 13 of their 47 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 27.7% in the game. They shot 25.8% from distance by connecting on 8 of 31 and finished the contest at 18 of 25 from the free throw line (72.0%). When it comes to rebounds, UC Davis allowed Pacific Union to snag 23 in total (4 on the offensive side).

Nils Cooper ended up being a major contributor for the Aggies for this game. He made 6 of 11 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 54.5%, and had 4 rebounds. He had 19 points in his 16 minutes on the hardwood and earned 2 assists in this game.

UC Davis has a record of 7-5 for the campaign. As an offense, the Aggies are shooting 47.6% from the floor, which is 91st in the country. UC Davis has tallied 957 pts for the campaign (79.8 per game) and they collect 33.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 16.0 times per contest (107th in college) and they turn it over 13.1 times per contest. The Aggies are committing 18.8 fouls per game and they connect on 75.1% from the free throw line.

The UC Davis defense allows 35.0% on three-point shots (91 of 260) and their opponents are converting on 72.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.7 assists and 34.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 208th and 160th in the country. The Aggies defensively are ranked 210th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 74.3. They have forced 15.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.2% from the floor (223rd in college).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cal State Northridge

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.