Hawaii Warriors vs UC Riverside Highlanders Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Hawaii Warriors vs UC Riverside Highlanders

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: SRC Arena in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Riverside Highlanders (6-8) will go up against the Hawaii Warriors (10-2) at SRC Arena on Thursday.

The Hawaii Warriors played UTEP and notched a win by a score of 66-61 in their last game. Hawaii wrapped up the contest with a 40.4% field goal percentage (21 out of 52) and buried 6 of 19 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Warriors converted 18 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 81.8%. When talking about hauling in rebounds, they compiled a total of 31 with 6 of them being offensive. They also dished out 10 assists in this matchup in addition to creating 8 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In reference to the defense, Hawaii allowed 40.0% from the field on 24 out of 60 shooting. UTEP earned 9 assists and had 3 steals in this matchup. Additionally, UTEP snagged 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UTEP ended up going 50.0% at the charity stripe by burying 5 of their 10 attempts. They also knocked down 8 out of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Warriors ended up walking away with 8 while UTEP racked up 21 personal fouls.

Harry Rouhliadeff is one guy who played a role for the contest. He finished the game shooting 50.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He played 35 minutes played and grabbed 7 boards. He accounted for 22 points on 7 out of 14 shooting.

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Hawaii heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 10-2 so far this year. They turn the ball over 13.4 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.8 fouls every game. As a team, Hawaii is pulling in 41.3 boards per contest and has accumulated 169 assists so far this year, which ranks 268th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Warriors are shooting 30.9% on shots from beyond the arc (83 of 269) and 72.1% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 80.4 pts per contest (124th in D-1) while shooting 46.6% from the floor.

Defensively, the Warriors have forced 11.9 turnovers per game while drawing 22.7 fouls. They are giving up 27.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 11th in college in PPG allowed (63.1). The Warriors defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 37.7% (268 of 710) and they concede 31.0 rebounds per contest as a unit. They currently rank 2nd in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 101 conceded so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the UC Riverside Highlanders took a defeat with a final score of 97-65 against UCLA. The Highlanders were able to corral 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 30 for the game. They turned the ball over 21 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. UCLA committed 17 fouls for this game which got the Highlanders to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throws for a rate of 69.6%. With respect to three-point shots, UC Riverside buried 3 out of their 15 tries (20.0%). Overall, the Highlanders finished 23 out of 54 from the field which had them shooting 42.6%. The Highlanders permitted UCLA to convert 34 of 68 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0% in this matchup. They went 33.3% from beyond the arc by connecting on 7 out of 21 and ended up shooting 22 of 26 at the free throw line (84.6%). When talking about how they attacked the glass, UC Riverside permitted UCLA to snag 33 overall (10 offensive).

Osiris Grady was important for the Highlanders in this contest. He made 8 out of 12 in this game giving him a rate of 66.7%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He tallied 20 points in his 38 minutes of playing time and had 5 assists for this game.

UC Riverside has a mark of 6-8 this season. As an offensive unit, the Highlanders are shooting 46.1% from the field, which ranks them 159th in college hoops. UC Riverside has accounted for 1,039 points on the season (74.2 per contest) and they grab 34.8 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 13.4 times per contest (260th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 13.7 times per contest. The Highlanders commit 17.6 personal fouls every game and they shoot 72.9% from the charity stripe.

The UC Riverside defense allows 35.2% on 3-pointers (94 of 267) and their opponents are knocking down 68.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 13.6 assists and 33.4 boards every game, which is ranked 200th and 125th in the country. The Highlanders are ranked 296th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 78.2. They have forced 10.1 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the field (334th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UC Riverside

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