UC Irvine Anteaters vs CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Irvine Anteaters vs CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA

TV: ESPN+

The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (6-8) will take on the UC Irvine Anteaters (9-5) at Icardo Center on Thursday.

The UC Irvine Anteaters faced off with Norfolk State and notched a win by a score of 89-70 in their last contest. UC Irvine ended with a 53.3% field goal percentage (32 of 60) and buried 8 out of their 23 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Anteaters converted 17 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 85.0%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they earned 29 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 23 dimes in this game while forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. With respect to defending, UC Irvine allowed 45.1% from the floor on 23 of 51 shooting. Norfolk State dished out 8 assists and had 4 steals for the game. Furthermore, Norfolk State grabbed 24 rebounds (7 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Norfolk State ended up shooting 80.0% from the free throw line by knocking down 16 of 20 shots. They also made 8 out of their 15 tries from beyond the arc. In regard to personal fouls, the Anteaters ended up walking away with 12 while Norfolk State totaled 16 personal fouls.

Kyle Evans is a guy who came through for this game. He racked up 22 points on 8 out of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 27 mins and grabbed 8 rebounds. He went 66.7% from the field and earned 1 assist.

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UC Irvine will play this game with a mark of 9-5 for the season. They are averaging 78.3 pts per contest (172nd in the country) while shooting 46.5% from the field. The Anteaters are connecting on 32.8% on shots from beyond the arc (83 of 253) and 66.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UC Irvine is grabbing 40.6 rebounds per game and has totaled 249 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 13th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 11.9 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.6 personal fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Anteaters are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and they draw 19.8 fouls. They concede 33.4% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 41st in Division 1 in points per game allowed (66.4). The Anteaters defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 37.6% (328 of 872) and they surrender 37.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 163rd in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 166 surrendered this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners got the victory with a final of 64-63 when they played Idaho. With respect to attacking the glass, CSU Bakersfield allowed Idaho to collect 31 in all (8 on the offensive side). They went 28.0% from beyond the perimeter via 7 of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 15 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Roadrunners allowed Idaho to knock down 22 out of their 58 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.9% for this contest. Overall, the Roadrunners ended up going 27 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.2%. Pertaining to shooting from beyond the arc, CSU Bakersfield converted 7 out of their 21 tries (33.3%). They were able to make 3 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 37.5%. Idaho was called for 8 fouls for this game which took the Roadrunners to the charity stripe for a total of 8 attempts. They turned it over 13 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Roadrunners recorded 26 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 33 in this contest.

CJ Hardy ended up being a factor for the Roadrunners in this contest. He made 8 of 15 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 53.3%, and had 2 rebounds. He totaled 20 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 2 dimes in this matchup.

CSU Bakersfield has a win-loss mark of 6-8 for the year. As an offense, the Roadrunners are shooting 42.4% from the field, which is ranked 304th in college. CSU Bakersfield has scored 1,020 pts this year (72.9 per contest) and they pull in 35.3 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 10.6 times per game (353rd in D-1) and they turn the ball over 14.6 times per contest. The Roadrunners are committing 19.9 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 73.6% from the free throw line.

The Roadrunners on the defensive side of the court are 280th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 77.6. They are able to force 14.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.9% from the floor (261st in college). The CSU Bakersfield defense gives up 31.1% on shots from 3-point land (95 of 305) and opponents are converting on 68.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 13.6 assists and 37.9 total rebounds per game, which ranks 200th and 320th in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take CSU Bakersfield

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