Abilene Christian Wildcats vs California Baptist Lancers Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Abilene Christian Wildcats vs California Baptist Lancers

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler Events Center is the location where the California Baptist Lancers (21-8) will try to defeat the Abilene Christian Wildcats (13-16) on Thursday.

The Abilene Christian Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against Utah Valley and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 74-67 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Wildcats ended up with 20 while Utah Valley recorded 22 personal fouls. They made 7 of 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Utah Valley finished the contest at 60.0% from the free throw line by converting 15 of 25 attempts. Furthermore, Utah Valley pulled down 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Utah Valley recorded 18 assists and had 11 steals for this contest. Concerning defense, Abilene Christian let their opponent shoot 56.5% from the field on 26 out of 46 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists for this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and having 13 steals. In relation to rebounding, they earned a total of 31 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Wildcats converted 24 of 29 attempts for a rate of 82.8%. Abilene Christian finished the game with a 38.3% FG percentage (18 out of 47) and knocked down 7 of their 18 three-point attempts.

Christian Alston is one player who was important for this game. He totaled 18 points on 5 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 26 mins played and also totaled 6 rebounds. He shot 38.5% from the floor but didn't record an assist.

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Abilene Christian enters this contest with a win-loss record of 13-16 on the year. They cough up possession 14.3 times per game and as a unit are committing 20.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Abilene Christian is snagging 32.2 rebounds per game and is sitting with 395 dimes so far this year, which is 245th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Wildcats are shooting 32.2% on three-point attempts (173 of 538) and 71.1% from the free throw line. They have an average of 71.0 points per contest (292nd in college) while hitting 43.9% from the field.

Defensively, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 16.6 turnovers per game while drawing 17.9 fouls. They currently rank 43rd in the nation in giving up assists with 343 relinquished for the season. The Wildcats defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 49.0% (694 of 1,415) and they surrender 30.8 boards per game as a team. They give up 38.6% from beyond the arc while they are 118th in college in PPG allowed (71.7).

The last time they took the court, the California Baptist Lancers went home victorious with a score of 82-67 against Tarleton State. In regard to attacking the glass, California Baptist permitted Tarleton State to get 33 in total (16 on the offensive side). They went 37.5% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 3 of 8 and walked away from this one shooting 18 of 23 from the free throw line (78.3%). The Lancers permitted Tarleton State to knock down 23 of 57 tries from the floor which had them at 40.4% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Lancers finished 25 out of 59 from the field which had them sitting at 42.4%. In terms of 3-point attempts, California Baptist converted 8 out of their 23 attempts (34.8%). They were able to bury 24 of those for a rate of 82.8%. Tarleton State earned 19 personal fouls in the game which got the Lancers to the free throw line for 29 tries. They coughed it up 8 times, while getting 5 steals in the game. The Lancers corralled 15 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards totaling 29 for the game.

Dominique Daniels Jr. ended up having an impact for the Lancers in this matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 19 in the game for a field goal percentage of 36.8%, and accumulated 2 rebounds. He totaled 23 points in his 37 minutes on the court and totaled 4 assists in this contest.

California Baptist has a win-loss mark of 21-8 this year. As an offensive unit, the Lancers are connecting on 42.3% from the floor, which is ranked 321st in Division 1. California Baptist has accounted for 2,092 points on the campaign (72.1 per contest) and they grab 40.4 boards per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 10.3 times per game (362nd in college) and they lose possession via turnover 12.3 times per game. The Lancers are committing 18.7 personal fouls every game and they go 72.3% from the charity stripe.

The California Baptist defense concedes 29.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (158 of 530) and their opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 11.0 dimes and 33.0 total boards per game, which is 27th and 94th in the nation. The Lancers defensively are ranked 42nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 68.1. They are forcing 11.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (49th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take California Baptist

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