Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Riverside Highlanders Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC Riverside Highlanders

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: SRC Arena in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Riverside Highlanders (9-21) will take on the Cal State Northridge Matadors (18-11) at SRC Arena on Saturday.

The Cal State Northridge Matadors took the court against UC Irvine and took a loss by a final of 68-67 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Matadors ended up with 13 while UC Irvine recorded 14 fouls. They also converted 5 out of their 16 shots from beyond the arc. UC Irvine shot 81.8% from the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of 11 tries. Additionally, UC Irvine grabbed 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UC Irvine recorded 21 dimes and had 14 steals in this contest. In reference to the defense, Cal State Northridge let their opponent shoot 46.6% from the field on 27 out of 58 shooting. They also dished out 10 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and having 10 steals. Regarding hauling in boards, they earned a total of 31 with 13 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Matadors buried 13 of their 21 tries for a percentage of 61.9%. Cal State Northridge wrapped up the game with a 41.0% FG percentage (25 out of 61) and made 4 of their 19 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Joshua O'Garro is one player who was a major factor in this game. He walked away with 17 points on 8 out of 18 shooting. He was on the court for 35 mins and also snagged 10 boards. He ended up shooting 44.4% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Cal State Northridge heads into this matchup with a mark of 18-11 for the season. They currently have an average of 81.4 points per game (66th in Division 1) while going 45.5% from the floor. The Matadors are shooting 33.4% from downtown (209 of 625) and 65.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Cal State Northridge is pulling down 41.6 rebounds per game and is sitting with 495 assists for the season, which is 27th in the nation in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 18.3 personal fouls per game.

Defensively, the Matadors are forcing 13.1 turnovers per game and they draw 18.9 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 33.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 308th in D-1 in points per game allowed (78.7). The Matadors defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.1% (756 of 1,796) and they surrender 35.8 rebounds per game as a group. They are ranked 311th in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 439 surrendered this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the UC Riverside Highlanders took a defeat with a final score of 70-59 when they faced UC Santa Barbara. In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, UC Riverside allowed UC Santa Barbara to collect 36 overall (8 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 27.8% from beyond the arc by shooting 5 of 18 and ended up going 19 out of 28 from the free throw line (67.9%). The Highlanders permitted UC Santa Barbara to knock down 23 of their 52 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 44.2% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Highlanders finished the game shooting 20 for 52 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.5%. Pertaining to shots from downtown, UC Riverside buried 2 of their 16 tries (12.5%). They were able to make 17 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 81.0%. UC Santa Barbara earned 19 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Highlanders to the free throw line for 21 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 8 steals for the contest. The Highlanders earned 23 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 for this game.

Andrew Henderson was important for the Highlanders for the contest. He buried 6 out of 17 in this matchup giving him a rate of 35.3%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 39 mins of playing time and earned 2 assists for the matchup.

UC Riverside has a win-loss mark of 9-21 on the year. The Highlanders are responsible for committing 19.1 personal fouls per game while shooting 73.8% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.6 times per contest (277th in college) and they are giving up possession 13.4 times per game. UC Riverside has earned 2,165 points so far this season (72.2 per contest) and they grab 34.7 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Highlanders are connecting on 43.4% from the floor, which ranks 288th in college hoops.

The UC Riverside defense surrenders 34.0% from downtown (191 of 561) and their opposition makes 70.0% of their free throw attempts. They give up 13.8 assists and 35.3 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 214th and 242nd in those defensive categories. The Highlanders on the defensive end are ranked 270th in college in points given up per game with 77.2. They have forced 11.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.8% from the floor (312th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cal State Northridge

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