Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC San Diego Tritons Prediction, 1/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cal State Northridge Matadors vs UC San Diego Tritons

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: LionTree Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Cal State Northridge Matadors (10-8) are headed to LionTree Arena on Thursday where they will compete against the UC San Diego Tritons (13-4).

The Cal State Northridge Matadors played CSU Fullerton and went home with a loss by a final score of 86-79 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Matadors left the arena with 20 while CSU Fullerton finished the game with 18 personal fouls. They converted 11 of their 27 attempts from three-point range. CSU Fullerton shot 67.9% from the free throw line by burying 19 of 28 shots. In addition, CSU Fullerton grabbed 36 boards (6 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. CSU Fullerton totaled 22 dimes and had 11 steals for this contest. Regarding defense, Cal State Northridge allowed the other team to go 46.7% from the field on 28 of 60 shooting. They also doled out 21 dimes for the game while forcing 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. In relation to pulling down boards, they earned 35 with 9 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Matadors knocked down 6 of their 16 tries for a percentage of 37.5%. Cal State Northridge ended the contest with a 46.4% field goal percentage (32 of 69) and converted 9 of their 27 3-point attempts.

Joshua O'Garro is someone who was a major factor in this matchup. He totaled 28 points on 11 of 17 shooting. He played 39 mins and pulled down 13 rebounds. He ended up shooting 64.7% from the floor and also dished out 6 assists.

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Cal State Northridge will enter this contest with a record of 10-8 this season. They are averaging 80.9 pts per game (105th in the country) while shooting 44.9% from the field. The Matadors are shooting 32.7% on shots from downtown (136 of 416) and 66.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Cal State Northridge is grabbing 41.5 boards per contest and has accumulated 304 assists this season, which ranks 32nd in college hoops in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.8 times per game and as a team are committing 18.2 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Matadors are forcing 12.6 turnovers every game and they draw 18.5 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 33.9% from 3-point land and they are 313th in college in PPG allowed (79.3). The Matadors are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.4% (470 of 1,109) and they concede 35.2 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 318th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 272 conceded on the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the UC San Diego Tritons got the victory with a final of 69-66 when they faced UC Riverside. The Tritons were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in the matchup. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while getting 5 steals in this contest. UC Riverside committed 19 personal fouls in this game which took the Tritons to the charity stripe for 25 tries. They were able to convert 17 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 68.0%. In terms of shots from distance, UC San Diego converted 4 out of their 18 attempts (22.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Tritons ended up shooting 24 for 48 from the floor which had them at 50.0%. The Tritons allowed UC Riverside to make 21 out of their 57 attempts from the field which had them shooting 36.8% in this contest. They finished 28.0% from three-point range via 7 of 25 and ended up shooting 17 of 20 at the free throw line (85.0%). In relation to rebounds, UC San Diego allowed UC Riverside to collect 28 overall (10 offensive).

Bol Dengdit ended up being a major contributor for the Tritons for the game. He made 7 out of 14 for this contest for a rate of 50.0%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood, but didn't record an assist.

UC San Diego has a record of 13-4 on the year. As an offensive unit, the Tritons are connecting on 48.1% from the field, which is ranked 56th in the nation. UC San Diego has earned 1,364 points on the year (80.2 per game) and they grab 37.2 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 15.2 times per contest (128th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per game. The Tritons have committed 15.6 fouls every game and they go 70.0% from the free throw line.

The UC San Diego defense gives up 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (154 of 457) and their opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 13.4 dimes and 34.1 boards per contest, which ranks 192nd and 159th in college hoops. The Tritons defensively are ranked 123rd in the country in PPG given up with 71.2. They are able to force 11.9 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.2% from the floor (112th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UC San Diego

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