California Baptist Lancers vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Prediction, 3/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Baptist Lancers vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location: America First Events Center in Cedar City, UT

TV: ESPN+

America First Events Center is where the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (10-19) will try to defeat the California Baptist Lancers (21-8) on Saturday.

The California Baptist Lancers stepped onto the hardwood against Tarleton State and took home the win by a score of 82-67 in their last game. California Baptist ended with a 42.4% field goal percentage (25 out of 59) and converted 8 of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Lancers buried 24 of 29 attempts for a rate of 82.8%. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 29 with 14 of them being offensive. They also dished out 8 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 17 turnovers and having 5 steals. In regard to the defense, California Baptist let their opponent shoot 40.4% from the field on 23 out of 57 shooting. Tarleton State distributed 10 dimes and had 5 steals in the matchup. Furthermore, Tarleton State had 33 rebounds (16 offensive, 17 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Tarleton State shot 78.3% from the charity stripe by making 18 of 23 attempts. They also converted 3 of 8 attempts from three-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Lancers walked away with 21 while Tarleton State racked up 19 fouls.

Dominique Daniels Jr. is someone who played a role in this game. He scored 23 points on 7 out of 19 shooting. He played 37 minutes played and collected 2 rebounds. He shot 36.8% from the field and also dished out 4 assists.

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California Baptist heads into this one with a win-loss record of 21-8 on the campaign. They turn it over 12.3 times per game and as a team are committing 18.7 fouls every game. As a unit, California Baptist is snagging 40.4 boards per contest and has accounted for 298 assists on the campaign, which is 363rd in college in terms of passing. The Lancers are hitting 32.6% on shots from beyond the arc (181 of 555) and 72.3% from the charity stripe. They average 72.1 points per game (273rd in the country) while hitting 42.3% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Lancers are able to force 11.3 turnovers per game and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They give up 29.8% on shots from downtown and they are 42nd in the country in points per game allowed (68.1). The Lancers are giving up a FG percentage of 41.5% (690 of 1,662) and they concede 33.0 boards per game as a squad. They currently rank 13th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 319 surrendered on the campaign.

For their last game, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds got the victory with a final of 81-67 when they faced Utah Tech. The Thunderbirds corralled 24 defensive boards and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 38 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while earning 7 steals for this contest. Utah Tech committed 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Thunderbirds to the charity stripe for 23 tries. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throw tries for a rate of 69.6%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, Southern Utah made 7 of their 24 tries (29.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Thunderbirds finished the game shooting 29 for 61 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.5%. The Thunderbirds permitted Utah Tech to convert 24 of their 54 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 44.4% for the contest. They finished 50.0% from distance by connecting on 9 of 18 and ended up going 10 out of 12 from the free throw line (83.3%). In regard to how they rebounded, Southern Utah allowed Utah Tech to get 24 overall (4 on the offensive side).

Tanner Hayhurst was important for the Thunderbirds for the contest. He converted 8 of 11 in this contest giving him a rate of 72.7%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood, but wasn't able to notch an assist.

Southern Utah has a win-loss record of 10-19 for the campaign. The Thunderbirds have committed 16.3 fouls per game and they go 72.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.0 times per game (166th in D-1) and they turn it over 14.3 times per game. Southern Utah has accounted for 2,216 pts so far this season (76.4 per game) and they grab 36.3 rebounds per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Thunderbirds are connecting on 45.9% from the floor, which ranks them 145th in Division 1.

The Southern Utah defense allows 36.8% on three-point shots (200 of 544) and their opponents are converting on 71.0% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.3 assists and 35.7 rebounds per game, which is ranked 182nd and 264th in college hoops. The Thunderbirds on the defensive side of the court are 320th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 79.3. They have forced 11.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.3% from the field (298th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Southern Utah

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