CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners vs UC Riverside Highlanders Prediction, 2/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners vs UC Riverside Highlanders

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026

Location: SRC Arena in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

SRC Arena is where the UC Riverside Highlanders (8-19) will take on the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (8-18) on Thursday.

The CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners faced Hawaii and ended up losing by a score of 89-74 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Roadrunners ended up finishing with 18 while Hawaii totaled 16 personal fouls. They also knocked down 8 out of their 21 shots from beyond the arc. Hawaii finished the game at 78.1% at the free throw line by burying 25 of their 32 shots. In addition, Hawaii totaled 36 boards (10 offensive, 26 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Hawaii doled out 19 assists and had 6 steals for this game. In relation to the defense, CSU Bakersfield let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the field on 28 of 56 shooting. They also distributed 5 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and earning 11 steals. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they collected 27 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. At the charity stripe, the Roadrunners buried 15 of 20 shots for a rate of 75.0%. CSU Bakersfield finished the contest having earned a 47.5% field goal percentage (29 out of 61) and made 1 of their 12 shots from distance.

AJ George is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the field and dished out 3 assists. He saw the court for 34 minutes played and also snagged 3 rebounds. He ended up with 23 points on 10 of 15 shooting.

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CSU Bakersfield comes into this contest with a mark of 8-18 on the season. They are averaging 72.1 points per contest (276th in college) while hitting 41.9% from the floor. The Roadrunners are shooting 29.6% on three-point attempts (128 of 433) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. As a team, CSU Bakersfield is pulling in 35.2 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 281 assists this year, which is 352nd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 13.9 times per game and as a team they are committing 20.4 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Roadrunners are forcing 13.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.9 personal fouls. They give up 34.1% on shots from downtown while they are 333rd in college in PPG allowed (80.1). The Roadrunners are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.6% (700 of 1,534) and they surrender 37.7 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are 265th in the country in giving up assists with 377 surrendered on the campaign.

In their last game, the UC Riverside Highlanders took a loss by a final score of 72-66 when they played UC-San Diego. Regarding rebounding, UC Riverside permitted UC-San Diego to pull down 37 overall (8 on the offensive glass). They shot 20.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 5 of 25 and ended up going 15 out of 20 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Highlanders allowed UC-San Diego to bury 26 of their 61 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.6% for this contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Highlanders ended up shooting 22 out of 59 from the field which had them at 37.3%. When it comes to shooting from downtown, UC Riverside made 8 out of 28 attempts (28.6%). They were able to knock down 14 of them for a clip of 87.5%. UC-San Diego committed 16 fouls in this matchup which took the Highlanders to the charity stripe for a total of 16 attempts. They turned the ball over 10 times, while earning 4 steals for the contest. The Highlanders snagged 29 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 36 in this game.

Andrew Henderson ended up being a factor for the Highlanders in this contest. He had 21 points in his 33 mins on the court and added 1 assist for this game. He converted 7 out of 15 in the game for a field goal rate of 46.7%, and accounted for 5 rebounds.

UC Riverside has a mark of 8-19 so far this season. The Highlanders have committed 18.7 fouls every game and they shoot 72.9% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.6 times per game (285th in the nation) and they turn it over 13.5 times per contest. UC Riverside has accounted for 1,940 pts for the campaign (71.9 per game) and they collect 34.3 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Highlanders are connecting on 43.6% from the floor, which is 278th in D-1.

The UC Riverside defense concedes 35.0% on 3-point shots (180 of 515) and their opponents are connecting on 68.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 14.0 assists and 35.3 rebounds per game, which ranks them 237th and 235th in those categories on the defensive end. The Highlanders on the defensive side of the court are 290th in the country in PPG allowed with 77.9. They are forcing their opponents into 11.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.7% from the floor (340th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take CSU Bakersfield

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