Denver Pioneers vs UC Riverside Highlanders Prediction, 11/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Denver Pioneers vs UC Riverside Highlanders

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026

Location: SRC Arena in Riverside, CA

TV: ESPN+

SRC Arena is the site where the UC Riverside Highlanders (1-0) will attempt to defeat the Denver Pioneers (0-1) on Saturday.

The Denver Pioneers faced Wisconsin and went home with a loss by a final score of 75-68 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Pioneers walked away with 19 and Wisconsin accounted for 16 fouls. They also converted 6 of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. Wisconsin ended up shooting 38.9% when shooting free throws by burying 7 of their 18 tries. Furthermore, Wisconsin snagged 35 boards (13 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Wisconsin recorded 20 assists and had 8 steals in this game. With respect to defense, Denver allowed 46.3% from the field on 31 out of 67 shooting. They also distributed 7 dimes in this contest while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and getting 9 steals. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 28 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Pioneers converted 18 of 21 attempts for a percentage of 85.7%. Denver finished the game having earned a 44.2% field goal percentage (23 out of 52) and knocked down 4 of 19 3-point attempts.

Carson Johnson is a guy who was a contributor in this game. He finished the game at 52.9% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. He played for 36 minutes played and grabbed 2 rebounds. He finished with 27 points on 9 out of 17 shooting.

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Denver comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 0-1 for the year. They average 68.0 points per contest (270th in the nation) while shooting 44.2% from the field. The Pioneers are hitting 21.1% on 3-pointers (4 of 19) and 85.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Denver is grabbing 32.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 7 assists for the year, which ranks 350th in the country in terms of passing. They turn it over 16.0 times per game and as a group they are committing 19.0 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Pioneers have forced 10.0 turnovers every game while drawing 16.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 23.1% on 3-point shots while they are 229th in college hoops in opponents PPG (75.0). The Pioneers defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 46.3% (31 of 67) and they surrender 36.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They rank 249th in college hoops in giving up assists with 20 conceded on the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the UC Riverside Highlanders went home victorious with a score of 110-47 when they faced La Verne. The Highlanders were able to pull down 34 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 49 for the contest. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while earning 11 steals in the game. La Verne committed 23 personal fouls in this contest which took the Highlanders to the free throw line for 30 attempts. They were able to bury 13 of them for a rate of 43.3%. When discussing three-point attempts, UC Riverside made 13 of 29 tries (44.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Highlanders finished shooting 42 for 73 from the floor which had them shooting 57.5%. The Highlanders permitted La Verne to bury 15 of 57 tries from the field which had them shooting 26.3% in the matchup. They finished 27.8% from downtown by shooting 5 of 18 and ended up going 12 of 19 at the free throw line (63.2%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, UC Riverside allowed La Verne to get 33 in all (9 offensive).

Tony Duckett pitched in for the Highlanders in the game. He knocked down 8 of 10 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 80.0%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He racked up 21 points in his 23 minutes on the hardwood and added 4 assists in the matchup.

UC Riverside has a win-loss record of 1-0 on the season. The Highlanders are committing 15.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 43.3% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 23.0 times per game (44th in college) and they turn the ball over 7.0 times per contest. UC Riverside has scored 110 points so far this year and they average 51.0 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Highlanders are shooting 57.5% from the floor, which ranks 26th in Division 1.

The UC Riverside defense gives up 27.8% on shots from distance (5 of 18) and opponents are knocking down 63.2% of their foul shots. They have allowed 6.0 assists and 38.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 23rd and 255th in those categories. The Highlanders are ranked 22nd in college in PPG given up with 47.0. They have forced 23.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 26.3% from the field (11th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UC Riverside

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