Hawaii Warriors vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Hawaii Warriors vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Hawaii Warriors (12-3) are headed to The Thunderdome on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (9-7).

The Hawaii Warriors stepped onto the hardwood against UC Irvine and took home the win by a score of 67-66 in their last contest. Hawaii ended the contest with a 40.6% FG percentage (26 out of 64) and knocked down 6 out of their 24 shots from distance. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Warriors knocked down 9 of 13 attempts for a rate of 69.2%. In relation to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 29 with 9 of them being offensive. They also doled out 15 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and getting 7 steals. Concerning defense, Hawaii allowed 38.8% from the floor on 26 of 67 shooting. UC Irvine dished out 6 assists and had 9 steals for this game. Additionally, UC Irvine pulled down 40 boards (14 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. UC Irvine ended up going 80.0% from the free throw line by burying 12 of their 15 attempts. They knocked down 2 out of their 8 attempts from downtown. When it comes to fouls, the Warriors walked away with 15 and UC Irvine finished the game with 15 fouls.

Isaac Johnson is one player who came through for the matchup. He ended up going 50.0% from the field and earned 1 assist. He saw the court for 13 mins and totaled 5 rebounds. He ended up scoring 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting.

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Hawaii will enter this matchup with a record of 12-3 for the year. They are averaging 79.5 points per outing (127th in D-1) on 46.8% from the field. The Warriors are connecting on 31.8% on shots from beyond the arc (109 of 343) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a team, Hawaii is pulling down 40.4 rebounds per game and has racked up 226 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 265th in college in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.2 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 17.0 fouls every game.

On defense, the Warriors have forced 11.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 21.6 fouls. They give up 27.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 9th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (63.4). The Warriors defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 38.3% (341 of 891) and they concede 31.5 boards per game as a group. They currently rank 1st in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 129 conceded for the year.

The last time they took the court, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 93-86 when they faced UC Davis. In reference to attacking the glass, UC Santa Barbara allowed UC Davis to pull down 32 in all (7 offensive). They finished 40.6% from three-point range by connecting on 13 of 32 and ended up going 20 of 24 at the free throw line (83.3%). The Gauchos allowed UC Davis to knock down 30 of their 58 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 51.7% for the matchup. When all was said and done, the Gauchos went 29 out of 53 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.7%. In regard to shots from distance, UC Santa Barbara knocked down 12 of their 24 tries (50.0%). They were able to knock down 16 of those for a rate of 64.0%. UC Davis committed 20 fouls for this contest which got the Gauchos to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while getting 4 steals for this game. The Gauchos were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 24 in the game.

Miro Little was important for the Gauchos for the game. He totaled 20 points in his 24 mins on the court and had 5 dimes in this matchup. He made 7 of 10 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and accounted for 4 rebounds.

UC Santa Barbara has a mark of 9-7 for the year. As an offense, the Gauchos are hitting on 47.2% from the field, which is 94th in college hoops. UC Santa Barbara has accumulated 1,267 pts for the year (79.2 per contest) and they average 35.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.1 times per contest (135th in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 13.1 times per game. The Gauchos are committing 19.3 personal fouls every game and they hit 76.0% from the free throw line.

The UC Santa Barbara defense concedes 36.5% on shots from 3-point land (118 of 323) and their opponents are knocking down 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 13.3 assists and 29.9 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 180th and 12th in college hoops. The Gauchos defensively are ranked 212th in the country in points per game surrendered with 74.5. They have forced 12.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.1% from the field (324th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Hawaii

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