Pepperdine Waves vs San Diego Toreros Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs San Diego Toreros

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Pepperdine Waves (5-12) are headed to Jenny Craig Pavilion on Thursday where they will take on the San Diego Toreros (6-10).

The Pepperdine Waves faced Pacific and took a loss by a score of 74-69 in their last contest. Pepperdine ended with a 42.1% FG percentage (24 out of 57) and knocked down 7 of 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Waves buried 14 of 15 shots for a rate of 93.3%. In relation to rebounding, they earned 22 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 12 dimes in this game as well as forcing the other team into 18 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defending, Pepperdine let their opponent shoot 52.9% from the field on 27 out of 51 shooting. Pacific distributed 14 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Pacific totaled 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Pacific finished 84.6% from the free throw line by making 11 of their 13 shots. They also made 9 of their 20 tries from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Waves finished with 12 while Pacific had 18 personal fouls.

Javon Cooley is a guy who was a major contributor in this game. He recorded 18 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He played for 33 minutes played and pulled down 7 boards. He shot 42.9% from the field and also recorded 1 assist.

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Pepperdine enters this contest with a win-loss record of 5-12 on the campaign. They are turning it over 13.4 times per game and as a team they are committing 14.9 fouls per contest. As a team, Pepperdine is grabbing 34.4 rebounds per game and has accounted for 241 assists on the year, which is 96th in the country in terms of passing. The Waves are shooting 30.5% on shots from beyond the arc (117 of 384) and 77.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 70.6 points per contest (305th in the nation) on 42.9% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Waves are able to force 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 18.0 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 322nd in Division 1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 241 surrendered for the year. The Waves defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.5% (465 of 1,022) and they surrender 33.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They give up 33.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 239th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (75.5).

The last time they took the court, the San Diego Toreros walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 98-70 against Santa Clara. In reference to team rebounding, San Diego allowed Santa Clara to snag 48 overall (19 offensive). They shot 34.1% from distance by going 14 of 41 and finished the contest at 10 of 10 from the charity stripe (100.0%). The Toreros allowed Santa Clara to make 37 out of 74 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0% for this game. When the game finished, the Toreros finished shooting 26 for 60 from the floor which had them shooting 43.3%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, San Diego converted 9 of their 24 attempts (37.5%). They were able to make 9 of those for a clip of 69.2%. Santa Clara committed 16 personal fouls for the contest which got the Toreros to the charity stripe for a total of 13 tries. They turned it over 16 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. The Toreros were able to corral 16 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 23 in this matchup.

Ty-Laur Johnson ended up having an impact for the Toreros for the game. He made 8 of 15 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.3%, and added 4 rebounds. He tallied 21 points in his 30 mins of playing time and earned 7 assists in this game.

San Diego has a record of 6-10 so far this season. The Toreros are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls per game and they connect on 76.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 15.3 times per game (133rd in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 12.8 times per contest. San Diego has totaled 1,175 points for the campaign (73.4 per game) and they snag 30.0 boards per contest. As an offensive unit, the Toreros are hitting on 43.7% from the field, which is ranked 269th in the nation.

The San Diego defense surrenders 31.7% on shots from beyond the arc (115 of 363) and their opponents are converting on 71.5% of their free throw shots. They concede 15.3 assists and 37.9 boards per game, which has them ranked 295th and 321st in the country. The Toreros defensively are ranked 298th in the nation in PPG allowed with 78.1. They are forcing 14.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.5% from the field (327th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Pepperdine

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