UC Davis Aggies vs Cal State Northridge Matadors Prediction, 1/29/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Davis Aggies vs Cal State Northridge Matadors

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Davis Aggies (12-8) are headed to Premier America Credit Union Arena on Thursday where they will play the Cal State Northridge Matadors (11-10).

The UC Davis Aggies stepped onto the hardwood against UC Riverside and earned the victory with a final of 74-66 in their last game. UC Davis finished having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (25 of 50) and knocked down 7 of their 16 shots from distance. From the charity stripe, the Aggies converted 17 of 25 tries for a rate of 68.0%. Pertaining to grabbing boards, they collected 28 with 6 of them being offensive. They also recorded 18 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 12 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Regarding the defense, UC Davis allowed the other team to go 42.1% from the floor on 24 of 57 shooting. UC Riverside doled out 11 dimes and had 5 steals for the game. Moreover, UC Riverside totaled 26 rebounds (7 offensive, 19 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. UC Riverside finished the contest at 52.6% from the charity stripe by knocking down 10 of their 19 attempts. They also converted 8 of 25 shots from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Aggies left the arena with 18 while UC Riverside recorded 23 fouls.

Nils Cooper is one player who was important in the matchup. He accounted for 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting. He played for 34 minutes and also grabbed 7 rebounds. He finished the game at 72.7% from the floor and earned 5 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

UC Davis will enter this contest with a record of 12-8 on the campaign. They lose possession via turnover 13.1 times per contest and as a team they commit 19.0 personal fouls per contest. As a team, UC Davis is pulling in 33.9 boards per contest and has accumulated 329 assists on the year, which has them ranked 70th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Aggies are hitting 36.2% on shots from beyond the arc (179 of 494) and 74.3% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 79.7 pts per game (118th in Division 1) on 46.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Aggies are forcing 14.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.4 fouls. They are 198th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 275 relinquished on the campaign. The Aggies defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.5% (505 of 1,136) and they surrender 34.5 boards per game as a unit. They are relinquishing 34.7% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 231st in the country in PPG from their opponents (75.5).

When they last played, the Cal State Northridge Matadors walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 89-68 when they faced Hawaii. In regard to how they rebounded, Cal State Northridge allowed Hawaii to snag 36 in total (10 on the offensive side). They finished 40.0% from three-point range by connecting on 12 out of 30 and finished the game at 21 out of 29 from the charity stripe (72.4%). The Matadors allowed Hawaii to make 28 of 60 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.7% for this game. In all, the Matadors ended up shooting 27 for 71 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.0%. With respect to shooting from distance, Cal State Northridge knocked down 5 out of 19 tries (26.3%). They were able to knock down 9 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 47.4%. Hawaii had 20 fouls for this contest which took the Matadors to the charity stripe for a total of 19 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while recording 10 steals in this game. The Matadors earned 25 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 35 in this contest.

Larry Hughes Jr. ended up being a factor for the Matadors in this matchup. He converted 7 out of 20 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 35.0%, and earned 2 rebounds. He racked up 19 points in his 29 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

Cal State Northridge has a record of 11-10 on the year. When it comes to offense, the Matadors are shooting 44.4% from the field, which is ranked 235th in D-1. Cal State Northridge has accounted for 1,688 pts this year (80.4 per contest) and they grab 41.8 boards per game. They are earning an assist 16.3 times per game (70th in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.5 times per game. The Matadors commit 18.6 fouls every game while shooting 66.3% from the charity stripe.

The Matadors on defense are ranked 323rd in D-1 in PPG given up with 80.1. They have forced 12.5 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.7% from the floor (127th in D-1). The Cal State Northridge defense concedes 34.0% from downtown (214 of 630) and opponents are converting on 76.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 15.0 assists and 35.3 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 294th and 229th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Cal State Northridge

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.