UC Irvine Anteaters vs Cal State Northridge Matadors Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Irvine Anteaters vs Cal State Northridge Matadors

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: Premier America Credit Union Arena in Northridge, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Irvine Anteaters (18-10) are on their way to Premier America Credit Union Arena on Thursday where they will try to defeat the Cal State Northridge Matadors (18-10).

The UC Irvine Anteaters faced off with UC-San Diego and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-69 in their last contest. UC Irvine ended the contest with a 41.8% field goal percentage (28 out of 67) and made 8 out of their 18 3-pointers. At the charity stripe, the Anteaters buried 5 of 7 shots for a rate of 71.4%. In regard to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 35 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 18 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In reference to defending, UC Irvine let their opponent shoot 44.1% from the field on 26 of 59 shooting. UC-San Diego doled out 19 dimes and had 6 steals in this contest. Additionally, UC-San Diego grabbed 30 boards (10 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't have a block. UC-San Diego went 81.8% at the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 11 shots. They also converted 10 of their 25 attempts from long range. When it comes to fouls, the Anteaters walked away with 14 while UC-San Diego recorded 10 fouls.

Jurian Dixon is one guy who was a major factor in the game. He ended up scoring 22 points on 9 out of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 34 minutes and also grabbed 3 rebounds. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the floor and totaled 4 assists.

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UC Irvine will play this game with a mark of 18-10 for the year. They currently have an average of 77.0 pts per contest (152nd in college) while connecting on 46.3% from the floor. The Anteaters are shooting 33.9% on shots from 3-point land (163 of 481) and 68.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, UC Irvine is snagging 40.4 rebounds per game and has accumulated 453 dimes on the season, which is 58th in D-1 in terms of passing. They cough up possession 12.7 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.1 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Anteaters are forcing their opponents into 13.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are currently ranked 128th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 357 relinquished for the year. The Anteaters defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 37.8% (668 of 1,767) and they relinquish 37.2 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are conceding 33.0% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 38th in college hoops in points per game allowed (67.8).

For their last game, the Cal State Northridge Matadors walked away with a victory by a final of 78-76 against Long Beach State. In regard to how they rebounded, Cal State Northridge allowed Long Beach State to get 31 in all (7 offensive). They finished shooting 46.2% from 3-point land by shooting 12 of 26 and ended up shooting 14 of 19 at the charity stripe (73.7%). The Matadors permitted Long Beach State to knock down 25 of 58 attempts from the field which left them shooting 43.1% for the contest. When the final whistle was blown, the Matadors went 33 for 69 from the floor which had them shooting 47.8%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, Cal State Northridge buried 3 out of their 10 attempts (30.0%). They were able to bury 9 of those for a rate of 50.0%. Long Beach State earned 22 personal fouls for this game which took the Matadors to the charity stripe for a total of 18 shots. They turned it over 9 times, while getting 7 steals in this contest. The Matadors corralled 23 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 32 in this matchup.

Josiah Davis ended up being important for the Matadors for the game. He made 8 out of 15 for this contest for a field goal rate of 53.3%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 35 mins of playing time and accounted for 9 dimes in the game.

Cal State Northridge has a record of 18-10 for the season. The Matadors are responsible for committing 18.5 fouls every game while shooting 65.3% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 17.3 times per contest (29th in the nation) and they cough up possession 13.0 times per game. Cal State Northridge has totaled 2,295 points this season (82.0 per contest) and they collect 41.7 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Matadors are shooting 45.7% from the floor, which ranks 153rd in the nation.

The Cal State Northridge defense surrenders 34.0% on 3-point attempts (291 of 856) and their opposition knocks down 75.6% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 14.9 dimes and 35.9 rebounds per game, which ranks them 292nd and 275th in college. The Matadors on the defensive side of the court are 315th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 79.0. They are able to force 12.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 41.9% from the floor (65th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cal State Northridge

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