UC Riverside Highlanders vs CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Riverside Highlanders vs CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Riverside Highlanders (6-9) are traveling to Icardo Center on Thursday where they will go up against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (7-9).

The UC Riverside Highlanders stepped onto the hardwood against Hawaii and took a loss by a final of 88-45 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Highlanders ended up finishing with 16 while Hawaii recorded 12 personal fouls. They also made 13 out of their 27 attempts from distance. Hawaii finished 50.0% at the free throw line by burying 7 of their 14 tries. In addition, Hawaii grabbed 44 rebounds (14 offensive, 30 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Hawaii recorded 21 dimes and had 8 steals in this contest. In regard to defending, UC Riverside allowed their opponent to shoot 54.8% from the field on 34 of 62 shooting. They also distributed 4 assists in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When talking about rebounding, they collected 20 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Highlanders knocked down 10 of their 15 shots for a rate of 66.7%. UC Riverside finished the contest having earned a 32.0% FG percentage (16 of 50) and knocked down 3 out of their 16 shots from 3-point land.

Marqui Worthy is one player who came through for the game. He ended up going 27.3% from the field but wasn't able to get a dime. He saw the court for 33 mins played and also collected 3 rebounds. He totaled 14 points on 3 of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

UC Riverside comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 6-9 for the campaign. They have an average of 72.3 points per outing (287th in Division 1) while connecting on 45.3% from the floor. The Highlanders are shooting 33.8% on shots from downtown (106 of 314) and 72.5% from the free throw line. As a team, UC Riverside is snagging 34.1 boards per contest and is sitting with 192 assists on the campaign, which is 291st in college in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.5 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Highlanders are forcing 10.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.5 personal fouls. They are 227th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 211 conceded for the year. The Highlanders are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 48.3% (437 of 905) and they surrender 34.2 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 36.4% from 3-point land and they are ranked 310th in D-1 in opponents points per game (78.9).

In their last game, the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners went home victorious with a score of 81-79 against UC Davis. The Roadrunners snagged 20 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 31 for the game. They also gave up possession 9 times, while getting 9 steals in the game. UC Davis had 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Roadrunners to the free throw line for a total of 26 attempts. They were able to make 22 of them for a rate of 84.6%. In terms of three-point shots, CSU Bakersfield knocked down 7 of their 21 attempts (33.3%). In all, the Roadrunners shot 26 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 41.9%. The Roadrunners allowed UC Davis to convert 21 of 51 attempts from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 41.2% in this matchup. They finished the game shooting 40.0% from downtown by shooting 10 out of 25 and finished the game at 27 out of 36 from the free throw line (75.0%). Regarding rebounds, CSU Bakersfield permitted UC Davis to pull down 29 in total (8 on the offensive glass).

Jaden Alexander was important for the Roadrunners for this contest. He earned 35 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes in the matchup. He buried 12 out of 18 for this game for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 11 rebounds.

CSU Bakersfield has a record of 7-9 on the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Roadrunners are hitting on 42.2% from the field, which ranks 310th in the nation. CSU Bakersfield has 1,178 pts for the campaign (73.6 per game) and they snag 35.4 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 10.7 times per contest (355th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.0 times per game. The Roadrunners have committed 20.3 fouls per game and they connect on 74.5% from the charity stripe.

The Roadrunners on defense are ranked 294th in college in points allowed per game with 77.9. They are forcing 14.1 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (272nd in D-1). The CSU Bakersfield defense allows 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (113 of 343) and their opponents are connecting on 68.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.8 dimes and 37.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 214th and 303rd in those categories on the defensive end.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Riverside

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.