UC Riverside Highlanders vs UC San Diego Tritons Prediction, 2/14/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Riverside Highlanders vs UC San Diego Tritons

Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026

Location: LionTree Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: ESPN+

LionTree Arena is the location where the UC San Diego Tritons (16-9) will attempt to defeat the UC Riverside Highlanders (8-17) on Saturday.

The UC Riverside Highlanders faced Cal State Northridge and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-74 in their last contest. UC Riverside ended the contest having earned a 37.7% field goal percentage (26 of 69) and made 10 of 38 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Highlanders converted 12 of their 13 shots for a percentage of 92.3%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they earned 36 with 14 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 11 assists in this matchup as well as forcing 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. When discussing defending, UC Riverside allowed the other team to shoot 58.3% from the floor on 35 out of 60 shooting. Cal State Northridge distributed 23 assists and had 6 steals for this game. Moreover, Cal State Northridge pulled down 30 rebounds (5 offensive, 25 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Cal State Northridge finished shooting 45.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 10 of their 22 attempts. They converted 8 out of their 13 tries from beyond the perimeter. In relation to fouls, the Highlanders ended up finishing with 21 and Cal State Northridge totaled 13 fouls.

Marqui Worthy is one guy who was a contributor for this contest. He finished shooting 48.0% from the field and also recorded 1 assist. He played for 38 minutes played and also totaled 4 rebounds. He accounted for 36 points on 12 of 25 shooting.

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UC Riverside heads into this one with a record of 8-17 this year. They have an average of 72.2 points per game (275th in Division 1) while hitting 43.5% from the field. The Highlanders are shooting 32.2% on three-point shots (181 of 562) and 72.7% from the free throw line. As a team, UC Riverside is pulling in 34.6 rebounds per contest and has tallied 313 assists so far this year, which is 273rd in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 13.4 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 18.8 fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Highlanders are able to force 11.1 turnovers every game while drawing 16.9 fouls. They give up 35.3% from 3-point land and they are ranked 292nd in the nation in PPG allowed (78.2). The Highlanders defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 47.9% (707 of 1,476) and they surrender 35.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They are ranked 233rd in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 345 conceded this year.

The last time they took the court, the UC San Diego Tritons walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 72-67 against Hawaii. Concerning rebounding, UC San Diego allowed Hawaii to pull down 44 in total (10 offensive). They shot 19.2% from beyond the arc by shooting 5 out of 26 and ended up going 15 out of 23 from the free throw line (65.2%). The Tritons allowed Hawaii to make 26 of their 60 tries from the field which had them shooting 43.3% for the matchup. In all, the Tritons shot 25 out of 59 from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.4%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, UC San Diego knocked down 7 out of their 26 attempts (26.9%). They were able to bury 10 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 55.6%. Hawaii committed 17 fouls for this game which took the Tritons to the charity stripe for a total of 18 attempts. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while getting 9 steals in this game. The Tritons were able to collect 24 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 for the matchup.

Tom Beattie ended up being a major contributor for the Tritons in the game. He made 5 out of 8 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and had 1 rebound. He recorded 14 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 3 assists for the game.

UC San Diego has a mark of 16-9 so far this season. The Tritons are responsible for committing 16.2 personal fouls every game and they hit 68.5% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.6 times per game (147th in D-1) and they turn it over 11.2 times per game. UC San Diego has scored 1,921 pts for the season (76.8 per contest) and they average 37.2 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Tritons are shooting 45.7% from the floor, which is 153rd in college.

The Tritons on the defensive side of the court are 110th in college in points allowed per game with 71.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.8% from the field (68th in the nation). The UC San Diego defense gives up 33.2% on three-point shots (211 of 636) and their opposition makes 70.3% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 13.6 dimes and 36.0 boards per contest, which is 198th and 272nd in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UC Riverside

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