UC Riverside Highlanders vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Prediction, 2/26/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Riverside Highlanders vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026

Location: The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (17-11) will play the UC Riverside Highlanders (9-20) at The Thunderdome on Thursday.

The UC Riverside Highlanders took the court against UC Davis and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 78-73 in their last game. UC Riverside finished the game with a 38.2% FG percentage (21 of 55) and converted 7 of their 24 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Highlanders buried 24 of their 32 shots for a rate of 75.0%. In terms of getting rebounds, they earned 33 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 11 assists for the matchup in addition to forcing 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In reference to defending, UC Riverside allowed 41.5% from the floor on 22 of 53 shooting. UC Davis earned 13 dimes and had 6 steals in the game. On top of that, UC Davis collected 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UC Davis finished the game shooting 76.9% from the free throw line by burying 30 of their 39 tries. They made 4 out of their 19 attempts from distance. When talking about fouls, the Highlanders left the arena with 27 while UC Davis totaled 23 fouls.

Andrew Henderson is a player who was a major factor in this matchup. He finished the contest at 37.5% from the floor and earned 4 assists. He saw the court for 27 minutes and snagged 4 boards. He left the arena with 22 points on 6 of 16 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

UC Riverside comes into this one with a mark of 9-20 for the year. They average 72.6 points per game (264th in D-1) while hitting 43.6% from the field. The Highlanders are connecting on 32.9% on shots from distance (215 of 653) and 73.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, UC Riverside is pulling down 34.9 rebounds per game and has accumulated 369 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 240th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.5 times per game and as a team they commit 19.1 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Highlanders are forcing their opponents into 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 267th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 403 relinquished on the season. The Highlanders defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.9% (801 of 1,707) and they relinquish 35.2 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 34.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 279th in the nation in points per game allowed (77.4).

In their last game, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos took a loss by a final score of 78-75 when they played Hawaii. The Gauchos recorded 28 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 35 in this matchup. They also gave up possession 12 times, while recording 4 steals for this game. Hawaii had 19 fouls in this game which got the Gauchos to the charity stripe for 23 attempts. They were able to make 18 of those for a clip of 78.3%. Concerning shots from beyond the arc, UC Santa Barbara knocked down 7 of 20 tries (35.0%). Overall, the Gauchos shot 25 for 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 43.1%. The Gauchos permitted Hawaii to convert 25 of their 58 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 43.1% for the matchup. They finished shooting 27.8% from behind the 3-point line via 5 of 18 and ended up shooting 23 out of 34 from the charity stripe (67.6%). In reference to rebounding, UC Santa Barbara permitted Hawaii to pull down 31 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Colin Smith ended up being a major contributor for the Gauchos for the game. He knocked down 5 of 8 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and accounted for 8 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 40 mins on the court, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes.

UC Santa Barbara has a win-loss mark of 17-11 this season. The Gauchos are committing 18.7 personal fouls per game and they go 76.2% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 14.8 times per contest (127th in the country) and they turn it over 12.5 times per game. UC Santa Barbara has earned 2,217 pts for the season (79.2 per contest) and they average 35.0 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Gauchos are shooting 47.3% from the floor, which is ranked 62nd in Division 1.

The UC Santa Barbara defense allows 35.4% on three-point shots (196 of 554) and opponents are converting on 72.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 12.6 dimes and 30.1 boards every game, which has them ranked 113th and 13th in the country. The Gauchos on the defensive side of the court are 181st in college hoops in PPG given up with 73.6. They are forcing their opponents into 12.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 46.6% from the field (307th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink'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.