Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield open the Big West Conference Tournament bracket Tuesday night. Neither team has the best odds of coming out on top of it all. Far from it, actually, as both are tied with Cal Poly as the NCAA basketball teams with the worst chance (+13000).
This is the second year in a row that these teams are facing off in the opening round of the league tournament. Neither finished very high in the college basketball standings. Let’s jump in and break this clash down before making our Cal State Bakersfield vs Cal State Northridge prediction.
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Bakersfield Information
Cal State Northridge vs Cal State Bakersfield
Location: Dollar Loan Center, Henderson, NV.
Date and Time: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 9:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: ESPN+
Recent Scores
In their regular-season finale last Thursday, the Matadors of Cal State Northridge (7-24) bowed to Hawaii, 81-55. The two teams were knotted up at 33 at the midway point, but a Rainbow Warriors surge in the second half ended up being the decider. Atin Wright returned after missing the previous game with an injury, scoring 26 points in 27 minutes on the court as a reserve.
The Roadrunners are aiming to rebound from a loss, as well. Actually, five of them in a row.
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Bakersfield Analysis
Cal State Bakersfield (10-21) narrowly leads the teams’ all-time series, having won 26 of their 51 meetings. They played twice during this past regular-season schedule, with both successfully defending their home court. Wright paced the Matadors with 28 points the last time they crossed paths, on February 23.
Wright ranks fourth in the Big West in scoring with 17.0 points per contest. He became the 23rd player in school lore to surpass 1,000 points. His average scoring is the most in any season of his career, along with his rebounds per game (3.2), field goal percentage (.404), and three-point percentage (33.9%).
The Matadors are missing point guard Dionte Bostick, a transfer from Murray State who was putting up 12.4 points per game and 3.6 boards. He started the squad’s initial 21 outings and bucketed at least 10 points in 13 of them. De’Sean Allen-Eikens has posted 10.9 points this go-round.
Cal State Bakersfield’s lack of scoring depth highlighted by Kaleb Higgins’ injury
The Roadrunners braved the majority of their NCAAB schedule without one of their best college basketball players, leading scorer Kaleb Higgins, who was good for 13.1 points per game. With him on the college basketball injury report, Antavion Collum was forced to step up and grow into a bigger role, closing out the schedule with 12.8 points per game. No other Cal State Bakersfield player goes for double-digits.
They lead the conference in free throw percentage (76.2%) and are third in scoring defense (64.9).
Cal State Northridge has lost six straight games in the tournament, with their last win coming in 2014 against Long Beach State. Cal State Bakersfield made it to the quarterfinals a year ago before being bounced by top-seeded Long Beach State.
Let’s take a quick look at the NCAAB odds today, then make our best Cal State Bakersfield vs Cal State Northridge prediction. It’s one of the more indecisive NCAA basketball games today.
Odds Breakdown
Cal State Northridge
Moneyline: The Matadors are -110.
Spread: Cal State Northridge is +0.5 on the college basketball point spread. They have -110 odds.
Over/Under: The total is 121.5 points, with the over being listed at -115 and the under at -105.
Cal State Bakersfield
Moneyline: The Roadrunners are also -110 on the money line.
Spread: They’re -110 to cover, as well.
Over/Under: See above.
Cal State Northridge vs. Cal State Bakersfield Betting Pick and Prediction
Cal State Bakersfield may be cold at the moment, but a solid defense goes a long way. Combine that with the fact that they don’t squander chances at the charity stripe, and they make for an enticing pick. However, their lack of unsteadiness is worrisome.
Let’s just say neither has high odds to win March Madness.
Our NCAAB picks, and Cal State Bakersfield vs Cal State Northridge prediction follow:
- Pick 1: Cal State Bakersfield spread (-110)
- Pick 2: Under (-105)
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