Cal Poly vs UC Santa Barbara Prediction College Basketball Picks 2/29/24

The Cal Poly Mustangs will play the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in a Big West game on Thursday night at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California. Cal Poly has lost 16 games in a row, while UC Santa Barbara has lost four of their last five. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Cal Poly vs UC Santa Barbara prediction. 

Cal Poly Preview

The Cal Poly Mustangs are 4-24 (0-16) this year after they lost to UC Riverside by a score of 84-78 in their last game. Cal Poly trailed 34-29 at halftime and allowed 50 points in the second half in the loss. The Mustangs shot 50.9% from the field and were -14 in rebounding margin in the game. Cal Poly has lost 16 games in a row and they have scored 65 points or fewer in 11 of them. The Mustangs are scoring 62.5 points per game with 32 rebounds per game and 9.6 assists per game, while allowing 73.1 points against per game this year. Kobe Sanders is averaging 18.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Cal Poly is shooting 39.7% from the field, 69.5% on free throws, and 32.3% on three pointers this season. 

UC Santa Barbara Preview

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are 14-12 (7-9) this season after they lost to UC Irvine by a score of 81-69 in their last game. UC Santa Barbara trailed 46-29 at halftime, but they did score 40 points in the second half in the loss. The Gauchos shot 42.1% from the field and were -12 in rebounding margin in the game. UC Santa Barbara defeated Hawaii by a score of 77-71 in the game prior to UC Irvine, but did lose the three games before that. The Gauchos are scoring 75.4 points per game with 35.5 rebounds per game and 13.4 assists per game, while allowing 72.5 points against per game this season. Ajay Mitchell is averaging 19.5 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game, and 3.9 assists per game. UCSB is shooting 49.2% from the field, 72.9% on free throws, and 35.7% on three pointers this year.