Cal Irvine vs UC Riverside Prediction 1/22/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

Nikos Lagouretos

4 hours ago

UC Irvine guard Ofure Ujadughele hauls in a rebound as the Oregon Ducks take on UC Irvine in their NIT opener Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore.

Ncaa Basketball Oregon Men S Basketball Nit Opener Uc Irvine At Oregon

MATCHUP	Cal Irvine Anteaters	UC Riverside Highlanders
Team Records	12-7	7-12
Spread	-8.5 -118	+8.5 -102
Moneyline	-440	+340
Total	Over 142.5 (-105)	Under 142.5 (-115)
Where	SRC Arena, Riverside, CA
When	Thursday, January 22, 2026
Time	10:00 PM EST
TV	ESPN+

In this article, we will formulate a UC Irvine vs UC Riverside Prediction for this College Basketball game on Thursday, January 22nd. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this College Basketball matchup.

UC Riverside Highlanders Preview

UC Riverside Highlanders have a 7-12 record this season and are in 10th place of the Big West. They have a 2-5 conference record and are coming off an 81-72 home win against Cal State Fullerton. Their previous three games were an 88-73 away loss against Long Beach State, a 69-66 home loss against UC San Diego and a 67-66 away loss against Cal State Bakersfield.

Offensively, UC Riverside averages 72.1 points per game, while allowing 77.8 points per game defensively. The Highlanders shoot with 44.6% from the field and grab 34.1 rebounds per game, while dishing out 12.5 assists per game. They average 3.9 blocks per game and 4.9 steals per game defensively.

Andrew Henderson leads UC Riverside in scoring, with an average of 16.7 points per game, while shooting with 42.1% from the field and 77% from the free throw line. Osiris Grady is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.8 per game. Marqui Worthy leads the team in assists with 2.8 per game.

UC Irvine Anteaters Preview

UC Irvine Anteaters have a 12-7 record this season and are tied in the 2nd place of the Big West. They have a 5-2 conference record and are coming off a 75-72 away loss against UC Davis. Their previous three games were a 67-66 away loss against Hawai’i, a 74-64 home win against Long Beach State and an 86-64 away win against Cal State Fullerton.

Offensively, UC Irvine averages 77.6 points per game, while allowing 67.2 points per game defensively. The Anteaters shoot with 47% from the field and grab 40.1 rebounds per game, while dishing out 16.3 assists per game. They average 6.3 blocks per game and 7.1 steals per game defensively.

Jurian Dixon leads UC Irvine in scoring, with an average of 15.8 points per game, while shooting with 44.5% from the field and 81.4% from the free throw line. Kyle Evans is the team’s leading rebounder with 8.2 per game. Derin Saran leads the team in assists with 4 per game.

UC Irvine Anteaters @ UC Riverside Highlanders Betting Trends: January 22, 2026

Why the UC Riverside Highlanders will win

UC Riverside has won each of its last seven night games at Student Recreation Center Arena.
UC Riverside has won the first half in each of its last four night games at Student Recreation Center Arena.

Why the UC Irvine Anteaters will win

UC Irvine has won 23 of its last 24 night games against UC Riverside.
UC Riverside has lost each of its last four night games against Conference opponents.
UC Irvine has won the first half in 18 of its last 19 Thursday games against Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

Ten of the last 12 night games between UC Irvine and UC Riverside have produced a total of 140 or fewer points.
Four of UC Irvine’s last five night games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 138 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

UC Riverside ranks 20th among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game this season (19.1).
UC Riverside ranks 34th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (68.2%).
UC Irvine ranks T3rd among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (6.3).
UC Irvine ranks 5th among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (37.9%).

UC Irvine vs UC Riverside Prediction

In this UC Irvine vs UC Riverside Prediction, UC Irvine is coming as -9 road favorites. UC Irvine has been the better team this season with a better overall record and both teams have almost identical home/away splits. UC Irvine has back-to-back losses following a five-game winning streak and are 5-2 against the spread in their last 7. On the flip side, Riverside is 1-6 in its last 7 games and 3-3 against the spread and have been weaker than Irvine both on the offensive and the defensive end. The value here lies with the road favorite, so take UC Irvine and lay the points.