CSU Northridge vs Stanford Prediction 3/18/25 College Basketball Picks

The CSU-Northridge Matadors and the Stanford Cardinal meet Tuesday in college basketball action from the Maples Pavilion. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a CSU-Northridge vs. Stanford prediction.

Matchup History

Stanford won the most recent meeting between these two teams by a final score of 88-79 at home back on November 6th, 2023. The win made Stanford 4-0 straight up in the four head-to-head meetings going back to 2008.

CSU-Northridge Recap

The CSU-Northridge Matadors come into the NIT on behalf of the Big West, finishing the year with an overall record of 22-10 on the year, including a 14-6 mark in Big West conference play. As the 4-seed, the Matadors’ stay in the Big West tournament was short-lived, as CSUN fell to UC-Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals.

Matadors Making NIT Debut

Marcus Adams Jr. leads the Matadors in scoring with 16.1 PPG along with 4.9 RPG while Scotty Washington has 14.5 PPG with 3.2 RPG. Keonte Jones has 13 PPG with team-highs of 9.2 RPG and 4.2 APG to lead the Matadors in rebounding and assists and to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for CSU-Northridge up to this point in the year. PJ Fuller II also has 9.4 PPG with 2.7 RPG and 3.1 APG while Mahmoud Fofana has 8.2 PPG with 5.1 RPG as well on the year. As a team, CSU-Northridge is averaging 80.6 PPG on 46.8% shooting from the field, 34.8% from behind the three-point line and 72.9% from the foul line so far this season.

Why the Cal State Northridge Matadors will win

• Cal State Northridge has won four of its last five road games.
• Stanford has lost three of its last four games.

Stanford Recap

The Stanford Cardinal come into the NIT representing the ACC, finishing the year with an overall record of 20-13 including an 11-9 mark in ACC conference play. As the 7-seed in the ACC tournament, Stanford took out Cal before falling to Louisville in the quarterfinals.

Stanford Appearing In First NIT Since 2018

Maxime Reynaud leads the Cardinal in scoring and rebounding, averaging a double-double per game with 20.1 PPG and 10.6 RPG while Jaylen Blakes has 12.9 PPG with 2.9 RPG and a team-high 4.7 APG to lead the Cardinal in the assist department. Oziyah Sellers has 13.6 PPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Stanford up to this point in the year. Ryan Agarwal’s also added 7.5 PPG with 4.9 RPG and 2.2 APG as well on the year. As a team, Stanford is averaging 73 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field, 34.1% from three and 78.8% from the foul line this season.

Why the Stanford Cardinal will win

• Stanford has won 11 of its last 12 games at Maples Pavilion.
• Cal State Northridge has lost each of its last three night games.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Stanford’s last 17 games against non-AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 153 or fewer points.
• Each of Cal State Northridge’s last eight Tuesday games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 153 or fewer points.

CSU-Northridge vs. Stanford Prediction

I’m on Stanford here. CSU-Northridge was one of the better Big West teams this season (not the best with UC-Irvine and UC-San Diego at the head of the pack), but the problem is that the Matadors struggled to make the step up in competition. Stanford is the better team, and Max Reynaud is a cheat code and I just envision CSU-Northridge not really having an answer for him here. I’ll lay the points with Stanford in what I envision as a double-digit win.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Stanford -6.5