| MATCHUP | Long Beach State 49ers | CSU Northridge Matadors |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 7-11 | 11-8 |
| Where | Premier America Credit Union Arena, Northridge, CA | |
| When | Saturday, January 17, 2026 | |
| Time | 08:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
The Long Beach State Beach and the Cal State Northridge Matadors meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Matadome in Los Angeles. Here’s a Long Beach State vs Cal State Northridge prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Long Beach State vs CSU Northridge pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.
Long Beach State Beach Betting Preview
The Beach kicked off the season on a pretty rough run. Long Beach State managed to win just two of their first 11 games over Nobel and San Diego. After that was a much-better 4-2 run though, as the Beach took out Pepperdine, Lincoln University CA, Cal Poly and Cal State Bakersfield in that time. Across the first 17 games of the year that would give the Beach a 6-11 record overall.
In the UC Riverside game on Thursday the Beach jumped out to a 12-point lead at halftime 43-31. Long Beach State kept it going on a 45-42 advantage in the second half, powering out an 88-73 win in the end. The top team scorer was Peter Majstorovic with 22 points and five rebounds, while Gavin Sykes put up 16 points, five rebounds and two assists. Leopold Levillain added a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Cal State Northridge Matadors Betting Preview
Over on the Cal State Northridge side, they lost five of their first nine games versus Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, Idaho, Idaho State and UC Irvine. The Matadors would go 6-3 over the next nine outings with wins over Fresno State, Delaware, La Sierra, Sac State, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. In the first 18 games of the year Cal State Northridge was sitting at 10-8 overall.
Matched up against UC San Diego this week the Matadors went into the second half sporting a 39-30 edge. Cal State Northridge got outscored 49-45 the rest of the way but held on for a nice road win 84-79 in the end. Josiah Davis led the team on 23 points with seven assists and three rebounds. James Evans came in for 22 points, four rebounds and one assist in 29 minutes during the win.
Long Beach State Beach @ Cal State Northridge Matadors Betting Trends: January 17, 2026
Why the Cal State Northridge Matadors will win
- Long Beach State has lost each of its last 14 road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Cal State Northridge has won each of its last 10 games at Premier America Credit Union Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Cal State Northridge has won the first half in seven of its last eight home games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Long Beach State Beach will win
- Long Beach State has won four of its last five games.
- Cal State Northridge has lost three of its last four day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Long Beach State vs CSU Northridge Prediction
I’ll stay with the Matadors. CSU Northridge pulled off a pretty nice road win over the Tritons this week, shooting 46.9 percent from the field with a 43-29 rebounding advantage, a 46-38 edge on the boards and just seven turnovers along the way. The Matadors are now 3-1 in their last four outings, scoring 74 or more points in all four of those matchups.
As for Long Beach State, they didn’t have a ton of issues getting past a struggling UC Riverside team in a home win this week, shooting a very nice 57.9 percent from the field and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from 3-point range alongside 32 rebounds and just seven turnovers. The Beach are looking pretty good these days with a 4-1 run in the last five games. LBSU has scored 74 or more points in all four of those wins, so the total here could get pretty hefty.