Cal State-Northridge (10-4) vs UC Davis (8-6)
Game Info: Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 6:00 pm (Premier America Credit Union Arena)
The Line: Betting Odds: Cal State-Northridge -7.5 / UC Davis +7.5 — Over/Under:
The UC Davis Aggies and the Cal State Northridge Matadors meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Matadome. Here’s a UC Davis vs Cal State Northridge prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UC Davis vs Cal State Northridge pick. We will examine:
The UC Davis Aggies’ recent form and player performance
The Cal State Northridge Matadors’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UC Davis Aggies
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cal State Northridge Matadors
Recent betting trends in games played between UC Davis and Cal State Northridge
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the UC Davis vs Cal State Northridge game
UC Davis Aggies Betting Preview
The Aggies had a pretty uneven start to the 2024-25 season, going 3-4 over their first seven games. UC Davis had wins over Idaho, Menlo, and Grand Canyon during that time. Otherwise, it was losses to Washington, Stanford, Norfolk State, and Oregon State. A winning streak came after that, featuring victories over Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, Sacramento State, and Idaho in that time. Since then it’s been another uneven 1-2 run. The lone win was over Cal Maritime, flanked by losses to Pepperdine and Cal State Bakersfield for an 8-6 overall run so far.
In the Cal State Bakersfield game on Thursday, the Aggies came out of halftime sporting a 30-27 deficit. UC Davis was outscored 45-37 the rest of the way, resulting in a 75-64 defeat. Leading the team in scoring was TY Johnson with his 26 points, eight boards, and two assists. Connor Sevilla was the only other team player in double-figures with 10 points and five boards. Both Niko Rock (11 rebounds) and Pablo Tamba turned in eight points apiece. The bench contributed just five points overall, with Nils Cooper and Sione Lose posting two points each.
Cal State Northridge Matadors Betting Preview
Over on the Cal State Northridge side, they lost their opener to St. Bonaventure but quickly rebounded on a nice five-game winning streak. Those victories came courtesy of Le Moyne, Nobel, Sacramento State, Utah Tech, and Denver. a spotty 2-3 run ensued over the next five games, though. The Matadors beat Montana State and Cal Poly in that time with losses otherwise versus Montana, UC Riverside, and USC. Since then it’s been three straight wins, however, as CSU Northridge has dispatched Chicago State, La Sierra, and Cal State Fullerton.
Matched up against the Titans in their Thursday game, the Matadors were in control by halftime with a 60-26 advantage. CSU Northridge put it in cruise control the rest of the way on a 39-35 second half and took the easy blowout win 95-65. Leading the way in scoring was Marcus Adams with his 20 points and two rebounds with three steals. Scotty Washington added 18 points with three rebounds and three assists. Grady Lewis posted 15 points and six rebounds with one block, and Tyler Beard chipped in with 11 points and four assists.
Why the Cal State Northridge Matadors will win
- Cal State Northridge has won each of its last six day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- UC Davis has lost three of its last four road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- UC Davis has lost the first half in six of its last eight road games.
Why the UC Davis Aggies will win
- UC Davis has won 20 of its last 22 games against Cal State Northridge.
- Cal State Northridge has lost each of its last five games against the Big West Conference at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
- Cal State Northridge has lost the first half in three of its last four games.
UC Davis vs Cal State Northridge Prediction
I’m staying with Cal State Northridge. The Matadors easily took care of a struggling CSU Fullerton team in their last outing, rolling to the victory on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 43.6 percent (17-of-39) from outside. The 35 rebounds and 28 points off 22 Titans turnovers certainly helped out as well. CSU Northridge has three straight wins in the bag now, and they’ve posted 72 or more points in each of tier 10 victories so far this season.
As for UC Davis, they couldn’t keep pace with CSU Bakersfield in their last game, especially late. The Aggies shot a tepid 37.7 percent from the field and 19 percent (4-of-21) from outside in that one. Without a big scoring surge, I don’t see UC Davis keeping much of a pace in Saturday’s matchup.