UC Riverside vs CSU Northridge Prediction 2/7/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The UC Riverside Highlanders and the Cal State Northridge Matadors meet Saturday in college basketball action from the Matadome in Los Angeles. Here’s a UC Riverside vs CSU Northridge prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UC Riverside 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.

UC Riverside Highlanders Betting Preview

The Highlanders managed a .500 run across their first 12 games of the year. The losses in that stretch were against UC Riverside, New Mexico, North Dakota, Cal Baptist, Utah Tech, UC Irvine and BYU. After that came losses to St. Thomas-MN, UCLA, Hawaii, Cal State Bakersfield, UC San Diego and Long Beach State. The next five were a 2-3 run, giving the Highlanders an 8-15 record across the first 23 outings.

On Thursday versus Cal State Fullerton the Highlanders went into the second half with a 38-37 deficit. UC Riverside didn’t end up getting any closer than that on a 40-35 run from there and took the loss in the end 78-72 in a road matchup. Andrew Henderson was the leading team scorer with his 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Marqui Worthy had 18 points with eight boards and four assists.

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. After that was a 3-2 run with victories over UC San Diego (twice) and UC Davis. That gave CSUN a 13-10 record across 23 outings.

Matched up against Cal Poly on Thursday the Matadors were in pretty good shape by halftime, hanging on to a 52-48 lead on the road. CSU Northridge had to hang on through a wild second half but still ended up eking out the victory in dramatic fashion 97-96 in the end. Larry Hughes led the charge on 32 points with four boards, while Josh O’Garro had 12 rebounds, nine points and six assists.

UC Riverside Highlanders @ Cal State Northridge Matadors Betting Trends: February 7, 2026

Why the Cal State Northridge Matadors will win

• Cal State Northridge has won 12 of its last 13 games at Premier America Credit Union Arena against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• UC Riverside has lost each of its last six road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• UC Riverside has lost the first half in each of its last five games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the UC Riverside Highlanders will win

• UC Riverside has won five of its last six road games against Cal State Northridge.

UC Riverside vs Cal State Northridge Prediction

I’ll lean toward CSUN. The Matadors are coming off a drama-filled game versus Cal Poly in a road win this week, shooting an excellent 52.8 percent from the field with 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from 3-point range. Cal State Northridge also had a 31-27 rebounding edge in that one but did cough up 13 turnovers and surrendered 52.4 percent shooting on defense. CSUN has won three straight games now, scoring 81 or more points in all three of them and 94 or more in two.

As for UC Riverside, they shot a tepid 40.9 percent from the field with just 56.3 percent (9-of-16) at the line and a 41-35 rebounding deficit in their latest loss to Cal State Fullerton. The Highlanders have won just two games since December 16 and they’ve given up a combined 172 points over their last two outings.

Andrew Jett's Pick: CSU Northridge Matadors -9.5