UC Santa Barbara vs UC Riverside Prediction 2/12/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

In this article, we will formulate a UC Santa Barbara vs UC Riverside Prediction for this college basketball game on Thursday, February 12th. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this college basketball matchup.

UC Riverside Highlanders Preview

The UC Riverside Highlanders have an 8-17 overall record this season and a 3-10 record in the Big West. They are coming off an 88-74 road loss against Cal State Northridge and their previous four games were a 78-72 road loss against Cal State Fullerton, a 94-87 home loss against Cal Poly, a 71-61 home win against Long Beach State and a 74-66 road loss against UC Davis.

Offensively, UC Riverside averages 72.2 points per game, while allowing 78.2 points per game defensively. The Highlanders shoot with 43% from the field and grab 34.6 rebounds per game, while dishing out 12.5 assists per game. They average 4.1 blocks per game and 5.2 steals per game defensively.

Andrew Henderson is the team’s leading scorer with an average of 17.1 points per game, while shooting with 40.5% from the field and 78.1% from the free throw line. Osiris Grady is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.6 per game. Marqui Worthy Jr. leads the team in assists made with 2.8 per game.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Preview

The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have a 16-8 overall record this season and a 9-4 record in the Big West. They are coming off an 84-79 home win against UC Irvine and their previous four games were an 85-75 road loss against UC Davis, an 83-69 home win against Cal State Fullerton, a 62-48 road win against UC San Diego and a 74-71 road win against Long Beach State.

Offensively, UC Santa Barbara averages 79.3 points per game, while allowing 72.6 points per game defensively. The Gauchos shoot with 48% from the field and grab 34.9 rebounds per game, while dishing out 15.1 assists per game. They average 2.4 blocks per game and 7.3 steals per game defensively.

Aidan Mahaney leads UC Santa Barbara in scoring and assists, with an average of 14.6 points per game and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting with 44.9% from the field and 81.7% from the free throw line. Zion Sensley is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.5 per game.

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos @ UC Riverside Highlanders Betting Trends: February 12, 2026

Why the UC Riverside Highlanders will win

• UC Riverside has won eight of its last nine night games at Student Recreation Center Arena.
• UC Santa Barbara has lost four of its last five games at Student Recreation Center Arena.
• UC Riverside has won the first half in nine of its last 10 night games against UC Santa Barbara.

Why the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos will win

• UC Santa Barbara has won seven of its last eight games.
• UC Riverside has lost six of its last seven night games against Conference opponents.
• UC Riverside has lost the first half in each of its last six games.

UC Santa Barbara vs UC Riverside Prediction

In this UC Santa Barbara vs UC Riverside Prediction, UC Santa Barbara is coming as -7.5 road favorites. UC Santa Barbara has been the far better team this season and have been red-hot lately with a 7-1 record in their last 8 games and 5-2 against the spread. On the flip side, Riverside has been struggling with a 2-8 record in its last 10 games, while being inferior both on the offensive and the defensive end, with a -6 point differential, compared to UC Santa Barbara’s +6.7 point differential. I expect the guests to take care of business in this matchup, so take UC Santa Barbara and lay the points.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: UC Santa Barbara -7.5