UCSB vs. UC Riverside Dunkel Predictions & Vegas Odds - Feb. 26

In a game featuring one of the sputtering squads in college basketball, the UC Riverside Highlanders (9-20, 4-13 Big West) battle the UCSB Gauchos (17-11, 10-7 Big West) at The Thunderdome on February 26, 2026. The Highlanders are 2-8 in their past 10 games. They enter this matchup as underdogs by 11.5 points. The point total in the matchup is 143.5.

UCSB enters this game following a 78-75 loss to Hawaii in overtime on Saturday. Colin Smith scored a team-leading 19 points for UCSB in the loss. UC Riverside lost its most recent matchup 78-73 against UC Davis on Saturday. Andrew Henderson scored a team-high 22 points for UC Riverside in the loss.

UCSB vs. UC Riverside Odds and Game Time

• When: Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 9 p.m. ET
• Where: The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, California
• Spread favorite: UCSB -11.5
• Moneyline favorite: UCSB -855
• Moneyline underdog: UC Riverside +558
• Over/Under: 143.5 points

How to watch UCSB vs. UC Riverside

• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Check out the rest of our Dunkel Index NCAA Basketball Picks!

Betting the Over/Under: UCSB vs. UC Riverside

• UCSB and its opponents have combined to outscore Thursday's total (143.5 points) 18 times this season.
• There have been 19 UC Riverside games that finished with a combined score higher than 143.5 points this season.
• The over/under for the contest of 143.5 is 8.3 points fewer than the combined points per game averages for the Gauchos (79.2) and Highlanders (72.6).
• These two teams give up a combined 151 points per game, 7.5 more than this contest's over/under.
• On average, UCSB has had a 152.8-point over/under in its games this season, 9.3 more points than the over/under in this contest.
• UC Riverside's games have an average over/under of 150.0 points this season, 6.5 more points than the over/under for this game.

Betting the Spread: UCSB vs. UC Riverside

• UCSB has 11 wins against the spread in 26 games this season.
• The Gauchos have been favored by 11.5 points or more two times this season and covered the spread in one of them.
• UC Riverside has 15 wins against the spread in 27 games this year.
• The Highlanders have an ATS record of 4-3 in their seven games when underdogs by 11.5 points or more this season.
• UCSB is 7-4 against the spread, and 8-3 overall, at home this season.
• At home, UCSB has one win ATS (1-1) as a 11.5-point favorite or greater.
• UC Riverside is 3-13 overall, and 10-6 against the spread, on the road.

Betting the Moneyline: UCSB vs. UC Riverside

• UCSB has been the moneyline favorite in 19 games this season and won 12 (63.2%) of those contests.
• The Gauchos have played as a favorite of -855 or more twice this season and won both games.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 89.5% chance of a victory for UCSB.
• UC Riverside has won in five, or 22.7%, of the 22 contests it has been named as the moneyline underdog this year.
• The Highlanders have yet to win this season when listed as an underdog of +558 or worse on the moneyline this season.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies UC Riverside has a 15.2% chance of walking away with the win.