Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Santa Clara looks much better today on their home court. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead UC Riverside 43-21.
Santa Clara entered the matchup with three straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it four. Can they turn things around, or will UC Riverside hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
UC Riverside Highlanders @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current Records: UC Riverside 2-2, Santa Clara 1-3
How To Watch
What to Know
The UC Riverside Highlanders will face off against the Santa Clara Broncos at 10:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Leavey Center. The Highlanders are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 76.2 points per game this season.
UC Riverside is headed into the match following a big win against La Sierra on Thursday, something the oddsmakers some coming from a mile away. UC Riverside blew past La Sierra, posting a 79-51 victory. For those keeping track at home, that’s the biggest win the Highlanders have posted since November 26, 2023.
UC Riverside smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That’s the most offensive rebounds they’ve posted since back in November of 2023.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Saturday after their third straight loss. It’s going to take some time for them to recover from the 85-59 bruising that Nevada dished out on Saturday. The Broncos were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 47-26.
Santa Clara’s defeat came about despite a quality game from Elijah Mahi, who went 9 for 12 en route to 22 points plus two steals.
The victory got UC Riverside back to even at 2-2. As for Santa Clara, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: UC Riverside hasn’t given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 9.8 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging only 9.8. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
UC Riverside is hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 3-0 against the spread when playing on the road.
Odds
Santa Clara is a big 8-point favorite against UC Riverside, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Broncos, as the game opened with the Broncos as a 5.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 152 points.
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Series History
Santa Clara and UC Riverside both have 1 win in their last 2 games.
- Dec 13, 2016 – Santa Clara 77 vs. UC Riverside 53
- Nov 19, 2015 – UC Riverside 77 vs. Santa Clara 63