Halftime Report
UCSB is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 34-25 lead against Cal Poly.
UCSB entered the matchup having won three straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it four, or will Cal Poly step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
UCSB Gauchos @ Cal Poly Mustangs
Current Records: UCSB 10-5, Cal Poly 6-11
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Robert A. Mott Athletics Center -- San Luis Obispo, California
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $126.00
What to Know
UCSB is 10-0 against Cal Poly since January of 2020, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Both will face off in a Big West battle at 8:00 p.m. ET at Robert A. Mott Athletics Center. The Mustangs are crawling into this match hobbled by four consecutive losses, while the Gauchos will bounce in with three consecutive wins.
Last Thursday, UCSB was able to grind out a solid win over Cal-Baker., taking the game 78-66.
UCSB was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cal-Baker. only posted ten.
Meanwhile, Cal Poly suffered their biggest defeat since February 15, 2024 on Thursday. There's no need to mince words: Cal Poly lost to UC San Diego, and Cal Poly lost bad. The score wound up at 95-68.
UCSB pushed their record up to 10-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Cal Poly, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. UCSB hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 75.5 points per game. However, it's not like Cal Poly struggles in that department as they've been averaging 81.6. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Looking forward, UCSB is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. For those looking to play the spread, keep UCSB's opponent in mind: they have a subpar 2-8 record against the spread vs Cal Poly over their last ten matchups.
Odds
UCSB is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Cal Poly, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 157.5 points.
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Series History
UCSB has won all of the games they've played against Cal Poly in the last 5 years.
- Feb 29, 2024 - UCSB 83 vs. Cal Poly 75
- Jan 06, 2024 - UCSB 61 vs. Cal Poly 52
- Mar 09, 2023 - UCSB 64 vs. Cal Poly 54
- Feb 02, 2023 - UCSB 68 vs. Cal Poly 62
- Jan 07, 2023 - UCSB 62 vs. Cal Poly 57
- Feb 12, 2022 - UCSB 69 vs. Cal Poly 64
- Mar 06, 2021 - UCSB 70 vs. Cal Poly 54
- Mar 05, 2021 - UCSB 71 vs. Cal Poly 57
- Mar 07, 2020 - UCSB 69 vs. Cal Poly 67
- Jan 08, 2020 - UCSB 63 vs. Cal Poly 45