Cal Poly Mustangs vs Bakersfield Roadrunners Betting Pick & Prediction 1/20/24

Betting on today’s Mustangs and Roadrunners game? Catch the action at Icardo Center in Bakersfield, CA, as the Roadrunners hosts this showdown at 10:00 ET on ESPN+. This Big West conference matchup has an over/under of 127.5 points, and the Roadrunners are favored to win at home vs. the Mustangs.

CAL POLY MUSTANGS VS BAKERSFIELD ROADRUNNERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cal Poly Mustangs +12

This game will be played at Icardo Center at 10:00 ET on Saturday, January 20th.

WHY BET THE CAL POLY MUSTANGS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 73-72 in favor of the Roadrunners.
• Even though we have Bakersfield winning straight-up, we like Cal Poly at +12.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 127.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 145 points.

Will the Mustangs Find a Way to Win on the Road?

Cal Poly is coming off a 86-61 loss to California-San Diego. They are 4-14 overall, including a 0-6 mark in Big West play. On the road, the Mustangs are 1-9 this season, and they have lost their last seven games away from home.

Overall, Cal Poly has been the underdog in 17 of their 18 games, going 3-14 in those contests. The Mustangs have lost six straight games, and their average scoring margin on the road is -14.9 points per game.

Cal Poly’s ATS record this season is 7-10 and their road ATS mark is currently 4-6. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, the Mustangs are 3-7 vs. the spread. On the road, their ATS record stands at 1-4 over their last 5 contests and 0-3 in their last 3.

Cal Poly’s over/under record this season is 8-8-1 and today’s line of 127.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (135.5). So far, 10 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 128 points and their OU record during this stretch is 1-2.

In their previous game, the Mustangs’ offense finished with 61 points, which is right in line with their current average of 63.9 points per contest. The team’s scoring leader is Kobe Sanders, who holds an average of 18.8 as they head into today’s matchup. Additionally, Quentin Jones is averaging 9.2 points per game this season.

In terms of defense, Cal Poly is currently on par with the NCAA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 73.6 points per game. Cal Poly’s three-point defense is currently 64th in the country at 6.0 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 46.3% of their shots vs. Cal Poly.

Pressure Builds for Bakersfield as Home Favorites

After winning their last game against UC Riverside by a score of 80-56, Bakersfield is 6-11 overall and 1-5 in Big West play. They have gone 5-6 in non-conference games and are 3-2 at home this season. In their last 10 games at home, they are 6-4.

So far this year, the Roadrunners have been the favorite twice and have won both games. They have been the underdog 13 times, going 2-11 in those games. Their average scoring margin at home is +3.0 points per game.

As the favorite this season, Bakersfield has gone 1-1 vs. the spread. Over the last 10 games when the Roadrunners have been favored, they are 5-5. At home, their ATS mark is 2-3 and over their last 3 games at home, they are just 1-2 vs. the spread.

Today’s over/under line of 127.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Bakersfield’s games this season (136.7). So far, 13 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the over/under record is 2-1.

The Bakersfield offense is coming off a game in which they scored 80 points vs. UC Riverside. Overall their field goal percentage was 52.6% while connecting on 5 threes. Kaleb Higgins is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 16.5. Meanwhile, Marvin McGhee III also brings a PPG average of 8.6 into the game.

In terms of defense, Bakersfield is currently on par with the NCAA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 70.4 points per game. Against UC Riverside in their most recent game, the Bakersfield defense gave up a total of 56 points while allowing UC Riverside to hit 52% of their shots.