Howard Bison vs UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Betting Pick & Prediction 12/20/23
Planning on watching today’s Bison and Gauchos game? Catch the action at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA, as the Gauchos hosts this showdown at 10:00 ET on ESPN+. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 151 points, and the Gauchos are favored to win at home vs. the Bison.
HOWARD BISON VS UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS BETTING PICK
The Pick: UC Santa Barbara Gauchos -8.5
This game will be played at The Thunderdome at 10:00 ET on Wednesday, December 20th.
WHY BET THE UC SANTA BARBARA GAUCHOS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-67 in favor of the Gauchos.
- Not only will UC Santa Barbara pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -8.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 151 points, and we like the under with a projected 144 points.
Are the Bison Ready for a Road Win?
As they prepare for their 13th game, Howard will face UC Santa Barbara with a record of 4-8. In away games, the Bison have a 1-7 record this season, but have a 2-1 record at home. Against the spread, Howard has a record of 5-6 this season. When playing away from home, the Bison are 2-6 vs. the spread, while they are 3-0 at home ATS.
So far, Howard’s games have averaged 156.9 points per game with the average over/under line being 149.7 points. In their most recent three games, the Bison’s over/under record is 2-0, with their games averaging 149 points per game.
In their previous game, the Bison’s offense finished with 78 points, which is right in line with their current average of 77.2 points per contest. Offensively, the Bison hold a season-long field goal percentage of 46%, placing them 143rd in the national rankings. When it comes to three-pointers, they are ranked 82nd in terms of percentage and 136th in three-pointers made.
Coming into today’s game, the Howard defense is giving up an average of 77.6 points per contest. In today’s game vs. UC Santa Barbara, the Howard defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Howard made 16 free-throws vs. the Bison.
Can the Gauchos Pull Off a Home Win?
The Gauchos are on the road for their 10th game of the season and currently have a 6-3 record. So far this season, all of the Gauchos’ games have been away from home. At the moment, UC Santa Barbara sits below .500 with a 2-4-1 ATS record. Within that record, the team has gone 2-2 vs. the spread on the road and 0-2-1 at home.
In nine games, UC Santa Barbara comes in with an over/under mark of 3-4-0, with their games averaging 146.6 points per game. When assessing the Gauchos’ performance in their last three games, their over/under record stands at 0-2, with their games averaging 158 points per game.
The UC Santa Barbara offense is coming off a game where they scored 68 points against Loyola Marymount. They posted a field goal percentage of 44.4% and connected on 4 threes. Ajay Mitchell is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 21.7 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Yohan Traore brings a PPG average of 14.6 into the game.
On the defensive side, UC Santa Barbara is currently hovering around the NCAA’s average for points allowed, conceding an average of 74.6 points per game. Against Loyola Marymount, the Gauchos’ defense gave up 59 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Loyola Marymount only made 5 free-throws.