Cal State Bakersfield (11-7, 7-4) vs. UC Irvine (10-5, 7-1)
Bren Events Center, Irvine, California; Saturday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Cal State Bakersfield seeks revenge on UC Irvine after dropping the first matchup in Irvine. The teams last played each other on Feb. 5, when the Anteaters outshot Cal State Bakersfield 43.4 percent to 39.3 percent and made 14 more foul shots en route to the 17-point victory.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: UC Irvine’s Collin Welp has averaged 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds while Brad Greene has put up 10.9 points and 7.7 rebounds. For the Roadrunners, Taze Moore has averaged 11 points and four rebounds while Justin Edler-Davis has put up 9.7 points and four rebounds.
CLAMPING DOWN: The Anteaters have given up only 56.1 points per game across eight conference games, an improvement from the 71.6 per game they gave up in non-conference play.CLUTCH COLLIN: Welp has connected on 33.3 percent of the 24 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 2 for 5 over the last three games. He’s also converted 81.8 percent of his foul shots this season.
PERFECT WHEN: The Anteaters are 6-0 when they record eight or more steals and 4-5 when they fall shy of that mark. The Roadrunners are 5-0 when turning the ball over 11 times or fewer and 6-7 when the team exceeds that total.
STREAK SCORING: UC Irvine has won its last eight home games, scoring an average of 84.6 points while giving up 54.1.
DID YOU KNOW: Both Cal State Bakersfield and UC Irvine are ranked at the top of the Big West when it comes to offensive rebounding. The Roadrunners are ranked first among conference teams with an offensive rebounding percentage of 39.9, 13.9 offensive boards per game. The Anteaters are ranked second with an offensive rebound percentage of 36.3, 12.5 per game.
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