Who's Playing

Cal Poly @ Santa Barbara

Regular Season Records: Cal Poly 8-24; Santa Barbara 24-7

What to Know

The Cal Poly Mustangs haven't won a matchup against the Santa Barbara Gauchos since Jan. 4 of 2018, but they'll be looking to end the drought Thursday. The Mustangs and Santa Barbara are set to clash at 9 p.m. ET March 9 at Dollar Loan Center in the second round of the Big West Conference Tourney. After these two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one of them is set up to suffer a discouraging change of fortune.

Cal Poly earned some postseason bragging rights after a successful outing on Tuesday. They blew past the Long Beach State Beach 88-68. Cal Poly can attribute much of their success to guard Brantly Stevenson, who had 28 points.

Meanwhile, Santa Barbara made easy work of the Hawaii Warriors on Saturday and carried off an 81-61 win.

Cal Poly is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. They are currently two-for-two against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

Two offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Mustangs are 358th worst in college basketball in points per game, with only 61 on average. The Gauchos' offense has more to brag about, as they they enter the game with a 49.50% field goal percentage, good for sixth best in college basketball. So the cards are definitely stacked in their favor.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 9 p.m. ET
  • Where: Dollar Loan Center -- Henderson, Nevada
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Gauchos are a big 10-point favorite against the Mustangs, 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 10-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Santa Barbara have won 15 out of their last 16 games against Cal Poly.

  • Feb 02, 2023 - Santa Barbara 68 vs. Cal Poly 62
  • Jan 07, 2023 - Santa Barbara 62 vs. Cal Poly 57
  • Feb 12, 2022 - Santa Barbara 69 vs. Cal Poly 64
  • Mar 06, 2021 - Santa Barbara 70 vs. Cal Poly 54
  • Mar 05, 2021 - Santa Barbara 71 vs. Cal Poly 57
  • Mar 07, 2020 - Santa Barbara 69 vs. Cal Poly 67
  • Jan 08, 2020 - Santa Barbara 63 vs. Cal Poly 45
  • Mar 09, 2019 - Santa Barbara 92 vs. Cal Poly 82
  • Jan 09, 2019 - Santa Barbara 65 vs. Cal Poly 56
  • Mar 08, 2018 - Santa Barbara 75 vs. Cal Poly 53
  • Mar 03, 2018 - Santa Barbara 86 vs. Cal Poly 61
  • Jan 04, 2018 - Cal Poly 80 vs. Santa Barbara 79
  • Mar 04, 2017 - Santa Barbara 57 vs. Cal Poly 44
  • Jan 14, 2017 - Santa Barbara 58 vs. Cal Poly 53
  • Mar 05, 2016 - Santa Barbara 69 vs. Cal Poly 50
  • Jan 14, 2016 - Santa Barbara 76 vs. Cal Poly 73