Who's Playing

California Baptist @ Sam Houston

Regular Season Records: California Baptist 17-15; Sam Houston 24-6

What to Know

The Sam Houston Bearkats and the California Baptist Lancers are set to clash at 3 p.m. ET March 9 at Orleans Arena in the second round of the Western Athletic Conference Tourney. If the game is anything like their last meeting in February, where the Bearkats won 56-45, we could be in for a big score.

Sam Houston had enough points to win and then some against the Abilene Christian Wildcats last week, taking their contest 72-54.

Meanwhile, California Baptist earned some postseason bragging rights after a successful outing on Tuesday. They took their game against Abilene Christian 69-62. Guard Tre Armstrong was the offensive standout of the matchup for California Baptist, shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and finishing with 23 points.

Sam Houston is the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. They might be worth taking a chance on against the spread as they are currently on a five-game streak of ATS wins.

Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Bearkats enter the game with 17.2 takeaways on average, good for 11th best in college basketball. On the other end of the spectrum, the Lancers are stumbling into the contest with the 27th fewest takeaways in college basketball, having accrued only 10.8 on average. So the cards are definitely stacked against California Baptist.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 3 p.m. ET
  • Where: Orleans Arena -- Paradise, Nevada
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $26.00

Odds

The Bearkats are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Lancers, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bearkats as a 6.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

Sam Houston have won all of the games they've played against California Baptist in the last nine years.

  • Feb 23, 2023 - Sam Houston 56 vs. California Baptist 45
  • Mar 09, 2022 - Sam Houston 65 vs. California Baptist 35
  • Jan 26, 2022 - Sam Houston 73 vs. California Baptist 68