Despite starting the season with two straight wins to begin the year, CSUN have found themselves in a midst of a four game losing streak after last week’s loss to Pepperdine. With conference play set to begin in just a few days, CSUN is going to need a quick turnaround if they want to find success in the Big West.
The Matadors kick off Big West play this week on the road with a trip to UC Riverside on Thursday. The team will then return home on Saturday for their conference home opener with the visiting Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Although both teams have CSUN’s number the previous year, the Matadors will be seeing their conference rivals with not only a new coach but also a revamped roster. The perfect opportunity for the team to break out of their slump and get back on track.
But the question still remains: do the Matadors have the edge to win this week?
UC Riverside (3-5, 0-0)
The Highlanders are coming off back-to-back wins against Cal State San Marcos and Saint Marys and are hosting the visiting Matadors this Thursday. CSUN is 1-3 with four games played with their only win coming off Utah State where they won 69-65.
Although familiar territory for CSUN to pull off the victory on the road, it will still be a tough task for head coach Angie Ned and the Matadors to get the win especially against Conference competition.
From an offensive standpoint, CSUN hold the Highlanders number. The Matadors are averaging 58.8 points through six games. And if you take out the whooping low number that is 39 they scored against USC out of the equation, that number goes up to 62.
Granted, UC Riverside may not be USC but they still can hold a candle to CSUN. The Highlanders are averaging 56.4 points through eight games and dropped an 84 point performance in a win against Whittier earlier in the year.
If the Matadors want to start the Big West portion of the year with a win they need their offense to step up to have a fighting chance.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (3-4 ,0-0)
After CSUN visits Riverside the team will then return home to take on Cal Poly on Saturday. The Mustangs and Matadors have both had similar starts to the season this year. Both teams sit below five hundred records, currently in a losing streak and suffered an upsetting loss to USC earlier in the year.
Good news for the Matadors, the Mustangs don’t find too much success while away from home. Cal Poly sits with a 1-3 record on the road only averaging 50 points per game, an eight point drop from their average at 58.6 with both home and road games combined.
Although CSUN has only played two games at home in the Premier America Credit Union Arena the team will still need more than offense to win them this game against the Mustangs. The Matadors will have to step it up on defense, particularly limiting their opponents in field goals. CSUN is allowing 28.7 field goals per game through six games, while the Mustangs are shooting 22.4 and knocking down 39.5% of their shots through seven games.
If CSUN allows the Mustrangs to pull away early it can spell danger for the team. And with CSUN shooting under 20 field goals per game at 19.3, they’ll need to play tight defense and knock down their shots if they want to come away with a win at home.
If the Matadors want to break out of their losing streak and get back on track, they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to pull off these wins. Regardless, this week’s action will be a must watch as it’ll be a trust test to the team’s identity and how they respond under pressure as these two games will set the mark on how CSUN performs in the Big West.
CSUN vs. UC Riverside will be available for streaming on ESPN+ on Thursday with tipoff slated at 6pm.
