San Jose State and UC Riverside are set for a Thursday night meeting at Provident Credit Union Event Center, with tipoff scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Nov. 12, 2026. The game brings together a San Jose State team that is 1-1 and a UC Riverside squad that is 2-0.
That record gap is part of why the matchup draws attention now. San Jose State is coming off a 91-79 loss to UC Irvine, while UC Riverside just beat Denver 64-60, so both teams arrive with a recent result that points in a different direction. Mookie Cook led San Jose State with 16 points in that loss, and Tyus Parrish-Tillman scored 30 points in UC Riverside's win.
The numbers from last season suggest the game could hinge on which team can better impose its style early. San Jose State averaged 72 points per game and allowed 78.5, ranking 274th nationally in scoring and 306th in points allowed. UC Riverside averaged 72.9 points and gave up 77.9, finishing 258th in scoring and 291st in defense. Both teams also showed some three-point range, with San Jose State averaging 7.8 made 3-pointers at 35.8 percent and UC Riverside hitting 7.3 at 32.3 percent.
Home and away splits add another layer to the preview. San Jose State averaged 76.3 points per game at home last season, compared with 67.8 away from home, a swing of 8.5 points. UC Riverside was steadier but still better at home, averaging 77.6 points there versus 69.3 on the road, a difference of 8.3 points. That matters because both teams are stepping into a nonconference test that arrives early enough to shape how each side is viewed before the season settles.
For San Jose State, the question is whether the home floor can lift its offense after an uneven start. For UC Riverside, the task is to carry a 2-0 record into a road setting and turn a narrow win into a second straight positive result. The opening tip at 10 p.m. ET is the next checkpoint, and it will tell more than the records do now.
