IU Indy Jaguars vs Northern Kentucky Norse Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: IU Indy Jaguars vs Northern Kentucky Norse

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Truist Arena in Highland Heights, KY

TV: ESPN+

The IU Indy Jaguars (4-10) are headed to Truist Arena on Thursday where they will take on the Northern Kentucky Norse (9-5).

The IU Indy Jaguars stepped onto the hardwood against Grand Canyon and took a loss by a score of 91-78 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Jaguars walked away with 22 and Grand Canyon accumulated 13 personal fouls. They also knocked down 7 of 17 shots from distance. Grand Canyon shot 86.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 26 of 30 shots. On top of that, Grand Canyon grabbed 35 boards (12 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Grand Canyon distributed 12 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Concerning defending, IU Indy allowed the other team to shoot 50.9% from the field on 29 out of 57 shooting. They also doled out 16 assists for the contest while forcing 13 turnovers and having 6 steals. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they collected 25 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Jaguars knocked down 9 of 15 attempts for a rate of 60.0%. IU Indy walked away from the contest having earned a 45.3% FG percentage (29 out of 64) and converted 11 of their 33 three-point shots.

Kyler D'Augustino is one guy who was important for this game. He finished shooting 58.8% from the field and totaled 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins played and also grabbed 5 boards. He totaled 24 points on 10 out of 17 shooting.

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IU Indy heads into this game with a win-loss record of 4-10 on the campaign. They average 88.3 points per contest (32nd in the country) while going 45.3% from the floor. The Jaguars are hitting 32.0% on three-point attempts (153 of 478) and 71.0% from the free throw line. As a team, IU Indy is snagging 33.8 boards per game and has accumulated 300 dimes for the season, which is 1st in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They turn the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a squad are committing 22.8 personal fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Jaguars are forcing 18.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 348th in the nation in giving up assists with 233 conceded this year. The Jaguars are giving up a field goal percentage of 50.9% (440 of 865) and they relinquish 42.0 rebounds per contest as a group. They are giving up 37.4% from 3-point land and they rank 364th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (91.8).

The last time they took the court, the Northern Kentucky Norse walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-74 when they faced Charleston. In relation to team rebounding, Northern Kentucky permitted Charleston to pull down 35 overall (10 offensive). They wrapped up this game 35.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 7 out of 20 and finished the game at 20 of 29 at the free throw line (69.0%). The Norse permitted Charleston to convert 29 of 53 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.7% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Norse went 25 for 64 from the field which gave them a rate of 39.1%. When discussing shooting from distance, Northern Kentucky buried 10 out of 33 tries (30.3%). They were able to make 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 87.5%. Charleston committed 17 personal fouls in this contest which got the Norse to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They also coughed it up 16 times, while getting 12 steals in the matchup. The Norse pulled down 24 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 35 for this game.

Kael Robinson was important for the Norse for the contest. He buried 6 out of 16 for this game for a field goal rate of 37.5%, and accumulated 9 rebounds. He had 22 points in his 32 minutes on the court, but went home with no dimes.

Northern Kentucky has a win-loss mark of 9-5 for the campaign. The Norse commit 18.6 fouls per game and they hit 73.0% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.9 times per contest (110th in college) and they turn it over 13.2 times per contest. Northern Kentucky has earned 1,180 points for the year (84.3 per contest) and they pull down 36.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offense, the Norse are shooting 47.4% from the field, which has them ranked 99th in the nation.

The Norse on defense are ranked 229th in college in points allowed per game with 75.1. They are forcing their opponents into 16.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (265th in Division 1). The Northern Kentucky defense allows 35.2% on three-point shots (112 of 318) and their opponents are making 71.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 13.7 dimes and 33.3 boards every game, ranking them 211th and 121st in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take IU Indy

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