Northern Colorado Bears vs Montana State Bobcats Prediction, 1/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Colorado Bears vs Montana State Bobcats

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Worthington Arena in Bozeman, MT

TV: ESPN+

The Montana State Bobcats (6-7) will take on the Northern Colorado Bears (10-3) at Worthington Arena on Thursday.

The Northern Colorado Bears faced off with Colorado and notched a win by a score of 86-81 in their last game. Northern Colorado ended having earned a 52.5% FG percentage (31 of 59) and made 11 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Bears made 13 of 17 shots for a rate of 76.5%. With regard to rebounding, they compiled 33 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 17 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 5 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In the matter of defending, Northern Colorado allowed 39.5% from the field on 30 out of 76 shooting. Colorado distributed 11 assists and had 5 steals for this game. On top of that, Colorado pulled down 33 rebounds (14 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. Colorado finished shooting 93.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 14 of their 15 attempts. They converted 7 out of their 23 attempts from distance. When discussing fouls, the Bears ended up walking away with 12 and Colorado had 14 fouls.

Quinn Denker is one guy who was a contributor for the game. He accounted for 33 points on 12 out of 18 shooting. He saw the court for 38 mins played and totaled 8 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the field and earned 8 dimes.

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Northern Colorado enters this game with a win-loss record of 10-3 on the season. They average 86.8 pts per game (47th in Division 1) while going 50.8% from the field. The Bears are hitting 38.0% on shots from 3-point land (139 of 366) and 74.9% from the free throw line. As a team, Northern Colorado is pulling in 37.7 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 235 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 30th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 11.6 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.5 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bears have forced 10.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 15.5 personal fouls. They are giving up 28.6% on three-point shots while they are 252nd in Division 1 in points per game allowed (76.2). The Bears are giving up a field goal percentage of 45.1% (366 of 812) and they concede 31.0 boards per contest as a team. They are ranked 29th in college hoops in giving up assists with 132 conceded this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Montana State Bobcats took home the win by a final score of 93-54 against Northwest University. The Bobcats pulled down 39 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 51 for this game. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while recording 5 steals for this game. Northwest University was called for 17 personal fouls in this game which got the Bobcats to the free throw line for a total of 21 shots. They were able to make 16 of the free throw tries for a clip of 76.2%. In relation to 3-point shots, Montana State knocked down 13 out of their 37 attempts (35.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Bobcats finished the game shooting 32 for 69 from the floor which had them shooting 46.4%. The Bobcats permitted Northwest University to convert 20 out of 63 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 31.7% in this matchup. They finished 26.7% from three-point range by connecting on 8 out of 30 and finished the game at 6 of 7 at the free throw line (85.7%). In reference to cleaning up the glass, Montana State permitted Northwest University to grab 26 in all (3 on the offensive glass).

Howie Keene ended up being important for the Bobcats for the game. He converted 4 of 8 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 3 rebounds. He scored 12 points in his 23 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes in the matchup.

Montana State has a mark of 6-7 on the year. The Bobcats commit 17.8 fouls per game and they shoot 72.6% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 12.4 times per game (312th in the country) and they are giving up possession 10.7 times per game. Montana State has earned 1,025 pts on the season (78.8 per game) and they pull down 35.2 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bobcats are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which is 124th in college.

The Bobcats on defense are ranked 94th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 69.2. They are able to force 12.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.5% from the field (187th in the nation). The Montana State defense concedes 29.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (73 of 252) and opponents are connecting on 75.8% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 11.1 assists and 33.2 boards every game, ranking them 45th and 117th in the country.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Colorado

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