UTEP Miners vs Missouri State Bears Prediction, 1/2/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs Missouri State Bears

Date: Friday, January 2, 2026

Location: Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO

TV: ESPN+

Great Southern Bank Arena is where the Missouri State Bears (6-5) will attempt to beat the UTEP Miners (4-7) on Friday.

The UTEP Miners faced off with North Dakota State and went home with a win by a final score of 76-66 in their last contest. UTEP ended the game having earned a 47.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 55) and buried 8 out of their 20 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Miners knocked down 16 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 76.2%. In relation to rebounding, they compiled 27 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 12 assists for the game as well as forcing the opposition into 16 turnovers and having 12 steals. With respect to defense, UTEP allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the field on 24 of 48 shooting. North Dakota State doled out 13 assists and had 4 steals in this game. Additionally, North Dakota State collected 25 rebounds (6 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't have a block. North Dakota State finished the game at 71.4% from the charity stripe by making 15 of their 21 attempts. They also made 3 of 16 tries from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Miners finished with 18 and North Dakota State finished the game with 18 personal fouls.

Elijah Jones is one guy who was a major factor for this contest. He scored 24 points on 10 out of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 30 mins and also snagged 4 rebounds. He finished the contest at 66.7% from the field and also distributed 2 assists.

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UTEP steps onto the court with a mark of 4-7 for the campaign. They are averaging 72.4 pts per contest (293rd in Division 1) while going 44.8% from the field. The Miners are shooting 31.4% from downtown (69 of 220) and 64.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UTEP is snagging 32.8 boards per contest and has 140 dimes on the year, which ranks 348th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 12.8 times per contest and as a unit are committing 20.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Miners are forcing 15.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They concede 34.6% from 3-point land and they rank 134th in college hoops in points per game allowed (71.2). The Miners defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.6% (256 of 574) and they surrender 35.5 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 69th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 145 surrendered for the campaign.

In their last game, the Missouri State Bears went home victorious with a score of 70-65 when they played Lindenwood. The Bears snagged 28 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 38 for this game. They also gave up possession 7 times, while recording 5 steals for the game. Lindenwood was called for 19 personal fouls in this game which took the Bears to the charity stripe for a total of 23 shots. They were able to make 12 of the free throws for a clip of 52.2%. In the matter of shots from beyond the arc, Missouri State made 6 of their 27 attempts (22.2%). In all, the Bears went 26 for 62 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.9%. The Bears permitted Lindenwood to bury 22 out of 59 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 37.3% for this game. They finished the game shooting 13.6% from three-point range by shooting 3 of 22 and ended up going 18 of 31 at the free throw line (58.1%). When talking about cleaning the glass, Missouri State permitted Lindenwood to grab 37 in total (11 offensive).

Michael Osei-Bonsu ended up being a major contributor for the Bears for the matchup. He scored 19 points in his 24 mins on the court and had 2 dimes in the matchup. He knocked down 8 out of 12 for the game for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 6 rebounds.

Missouri State has a mark of 6-5 on the campaign. The Bears have committed 16.6 fouls every game and they go 67.2% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 14.1 times per contest (210th in the nation) and they are turning it over 11.0 times per game. Missouri State has 819 pts on the year (74.5 per contest) and they pull in 36.5 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears are connecting on 44.7% from the floor, which ranks 235th in the nation.

The Missouri State defense concedes 32.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (76 of 235) and opponents are connecting on 67.1% of their foul shots. They give up 13.3 dimes and 35.5 boards per game, which has them ranked 180th and 240th in college hoops. The Bears on the defensive side of the court are 157th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 72.1. They are able to force 11.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 43.4% from the floor (181st in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Missouri State

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