Abilene Christian Wildcats vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Abilene Christian Wildcats vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: America First Events Center in Cedar City, UT

TV: ESPN+

America First Events Center is the location where the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (4-13) will take on the Abilene Christian Wildcats (10-7) on Saturday.

The Abilene Christian Wildcats took the court against UT Arlington and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 82-72 in their last contest. Abilene Christian finished the contest having earned a 51.1% FG percentage (23 of 45) and made 5 of their 12 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Wildcats knocked down 21 of 32 attempts for a percentage of 65.6%. With regard to rebounding, they collected 17 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 12 assists for this contest as well as creating 13 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In regard to defense, Abilene Christian allowed the other team to shoot 51.0% from the floor on 26 out of 51 shooting. UT Arlington recorded 10 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Additionally, UT Arlington snagged 27 rebounds (9 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UT Arlington finished 86.2% from the charity stripe by knocking down 25 of their 29 tries. They converted 5 of 13 shots from 3-point range. In relation to personal fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 20 and UT Arlington finished the game with 23 personal fouls.

Bradyn Hubbard is one guy who played a role for the contest. He scored 27 points on 8 out of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins played and also totaled 4 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 61.5% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game.

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Abilene Christian comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 10-7 for the season. They are averaging 73.4 points per game (265th in Division 1) while going 46.1% from the field. The Wildcats are connecting on 33.3% on shots from distance (103 of 309) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Abilene Christian is pulling in 32.8 rebounds per game and has accounted for 243 assists this year, which is 204th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 14.4 times per game and as a group are committing 20.8 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Wildcats have forced 15.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.2 fouls. They are giving up 36.5% from 3-point land and they rank 124th in college in points per game allowed (71.5). The Wildcats are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 47.4% (394 of 832) and they surrender 29.0 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 42nd in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 194 conceded so far this year.

For their last game, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds went home defeated by a final of 58-55 when they played California Baptist. In reference to team rebounding, Southern Utah allowed California Baptist to collect 40 overall (18 on the offensive glass). They went 22.7% from three-point range by going 5 out of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 19 from the free throw line (57.9%). The Thunderbirds permitted California Baptist to knock down 21 of their 68 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 30.9% in the game. When all was said and done, the Thunderbirds finished the game shooting 20 out of 57 from the floor which had them shooting 35.1%. When talking about shooting from distance, Southern Utah made 6 out of 21 attempts (28.6%). They were able to bury 9 of those for a percentage of 75.0%. California Baptist was called for 14 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Thunderbirds to the charity stripe for a total of 12 shots. They also turned the ball over 11 times, while earning 4 steals in this contest. The Thunderbirds recorded 23 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 36 for the matchup.

Jaiden Feroah ended up being important for the Thunderbirds for this contest. He made 7 of 11 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and added 6 rebounds. He earned 16 points in his 33 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

Southern Utah has a record of 4-13 so far this season. The Thunderbirds commit 16.0 fouls per contest and they shoot 71.2% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.1 times per game (197th in the country) and they cough up possession 13.5 times per game. Southern Utah has earned 1,280 pts on the year (75.3 per contest) and they grab 36.5 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunderbirds are hitting on 44.6% from the field, which is ranked 230th in D-1.

The Southern Utah defense surrenders 37.9% on 3-pointers (129 of 340) and their opponents are making 71.3% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 13.8 dimes and 37.5 boards every game, which is ranked 217th and 311th in those defensive categories. The Thunderbirds on defense are ranked 325th in the country in PPG given up with 80.4. They are able to force 11.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 46.7% from the floor (314th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Abilene Christian

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