Abilene Christian Wildcats vs Tarleton State Texans Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Abilene Christian Wildcats vs Tarleton State Texans

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Wisdom Gym in Stephenville, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Abilene Christian Wildcats (9-6) are headed to Wisdom Gym on Thursday where they will compete against the Tarleton State Texans (11-5).

The Abilene Christian Wildcats took the court against Utah Valley and took home the win by a score of 85-68 in their last contest. Abilene Christian finished the contest with a 54.0% field goal percentage (34 out of 63) and buried 5 of 13 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Wildcats knocked down 12 of 13 tries for a percentage of 92.3%. In relation to getting rebounds, they earned 25 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 20 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 21 turnovers and having 13 steals. When it comes to defending, Abilene Christian allowed their opponent to shoot 51.1% from the floor on 24 out of 47 shooting. Utah Valley totaled 18 assists and had 6 steals in this game. Furthermore, Utah Valley collected 27 boards (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Utah Valley finished the game shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by making 12 of 16 tries. They also converted 8 out of their 19 tries from distance. Concerning fouls, the Wildcats walked away with 17 while Utah Valley recorded 16 fouls.

Bradyn Hubbard is a player who was a major factor in the game. He finished the game at 44.4% from the floor and distributed 6 dimes. He played 31 minutes and snagged 10 rebounds. He accounted for 22 points on 8 of 18 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Abilene Christian enters this matchup with a mark of 9-6 this season. They average 72.7 points per game (283rd in Division 1) while going 45.3% from the field. The Wildcats are shooting 32.5% on three-point shots (91 of 280) and 72.3% from the charity stripe. As a team, Abilene Christian is pulling in 33.8 boards per game and has tallied 216 dimes this year, which ranks 191st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are losing possession via turnover 14.3 times per contest and as a unit they commit 20.5 personal fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 15.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.4 personal fouls. They relinquish 36.9% from beyond the arc while they are 105th in D-1 in points per game allowed (70.2). The Wildcats defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 47.2% (342 of 725) and they relinquish 29.0 boards per contest as a group. They are currently ranked 77th in college hoops in allowing assists with 178 relinquished for the year.

When they last played, the Tarleton State Texans walked away with a victory by a final of 81-76 against California Baptist. When discussing cleaning up the glass, Tarleton State allowed California Baptist to grab 36 in all (10 offensive). They finished the game shooting 35.0% from distance by connecting on 7 out of 20 and ended up going 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Texans allowed California Baptist to knock down 28 of 54 attempts from the field which had them shooting 51.9% in this game. When the final whistle was blown, the Texans went 23 out of 51 from the floor which had them shooting 45.1%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Tarleton State knocked down 6 of their 12 tries (50.0%). They were able to make 29 of those for a rate of 74.4%. California Baptist committed 28 fouls for this contest which got the Texans to the charity stripe for a total of 39 tries. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 13 steals in the game. The Texans corralled 14 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 19 in this matchup.

Dior Johnson ended up being a major contributor for the Texans in this contest. He earned 34 points in his 29 minutes of playing time and added 2 assists for the matchup. He converted 9 of 15 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and earned 1 rebound.

Tarleton State has a record of 11-5 on the campaign. The Texans commit 19.8 fouls per game and they go 75.6% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 12.9 times per game (283rd in the country) and they are turning it over 14.6 times per game. Tarleton State has earned 1,283 pts so far this year (80.2 per game) and they pull down 33.9 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Texans are shooting 47.2% from the field, which has them ranked 95th in college.

The Tarleton State defense gives up 33.2% on 3-point attempts (116 of 349) and their opponents are making 70.0% of their free throw attempts. They give up 12.8 assists and 33.2 total rebounds per game, which ranks them 139th and 102nd in the country. The Texans on defense are ranked 145th in college in PPG allowed with 71.9. They are forcing their opponents into 19.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.6% from the floor (256th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Abilene Christian

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.