Austin Peay Governors vs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Austin Peay Governors vs Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Alico Arena in Fort Myers, FL

TV: ESPN+

The Austin Peay Governors (8-5) are traveling to Alico Arena on Thursday where they will compete against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (7-8).

The Austin Peay Governors stepped onto the hardwood against Jacksonville and walked away with a win by a score of 71-68 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Governors ended up finishing with 16 while Jacksonville had 15 fouls. They knocked down 9 out of their 21 attempts from distance. Jacksonville finished the contest at 55.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 11 of their 20 attempts. Moreover, Jacksonville grabbed 36 boards (7 offensive, 29 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Jacksonville recorded 17 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. Pertaining to the defense, Austin Peay allowed their opponent to shoot 47.1% from the floor on 24 of 51 shooting. They also doled out 10 assists for the contest while forcing 17 turnovers and having 12 steals. With regard to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 26 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Governors buried 17 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 77.3%. Austin Peay ended the contest having earned a 40.0% field goal percentage (24 of 60) and converted 6 out of their 20 shots from 3-point land.

Zyree Collins is someone who had an impact in the game. He finished shooting 60.0% from the floor but had no assists when the game ended. He played 31 minutes played and collected 3 rebounds. He was able to score 23 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Austin Peay will enter this contest with a mark of 8-5 so far this season. They average 80.5 points per outing (119th in the nation) while going 44.2% from the floor. The Governors are connecting on 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (119 of 353) and 72.8% from the free throw line. As a unit, Austin Peay is pulling down 37.5 rebounds per contest and has earned 220 assists so far this season, which is 173rd in the nation in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 11.3 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.5 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Governors are forcing their opponents into 17.1 turnovers every game and they draw 17.2 fouls. They rank 141st in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 191 relinquished this season. The Governors defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 42.7% (314 of 736) and they concede 36.7 boards per game as a team. They are giving up 31.2% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 91st in college hoops in PPG allowed (69.4).

The last time they took the court, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles walked away with a victory by a final of 72-55 when they faced North Alabama. The Eagles snagged 33 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 39 in this game. They also turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. North Alabama earned 11 personal fouls for this game which took the Eagles to the charity stripe for a total of 9 tries. They were able to make 7 of those for a rate of 77.8%. In relation to shots from downtown, Florida Gulf Coast made 9 of 25 attempts (36.0%). When all was said and done, the Eagles ended up going 28 for 60 from the field which gave them a rate of 46.7%. The Eagles permitted North Alabama to knock down 16 of their 52 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 30.8% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 23.8% from beyond the arc by connecting on 5 out of 21 and ended up going 18 of 27 at the free throw line (66.7%). In reference to attacking the glass, Florida Gulf Coast permitted North Alabama to grab 23 overall (3 offensive).

Rahmir Barno was important for the Eagles for the game. He converted 7 out of 14 in the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and earned 4 rebounds. He recorded 14 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and tallied 5 assists in the game.

Florida Gulf Coast has a mark of 7-8 on the year. The Eagles are responsible for committing 19.8 fouls every game and they connect on 74.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 15.7 times per contest (110th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 11.7 times per contest. Florida Gulf Coast has totaled 1,236 points so far this season (82.4 per game) and they collect 38.7 boards per game. As an offense, the Eagles are hitting on 45.5% from the field, which ranks them 183rd in the nation.

The Florida Gulf Coast defense gives up 33.9% on shots from 3-point land (130 of 384) and opponents are connecting on 74.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 12.1 assists and 34.5 boards every game, which ranks them 75th and 183rd in the country. The Eagles on defense are ranked 313th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 79.1. They are forcing 12.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (239th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Florida Gulf Coast

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.