Bellarmine Knights vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Bellarmine Knights vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, KY

TV: ESPN+

Baptist Health Arena is where the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (6-11) will attempt to defeat the Bellarmine Knights (6-10) on Saturday.

The Bellarmine Knights played North Alabama and took a loss by a final of 82-73 in their last game. Bellarmine wrapped up the game having earned a 51.9% FG percentage (27 out of 52) and converted 11 out of their 28 three-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Knights converted 8 of 13 attempts for a rate of 61.5%. With respect to hauling in boards, they compiled 19 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 19 assists for this contest while forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In regard to defense, Bellarmine allowed 54.0% from the field on 27 out of 50 shooting. North Alabama doled out 15 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. In addition, North Alabama collected 31 rebounds (10 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. North Alabama walked away from this one shooting 77.3% when shooting free throws by burying 17 of 22 shots. They knocked down 11 out of their 21 tries from three-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Knights ended up finishing with 17 while North Alabama recorded 15 fouls.

Brian Waddell is one guy who was important in this matchup. He ended up shooting 80.0% from the field and dished out 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 31 mins and also totaled 3 rebounds. He totaled 20 points on 8 out of 10 shooting.

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Bellarmine steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 6-10 for the year. They are giving up possession 11.6 times per contest and as a unit are committing 15.9 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Bellarmine is grabbing 28.6 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 239 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 221st in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Knights are hitting 36.2% on shots from beyond the arc (125 of 345) and 77.8% from the charity stripe. They average 78.6 pts per contest (142nd in the nation) while connecting on 51.9% from the floor.

On defense, the Knights have forced 10.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.7 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 272nd in D-1 in giving up assists with 255 surrendered so far this year. The Knights defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 47.0% (449 of 955) and they relinquish 33.4 rebounds per contest as a group. They are surrendering 36.9% from 3-point land while they are 330th in college in PPG allowed (80.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels got the win with a final of 79-75 when they played Central Arkansas. The Colonels snagged 21 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards totaling 30 in the matchup. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 7 steals in the matchup. Central Arkansas earned 14 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Colonels to the free throw line for 7 tries. They were able to make 4 of them for a clip of 57.1%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Eastern Kentucky knocked down 19 of 45 attempts (42.2%). At the conclusion of this game, the Colonels shot 28 out of 64 from the floor which had them shooting 43.8%. The Colonels allowed Central Arkansas to convert 27 of their 63 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 42.9% for this game. They finished 30.3% from 3-point land by shooting 10 out of 33 and finished the game at 11 of 15 from the free throw line (73.3%). Concerning rebounding, Eastern Kentucky allowed Central Arkansas to get 37 overall (11 offensive).

Juan Cranford Jr. was important for the Colonels in the game. He totaled 20 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 3 dimes for the matchup. He converted 6 of 15 in this contest for a field goal rate of 40.0%, and had 4 rebounds.

Eastern Kentucky has a mark of 6-11 so far this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Colonels are hitting on 42.4% from the floor, which is ranked 314th in the country. Eastern Kentucky has earned 1,360 points so far this year (80.0 per contest) and they average 37.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.3 times per game (188th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.8 times per game. The Colonels are responsible for committing 18.0 fouls every game and they go 72.3% from the charity stripe.

The Eastern Kentucky defense surrenders 34.8% on 3-point attempts (139 of 400) and opponents are knocking down 69.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 15.0 assists and 36.9 rebounds per game, which ranks them 284th and 296th in college hoops. The Colonels on the defensive side of the court are 326th in D-1 in points allowed per contest with 80.4. They are able to force 12.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 47.7% from the floor (335th in the country).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Bellarmine

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