Central Arkansas Bears vs Bellarmine Knights Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Central Arkansas Bears vs Bellarmine Knights

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Knights Hall in Louisville, KY

TV: ESPN+

The Bellarmine Knights (5-9) will compete against the Central Arkansas Bears (7-8) at Knights Hall on Thursday.

The Central Arkansas Bears faced off with Stetson and went home with a win by a final score of 93-73 in their last contest. Regarding personal fouls, the Bears ended up finishing with 18 while Stetson finished the game with 19 personal fouls. They also made 11 out of their 31 shots from downtown. Stetson ended up shooting 66.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 14 of their 21 shots. Moreover, Stetson pulled down 24 rebounds (6 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Stetson recorded 16 assists and had 4 steals for the matchup. In regard to defense, Central Arkansas allowed 47.1% from the field on 24 of 51 shooting. They also recorded 22 dimes for the game while forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and getting 8 steals. With respect to getting rebounds, they compiled 31 with 12 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Bears buried 18 of their 23 shots for a percentage of 78.3%. Central Arkansas wrapped up the game having earned a 50.8% FG percentage (31 of 61) and made 13 of 32 3-point shots.

Camren Hunter is a guy who was a major factor for the matchup. He racked up 21 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He played 29 mins played and also collected 4 rebounds. He finished 57.1% from the field and also totaled 5 assists.

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Central Arkansas comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 7-8 so far this year. They are losing possession via turnover 12.4 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Central Arkansas is pulling in 37.6 rebounds per contest and has 240 assists on the year, which ranks 98th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bears are hitting 32.2% on 3-point shots (155 of 482) and 66.3% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.0 pts per game (166th in the nation) while going 44.2% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Bears are forcing 13.8 turnovers every game and they draw 15.5 fouls. They currently rank 311th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 238 conceded on the campaign. The Bears defense is allowing a FG percentage of 43.8% (395 of 902) and they surrender 35.7 boards per contest as a group. They are giving up 31.4% on 3-point attempts and they rank 217th in the nation in PPG allowed (74.7).

The last time they took the court, the Bellarmine Knights took a loss by a final score of 98-76 when they faced Queens. The Knights were able to snag 21 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 24 for this contest. They also turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 1 steal for the game. Queens committed 23 fouls in the game which got the Knights to the free throw line for 25 attempts. They were able to convert 17 of those for a percentage of 68.0%. In relation to shots from downtown, Bellarmine converted 9 out of their 20 attempts (45.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Knights went 25 for 48 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.1%. The Knights allowed Queens to bury 33 out of 67 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 49.3% for the game. They finished shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc by connecting on 24 out of 54 and ended up shooting 8 of 13 at the charity stripe (61.5%). When it comes to attacking the glass, Bellarmine permitted Queens to pull down 36 overall (10 on the offensive glass).

Jack Karasinski was important for the Knights in this matchup. He racked up 24 points in his 32 mins on the court and had 1 assist for this game. He converted 7 out of 12 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and totaled 3 rebounds.

Bellarmine has a mark of 5-9 so far this season. The Knights are committing 15.8 personal fouls every game and they connect on 78.8% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 14.4 times per game (181st in D-1) and they are turning it over 11.9 times per contest. Bellarmine has accounted for 1,101 points for the campaign (78.6 per game) and they pull in 28.6 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Knights are hitting on 52.0% from the floor, which is ranked 12th in Division 1.

The Knights on the defensive end are ranked 331st in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 80.9. They are forcing their opponents into 11.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.7% from the floor (330th in the nation). The Bellarmine defense gives up 36.7% on 3-point shots (157 of 428) and opponents are connecting on 71.6% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 16.1 dimes and 32.9 boards every game, which ranks them 327th and 93rd in college.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Central Arkansas

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