Delaware Blue Hens vs Sam Houston State Bearkats Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Delaware Blue Hens vs Sam Houston State Bearkats

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Sam Houston State Bearkats (8-6) will try to defeat the Delaware Blue Hens (5-9) at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum on Thursday.

The Delaware Blue Hens played Kennesaw State and earned the victory with a final of 67-52 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Blue Hens walked away with 14 while Kennesaw State totaled 16 fouls. They also buried 7 out of their 35 tries from 3-point range. Kennesaw State finished 91.7% at the charity stripe by converting 11 of 12 attempts. Furthermore, Kennesaw State had 39 rebounds (15 offensive, 24 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Kennesaw State doled out 11 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. With respect to the defense, Delaware let their opponent shoot 28.3% from the field on 17 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 12 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and having 8 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 29 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Blue Hens converted 10 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 58.8%. Delaware walked away from the contest with a 50.0% field goal percentage (26 of 52) and knocked down 5 out of their 15 3-point attempts.

Christian Bliss is one player who came through for this game. He totaled 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 40 mins played and also collected 8 boards. He finished the game at 46.2% from the floor and dished out 7 assists.

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Delaware heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 5-9 for the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a squad they are committing 14.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Delaware is collecting 32.2 rebounds per contest and has tallied 187 assists this year, which ranks 302nd in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Blue Hens are shooting 35.3% on shots from downtown (117 of 331) and 72.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 66.1 points per game (343rd in D-1) while hitting 44.1% from the field.

Defensively, the Blue Hens are forcing their opponents into 10.4 turnovers every game while drawing 13.4 personal fouls. They currently rank 84th in D-1 in giving up assists with 181 surrendered this season. The Blue Hens defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 41.6% (342 of 823) and they concede 35.3 boards per contest as a group. They are giving up 32.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 117th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (70.7).

In their last game, the Sam Houston State Bearkats went home defeated by a final of 68-67 when they played MTSU. The Bearkats snagged 29 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 38 for the matchup. They gave up possession 16 times, while recording 7 steals for this contest. MTSU was called for 11 personal fouls for this game which took the Bearkats to the free throw line for a total of 12 shots. They were able to bury 8 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 66.7%. In regard to shots from distance, Sam Houston State converted 5 out of 11 tries (45.5%). Overall, the Bearkats shot 27 for 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.2%. The Bearkats allowed MTSU to convert 24 of their 62 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 38.7% in the game. They finished the game shooting 37.9% from behind the 3-point line by connecting on 11 of 29 and finished the contest at 9 of 10 from the free throw line (90.0%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Sam Houston State allowed MTSU to get 28 in all (6 offensive).

Veljko Ilic ended up having an impact for the Bearkats for the matchup. He made 8 of 12 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and had 13 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 30 mins on the court and had 3 dimes for the contest.

Sam Houston State has a win-loss record of 8-6 for the campaign. The Bearkats are committing 19.4 personal fouls per contest and they hit 74.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 15.6 times per contest (116th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.5 times per contest. Sam Houston State has totaled 1,215 points for the season (86.8 per game) and they average 44.1 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Bearkats are shooting 46.4% from the floor, which ranks 135th in college.

The Bearkats on defense are ranked 251st in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 76.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.4 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.5% from the field (57th in college hoops). The Sam Houston State defense gives up 29.8% on shots from beyond the arc (122 of 409) and opponents are connecting on 70.6% of their foul shots. They give up 12.5 assists and 35.2 rebounds per game, which is ranked 113th and 224th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Delaware

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