Denver Pioneers vs UMKC Kangaroos Prediction, 1/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Denver Pioneers vs UMKC Kangaroos

Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Location: Swinney Center in Kansas City, MO

TV: ESPN+

Swinney Center is where the UMKC Kangaroos (4-17) will meet the Denver Pioneers (9-13) on Wednesday.

The Denver Pioneers played North Dakota and took a loss by a score of 93-86 in their last contest. Denver finished with a 50.0% FG percentage (28 of 56) and converted 12 of their 25 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Pioneers converted 18 of their 27 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned 30 with 8 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 15 assists for the contest while forcing 7 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In relation to defending, Denver allowed 50.0% from the floor on 30 out of 60 shooting. North Dakota distributed 8 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. In addition, North Dakota pulled down 29 rebounds (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't have a block. North Dakota went 68.8% at the free throw line by making 22 of 32 tries. They also buried 11 out of their 24 tries from downtown. Concerning personal fouls, the Pioneers walked away with 26 while North Dakota had 23 personal fouls.

Carson Johnson is a guy who came through for this game. He went 52.6% from the field and distributed 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and also pulled down 1 board. He recorded 32 points on 10 out of 19 shooting.

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Denver heads into this game with a mark of 9-13 for the campaign. They have an average of 84.0 points per game (49th in Division 1) while hitting 48.6% from the field. The Pioneers are hitting 38.9% on three-point shots (197 of 507) and 77.1% from the free throw line. As a team, Denver is collecting 33.0 rebounds per game and has racked up 257 assists for the season, which has them ranked 290th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 17.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Pioneers are able to force 9.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.8 personal fouls. They are 284th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 303 surrendered this season. The Pioneers are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 49.7% (677 of 1,362) and they relinquish 34.7 rebounds per game as a squad. They are surrendering 39.1% on three-point shots while they are 355th in college in PPG allowed (85.3).

The last time they took the court, the UMKC Kangaroos took a defeat with a final score of 77-60 when they faced Omaha. The Kangaroos were able to collect 18 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in this game. They coughed it up 15 times, while getting 5 steals in the matchup. Omaha committed 15 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Kangaroos to the charity stripe for a total of 15 shots. They were able to knock down 8 of the free throw tries for a rate of 53.3%. With respect to shots from 3-point land, UMKC buried 8 of 31 tries (25.8%). Overall, the Kangaroos finished 22 out of 60 from the floor which had them at 36.7%. The Kangaroos allowed Omaha to convert 27 of their 60 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 45.0% for this contest. They finished 32.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 8 out of 25 and finished the game at 15 of 22 from the free throw line (68.2%). In relation to team rebounding, UMKC permitted Omaha to pull down 41 overall (13 on the offensive glass).

Kasheem Grady II was important for the Kangaroos for this game. He accumulated 15 points in his 28 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for the game. He buried 4 of 10 in this matchup giving him a rate of 40.0%, and totaled 2 rebounds.

UMKC has a win-loss mark of 4-17 on the campaign. The Kangaroos commit 16.8 fouls per game and they shoot 70.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.2 times per contest (309th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 13.9 times per contest. UMKC has tallied 1,505 points this year (71.7 per game) and they collect 34.0 boards per game. As an offense, the Kangaroos are hitting on 42.6% from the field, which is 309th in the country.

The Kangaroos are ranked 351st in D-1 in PPG given up with 83.1. They have forced 12.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 48.6% from the field (352nd in college hoops). The UMKC defense allows 34.2% on shots from behind the 3-point line (167 of 488) and opponents are converting on 69.7% of their foul shots. They have allowed 15.9 dimes and 38.3 rebounds per contest, which has them ranked 327th and 341st in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UMKC

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