Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs Central Connecticut Blue Devils Prediction, 1/23/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Fairleigh Dickinson Knights vs Central Connecticut Blue Devils

Date: Friday, January 23, 2026

Location: Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, CT

TV: ESPN+

Detrick Gymnasium is the site where the Central Connecticut Blue Devils (10-6) will take on the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (5-13) on Friday.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights faced Wagner and walked away with a win by a score of 68-61 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Knights ended up with 17 while Wagner accounted for 19 personal fouls. They also made 5 out of their 14 attempts from distance. Wagner finished the game shooting 87.5% at the charity stripe by making 14 of their 16 shots. Furthermore, Wagner snagged 19 boards (4 offensive, 15 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Wagner dished out 4 dimes and had 6 steals for the matchup. When discussing the defense, Fairleigh Dickinson let their opponent shoot 43.8% from the floor on 21 out of 48 shooting. They also distributed 6 dimes for the matchup while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they earned 31 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Knights made 19 of 25 shots for a rate of 76.0%. Fairleigh Dickinson walked away from the game with a 47.7% field goal percentage (21 out of 44) and made 7 of their 17 shots from distance.

Joey Niesman is a player who came through for this game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the floor and also earned 2 assists. He played for 40 minutes and also grabbed 3 rebounds. He ended up with 23 points on 7 of 14 shooting.

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Fairleigh Dickinson heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 5-13 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.7 times per contest and as a group are committing 17.7 personal fouls every game. As a team, Fairleigh Dickinson is collecting 36.7 rebounds per game and is sitting with 223 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 311th in the country in terms of passing. The Knights are connecting on 30.9% on three-point attempts (161 of 521) and 69.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 68.6 points per contest (329th in the country) while going 40.2% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Knights are forcing 12.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 215th in D-1 in allowing assists with 252 surrendered this season. The Knights defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.9% (452 of 984) and they concede 33.8 boards per contest as a group. They surrender 36.0% on shots from downtown while they are 145th in college in PPG allowed (72.4).

The last time they took the court, the Central Connecticut Blue Devils walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 79-61 when they faced Mercyhurst. The Blue Devils were able to snag 15 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 25 for the contest. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while recording 3 steals in the matchup. Mercyhurst committed 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Blue Devils to the free throw line for 15 shots. They were able to knock down 12 of those for a rate of 80.0%. With respect to shots from beyond the perimeter, Central Connecticut converted 5 out of their 22 attempts (22.7%). In all, the Blue Devils walked away from this one shooting 22 for 60 from the field which gave them a rate of 36.7%. The Blue Devils permitted Mercyhurst to make 33 out of their 60 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.0% in this matchup. They finished 52.9% from 3-point land by shooting 9 of 17 and finished the game at 4 out of 4 at the free throw line (100.0%). In relation to attacking the glass, Central Connecticut permitted Mercyhurst to collect 32 in total (8 offensive).

Darin Smith Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Blue Devils in this matchup. He converted 4 of 14 for the game giving him a rate of 28.6%, and had 4 rebounds. He racked up 15 points in his 35 mins on the court and had 1 assist in this contest.

Central Connecticut has a mark of 10-6 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Blue Devils are hitting on 48.5% from the field, which ranks them 46th in the nation. Central Connecticut has totaled 1,264 pts this season (79.0 per game) and they collect 35.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 15.6 times per contest (103rd in college hoops) and they cough up possession 10.3 times per game. The Blue Devils commit 12.8 personal fouls per contest and they hit 74.6% from the charity stripe.

The Central Connecticut defense allows 33.8% on shots from 3-point land (143 of 423) and opponents are connecting on 73.3% of their foul shots. They relinquish 14.3 assists and 34.1 rebounds per contest, which ranks 252nd and 155th in the country. The Blue Devils defensively are ranked 130th in college hoops in points given up per game with 71.9. They are able to force 10.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.3% from the floor (107th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Central Connecticut

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