Howard Bison vs North Carolina Central Eagles Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Howard Bison vs North Carolina Central Eagles

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: McDougald-McLendon Arena in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN+

McDougald-McLendon Arena is the location where the North Carolina Central Eagles (7-11) will attempt to defeat the Howard Bison (10-8) on Saturday.

The Howard Bison took the court against Delaware State and earned the victory with a final of 84-58 in their last game. Howard wrapped up the contest with a 54.7% FG percentage (29 of 53) and buried 5 of 15 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Bison knocked down 21 of their 27 tries for a rate of 77.8%. With regard to pulling down boards, they collected 28 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 21 assists in this matchup while forcing 15 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In reference to defending, Howard allowed the other team to go 36.7% from the field on 18 out of 49 shooting. Delaware State doled out 10 dimes and had 3 steals for the contest. Moreover, Delaware State pulled down 21 boards (10 offensive, 11 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Delaware State finished the game at 76.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 16 of their 21 attempts. They also converted 6 of their 18 tries from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Bison ended up with 20 and Delaware State totaled 21 personal fouls.

Ose Okojie is a guy who played a role in the game. He was able to score 16 points on 5 of 6 shooting. He saw the court for 26 minutes played and also pulled down 5 rebounds. He shot 83.3% from the field and also distributed 1 assist.

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Howard steps onto the court with a record of 10-8 for the campaign. They are averaging 73.1 points per contest (273rd in college) on 44.4% from the field. The Bison are connecting on 33.9% on shots from beyond the arc (114 of 336) and 70.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Howard is pulling in 34.4 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 263 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 135th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn the ball over 13.8 times per game and as a team they commit 20.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Bison are forcing 15.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.5 fouls. They rank 41st in college in giving up assists with 192 relinquished this season. The Bison defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.8% (415 of 948) and they surrender 32.8 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 30.9% on 3-pointers and they are 87th in college hoops in points per game allowed (69.7).

When they last played, the North Carolina Central Eagles got the victory with a final of 89-78 when they faced Morgan State. The Eagles collected 23 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 26 in this game. They also coughed it up 9 times, while getting 6 steals for the contest. Morgan State committed 22 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Eagles to the charity stripe for 33 shots. They were able to knock down 25 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 75.8%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, North Carolina Central buried 4 out of their 9 tries (44.4%). Overall, the Eagles shot 30 out of 47 from the field which had them shooting 63.8%. The Eagles permitted Morgan State to convert 24 out of their 55 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.6% in this contest. They wrapped up this game 31.8% from distance by going 7 out of 22 and ended up shooting 23 of 33 at the free throw line (69.7%). When talking about rebounding, North Carolina Central permitted Morgan State to snag 29 in total (12 on the offensive side).

Khouri Carvey was important for the Eagles in the game. He tallied 21 points in his 31 minutes on the court and accumulated 3 assists for the contest. He knocked down 8 of 10 in this game for a rate of 80.0%, and had 8 rebounds.

North Carolina Central has a mark of 7-11 this season. The Eagles commit 18.7 fouls every game and they shoot 73.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 15.3 times per contest (119th in college) and they are turning it over 12.4 times per game. North Carolina Central has tallied 1,330 points for the campaign (73.9 per game) and they collect 33.1 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Eagles are hitting on 43.6% from the field, which ranks 268th in the country.

The Eagles on the defensive side of the court are 291st in college in PPG given up with 77.8. They have forced 15.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 45.8% from the field (296th in college). The North Carolina Central defense allows 35.5% on 3-pointers (161 of 454) and their opposition knocks down 70.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 15.6 assists and 37.6 boards per game, which has them ranked 307th and 316th in college hoops.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Howard

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