Idaho State Bengals vs Northern Colorado Bears Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Idaho State Bengals vs Northern Colorado Bears

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, CO

TV: ESPN+

The Northern Colorado Bears (10-5) will try to defeat the Idaho State Bengals (8-7) at Bank of Colorado Arena on Thursday.

The Idaho State Bengals played Portland State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 93-87 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Bengals finished with 18 while Portland State finished the game with 22 fouls. They also converted 7 of their 21 tries from distance. Portland State finished the game at 84.6% from the charity stripe by converting 22 of their 26 shots. Moreover, Portland State totaled 28 boards (6 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Portland State totaled 16 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. When it comes to the defense, Idaho State allowed the other team to go 53.3% from the field on 32 out of 60 shooting. They also distributed 18 assists in this game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Bengals buried 20 of their 30 shots for a rate of 66.7%. Idaho State ended the game having earned a 45.0% field goal percentage (27 out of 60) and made 13 out of their 32 3-pointers.

Martin Kheil is a player who was a factor in this matchup. He walked away with 20 points on 6 out of 10 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 37 mins but concluded the game with no rebounds. He ended up shooting 60.0% from the floor and earned 4 assists.

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Idaho State comes into this matchup with a record of 8-7 for the campaign. They are turning it over 11.6 times per game and as a group they are committing 17.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Idaho State is snagging 33.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 207 dimes this year, which has them ranked 228th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Bengals are connecting on 35.6% on 3-point shots (135 of 379) and 72.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 77.8 pts per game (175th in D-1) while connecting on 46.6% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bengals are able to force 11.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.5 personal fouls. They give up 32.1% from 3-point land and they are ranked 165th in D-1 in PPG allowed (72.6). The Bengals defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.7% (386 of 864) and they concede 29.3 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 126th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 189 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Northern Colorado Bears walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 88-79 when they faced Montana. The Bears pulled down 23 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 31 in the matchup. They also turned it over 10 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. Montana committed 19 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Bears to the charity stripe for 21 shots. They were able to convert 16 of the free throws for a rate of 76.2%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, Northern Colorado made 11 of 35 tries (31.4%). Overall, the Bears shot 26 for 71 from the field which gave them a percentage of 36.6%. The Bears permitted Montana to convert 23 out of their 52 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 44.2% for the game. They shot 29.2% from downtown by going 7 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 35 of 38 from the free throw line (92.1%). In the matter of how they attacked the glass, Northern Colorado permitted Montana to grab 34 in total (4 offensive).

Brock Wisne pitched in for the Bears in this contest. He earned 22 points in his 37 minutes on the court and had 4 dimes for the game. He converted 7 of 14 for the game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and had 8 rebounds.

Northern Colorado has a record of 10-5 so far this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Bears are shooting 49.2% from the field, which ranks 38th in Division 1. Northern Colorado has earned 1,283 points for the season (85.5 per contest) and they collect 37.7 boards per game. They are earning an assist 17.7 times per game (41st in college) and they are turning it over 11.6 times per contest. The Bears are responsible for committing 17.1 personal fouls every game and they hit 75.9% from the charity stripe.

The Northern Colorado defense allows 29.3% on shots from behind the 3-point line (94 of 321) and opponents are making 76.1% of their foul shots. They have allowed 10.4 assists and 31.3 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 16th and 48th in college hoops. The Bears are ranked 291st in college hoops in PPG given up with 77.8. They are forcing their opponents into 9.9 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.5% from the floor (287th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Northern Colorado

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