Kennesaw State Owls vs Sam Houston State Bearkats Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kennesaw State Owls vs Sam Houston State Bearkats

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, TX

TV: ESPN+

Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum is where the Sam Houston State Bearkats (11-7) will attempt to defeat the Kennesaw State Owls (12-6) on Wednesday.

The Kennesaw State Owls faced off with Western Kentucky and notched a win by a score of 81-65 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Owls walked away with 17 while Western Kentucky totaled 23 personal fouls. They converted 10 of their 33 shots from downtown. Western Kentucky went 65.2% at the free throw line by making 15 of 23 tries. Additionally, Western Kentucky snagged 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Western Kentucky distributed 9 dimes and had 4 steals for the matchup. Pertaining to defending, Kennesaw State allowed the other team to shoot 29.4% from the floor on 20 of 68 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest while creating 7 turnovers and getting 4 steals. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they compiled 43 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Owls knocked down 22 of 29 tries for a rate of 75.9%. Kennesaw State ended the contest having earned a 40.7% field goal percentage (24 of 59) and buried 11 of 30 shots from distance.

RJ Johnson is someone who was a major contributor for the contest. He left the arena with 31 points on 8 of 18 shooting. He played for 39 minutes played and also snagged 9 boards. He finished the contest at 44.4% from the floor and also dished out 5 dimes.

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Kennesaw State comes into this contest with a mark of 12-6 for the campaign. They turn it over 13.1 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Kennesaw State is snagging 45.0 boards per game and has racked up 274 dimes for the year, which ranks 147th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Owls are connecting on 34.7% on 3-point shots (182 of 525) and 69.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 88.5 points per outing (17th in D-1) while going 45.1% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Owls have forced 13.0 turnovers per game and they draw 20.6 fouls. They surrender 33.2% on 3-point attempts and they rank 254th in the country in PPG allowed (76.3). The Owls defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.0% (437 of 1,120) and they surrender 36.1 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 19th in college in allowing assists to their opponents with 194 relinquished on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Sam Houston State Bearkats walked away with a victory by a final of 76-63 when they played FIU. The Bearkats were able to pull down 27 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 35 for this contest. They gave up possession of the ball 16 times, while recording 10 steals for the contest. FIU committed 23 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Bearkats to the free throw line for a total of 26 shots. They were able to bury 14 of them for a rate of 53.8%. Regarding shooting from downtown, Sam Houston State knocked down 10 of 29 tries (34.5%). At the conclusion of this game, the Bearkats went 26 out of 59 from the floor which had them sitting at 44.1%. The Bearkats permitted FIU to bury 15 of their 51 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 29.4% for this game. They shot 42.9% from beyond the perimeter by going 9 out of 21 and finished the contest at 24 out of 39 at the free throw line (61.5%). When talking about rebounding, Sam Houston State allowed FIU to grab 39 in all (13 offensive).

Jacobe Coleman ended up being important for the Bearkats in the game. He racked up 14 points in his 28 minutes on the court, but went home with no dimes. He converted 6 out of 12 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and added 3 rebounds.

Sam Houston State has a win-loss record of 11-7 so far this year. The Bearkats commit 18.9 fouls per contest and they hit 74.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 15.6 times per game (105th in D-1) and they lose possession via turnover 12.6 times per game. Sam Houston State has tallied 1,514 pts on the season (84.1 per contest) and they snag 43.0 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Bearkats are shooting 46.1% from the floor, which is 140th in D-1.

The Bearkats defensively are ranked 198th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 74.1. They have forced 12.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 40.7% from the field (45th in D-1). The Sam Houston State defense concedes 30.6% on shots from behind the 3-point line (153 of 500) and opponents are converting on 69.7% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.6 dimes and 34.2 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 116th and 164th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kennesaw State

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