Kennesaw State Owls vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 3/5/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Kennesaw State Owls vs UTEP Miners

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: CBSSN

Don Haskins Center is the site where the UTEP Miners (10-19) will play the Kennesaw State Owls (18-11) on Thursday.

The Kennesaw State Owls took the court against Delaware and walked away with a win by a score of 90-82 in their last contest. Kennesaw State walked away from the game with a 56.9% field goal percentage (29 of 51) and knocked down 10 out of their 23 shots from downtown. At the free throw line, the Owls made 22 of their 31 tries for a percentage of 71.0%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they collected 28 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 19 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In the matter of the defense, Kennesaw State allowed the other team to go 46.0% from the floor on 23 out of 50 shooting. Delaware recorded 11 assists and had 10 steals in the game. In addition, Delaware collected 16 boards (2 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Delaware finished 96.2% from the free throw line by burying 25 of their 26 tries. They knocked down 11 out of their 24 attempts from distance. Regarding fouls, the Owls finished with 21 and Delaware accumulated 20 fouls.

Jaden Harris is one guy who was a factor in the game. He notched 22 points on 6 out of 11 shooting. He played for 35 minutes but didn't pull down any rebounds. He ended up shooting 54.5% from the field and recorded 5 assists.

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Kennesaw State heads into this one with a mark of 18-11 this season. They are turning it over 12.0 times per game and as a team are committing 20.1 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Kennesaw State is snagging 40.7 boards per game and has racked up 427 assists for the season, which is 168th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Owls are hitting 35.7% on three-point attempts (287 of 805) and 68.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 84.2 points per outing (27th in the nation) while shooting 44.8% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Owls have forced 12.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 35th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 336 relinquished for the campaign. The Owls defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 40.8% (701 of 1,717) and they concede 34.8 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are relinquishing 34.2% from beyond the arc and they are 243rd in college in PPG allowed (76.2).

In their last game, the UTEP Miners walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 97-65 when they played Western Kentucky. In relation to how they attacked the glass, UTEP permitted Western Kentucky to collect 35 in total (4 offensive). They went 45.0% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 9 out of 20 and ended up going 24 of 28 from the free throw line (85.7%). The Miners permitted Western Kentucky to make 32 of 54 tries from the field which left them shooting 59.3% for the game. In all, the Miners finished shooting 19 for 53 from the floor which gave them a rate of 35.8%. In regard to shots from distance, UTEP made 8 of 28 attempts (28.6%). They were able to convert 19 of those for a percentage of 65.5%. Western Kentucky was called for 20 fouls for the matchup which took the Miners to the free throw line for a total of 29 attempts. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 6 steals for the matchup. The Miners were able to corral 18 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 26 in the matchup.

Jamal West Jr. was important for the Miners in this game. He had 22 points in his 37 mins on the court and accounted for 1 assist in the game. He converted 7 out of 11 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 63.6%, and added 7 rebounds.

UTEP has a mark of 10-19 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Miners are shooting 42.7% from the floor, which ranks 313th in the country. UTEP has totaled 2,010 points on the campaign (69.3 per contest) and they collect 32.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.9 times per game (322nd in the nation) and they lose possession via turnover 11.7 times per contest. The Miners are committing 18.3 fouls every game and they shoot 69.7% from the free throw line.

The UTEP defense allows 34.8% on 3-pointers (207 of 595) and opponents are knocking down 71.0% of their free throw shots. They allow 13.3 assists and 35.9 boards per game, which has them ranked 174th and 273rd in the country. The Miners defensively are ranked 149th in college in PPG surrendered with 72.7. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (252nd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UTEP

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