Liberty Flames vs Sam Houston State Bearkats Prediction, 1/10/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Liberty Flames vs Sam Houston State Bearkats

Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026

Location: Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, TX

TV: ESPN+

Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum is the site where the Sam Houston State Bearkats (8-6) will take on the Liberty Flames (11-3) on Saturday.

The Liberty Flames faced off with Jacksonville State and earned the victory with a final of 78-69 in their last contest. Liberty ended the contest having earned a 44.4% FG percentage (24 out of 54) and converted 8 of their 22 3-pointers. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Flames converted 22 of 28 tries for a percentage of 78.6%. In terms of pulling down rebounds, they earned 27 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 14 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and getting 3 steals. Regarding the defense, Liberty allowed their opponent to shoot 40.4% from the floor on 23 out of 57 shooting. Jacksonville State earned 10 assists and had 4 steals in the game. On top of that, Jacksonville State pulled down 30 rebounds (10 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Jacksonville State walked away from this one shooting 89.5% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of their 19 tries. They converted 6 out of their 19 tries from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Flames left the arena with 16 while Jacksonville State recorded 20 personal fouls.

Kaden Metheny is one guy who was important for this game. He ended up with 22 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 38 mins played and totaled 3 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 53.8% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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Liberty heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 11-3 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 9.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 14.8 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Liberty is pulling in 31.7 rebounds per game and has accounted for 252 assists on the campaign, which ranks 81st in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Flames are connecting on 40.4% on shots from downtown (157 of 389) and 66.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 81.3 pts per contest (102nd in Division 1) while shooting 52.3% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Flames are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.9 personal fouls. They rank 33rd in D-1 in allowing assists with 165 surrendered on the campaign. The Flames are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 42.2% (347 of 823) and they relinquish 34.3 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are relinquishing 33.0% on 3-pointers and they are 64th in college in PPG allowed (68.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Sam Houston State Bearkats walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 68-67 against MTSU. The Bearkats were able to snag 29 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 38 for this game. They also gave up possession 16 times, while earning 7 steals in this matchup. MTSU was called for 11 personal fouls for this game which got the Bearkats to the charity stripe for a total of 12 shots. They were able to bury 8 of those for a rate of 66.7%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Sam Houston State made 5 of their 11 tries (45.5%). Overall, the Bearkats ended up going 27 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 48.2%. The Bearkats allowed MTSU to convert 24 of 62 attempts from the field which had them shooting 38.7% in this contest. They finished 37.9% from three-point range by connecting on 11 of 29 and ended up shooting 9 out of 10 from the charity stripe (90.0%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Sam Houston State allowed MTSU to get 28 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Veljko Ilic was important for the Bearkats for the matchup. He accumulated 16 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and tallied 3 assists in this contest. He knocked down 8 of 12 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and earned 13 rebounds.

Sam Houston State has a win-loss mark of 8-6 on the season. The Bearkats have committed 19.4 fouls per game while shooting 74.7% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 15.6 times per contest (114th in D-1) and they are giving up possession 12.5 times per game. Sam Houston State has scored 1,215 pts this year (86.8 per contest) and they grab 44.1 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bearkats are shooting 46.4% from the field, which has them ranked 130th in college.

The Bearkats on the defensive end are ranked 251st in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 76.2. They are able to force 12.4 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 40.5% from the field (58th in D-1). The Sam Houston State defense concedes 29.8% on 3-pointers (122 of 409) and their opposition knocks down 70.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 12.5 dimes and 35.2 total boards per game, which has them ranked 115th and 221st in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Liberty

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