Merrimack Warriors vs Siena Saints Prediction, 1/9/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Merrimack Warriors vs Siena Saints

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: MVP Arena in Albany, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Merrimack Warriors (9-7) are on their way to MVP Arena on Friday where they will attempt to beat the Siena Saints (10-5).

The Merrimack Warriors faced Manhattan and walked away with a win by a score of 73-66 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Warriors ended up walking away with 11 and Manhattan finished the game with 15 personal fouls. They buried 3 out of their 12 tries from beyond the arc. Manhattan finished the game at 87.5% from the free throw line by making 7 of 8 tries. In addition, Manhattan had 32 rebounds (10 offensive, 22 defensive), but didn't have a block. Manhattan earned 11 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. When discussing defending, Merrimack let their opponent shoot 42.4% from the field on 28 out of 66 shooting. They also recorded 15 assists in this contest as well as forcing 9 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In reference to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 32 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Warriors made 13 of 20 attempts for a rate of 65.0%. Merrimack wrapped up the contest with a 48.1% FG percentage (26 out of 54) and buried 8 out of their 26 three-point attempts.

Kevair Kennedy is one guy who was a contributor for this game. He finished shooting 61.5% from the floor and distributed 7 assists. He saw the court for 40 mins and also totaled 8 rebounds. He racked up 20 points on 8 out of 13 shooting.

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Merrimack will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 9-7 so far this year. They turn the ball over 9.9 times per contest and as a squad they commit 17.3 fouls every game. As a unit, Merrimack is pulling down 27.9 rebounds per game and is sitting with 194 assists this season, which has them ranked 291st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Warriors are hitting 30.7% on three-point attempts (130 of 423) and 76.4% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 66.9 pts per contest (341st in college hoops) while hitting 39.8% from the field.

On defense, the Warriors are able to force 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.9 fouls. They surrender 30.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 128th in D-1 in points per game allowed (71.2). The Warriors defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 44.2% (398 of 901) and they surrender 40.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They are ranked 236th in college in allowing assists with 216 surrendered for the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Siena Saints got the victory with a final of 74-65 when they played Rider. In the matter of cleaning up the glass, Siena permitted Rider to get 21 in total (8 offensive). They finished 18.2% from beyond the arc by going 4 of 22 and ended up shooting 11 out of 13 at the free throw line (84.6%). The Saints allowed Rider to convert 25 of 58 attempts from the field which left them shooting 43.1% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Saints shot 26 out of 56 from the floor which had them at 46.4%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, Siena converted 6 out of 15 attempts (40.0%). They were able to knock down 16 of those for a rate of 72.7%. Rider committed 15 fouls in this contest which got the Saints to the charity stripe for a total of 22 attempts. They also turned it over 10 times, while getting 3 steals in the matchup. The Saints were able to pull down 22 defensive boards and 17 offensive boards totaling 39 in the game.

Gavin Doty pitched in for the Saints in this contest. He converted 8 of 13 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and had 7 rebounds. He totaled 19 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and totaled 5 dimes in this matchup.

Siena has a record of 10-5 on the campaign. The Saints commit 14.1 fouls per contest and they connect on 72.0% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.9 times per game (286th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 10.7 times per contest. Siena has tallied 1,050 points so far this year (70.0 per contest) and they grab 34.4 rebounds per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Saints are hitting on 44.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 229th in college.

The Siena defense allows 29.9% on 3-pointers (86 of 288) and opponents are knocking down 72.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 10.7 assists and 31.2 total boards per game, which is ranked 26th and 44th in those defensive categories. The Saints on the defensive side of the court are 22nd in college in points allowed per contest with 65.3. They are able to force 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.6% from the field (255th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Siena

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