Missouri State Bears vs New Mexico State Aggies Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs New Mexico State Aggies

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, NM

TV: ESPN+

Pan American Center is the location where the New Mexico State Aggies (10-7) will attempt to defeat the Missouri State Bears (10-8) on Thursday.

The Missouri State Bears faced off with MTSU and ended up losing by a score of 90-87 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Bears left the arena with 22 while MTSU finished the game with 20 personal fouls. They also converted 14 of 28 shots from downtown. MTSU finished the contest at 78.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 18 of 23 attempts. Moreover, MTSU grabbed 34 rebounds (8 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. MTSU doled out 17 assists and had 5 steals in the matchup. Pertaining to defending, Missouri State allowed their opponent to shoot 52.7% from the field on 29 out of 55 shooting. They also distributed 16 dimes in the game as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they compiled a total of 26 with 12 of them being offensive. At the charity stripe, the Bears converted 16 of 26 tries for a rate of 61.5%. Missouri State wrapped up the game having earned a 43.5% field goal percentage (30 of 69) and made 11 of 25 shots from beyond the arc.

Keith Palek III is one guy who was a major contributor in the matchup. He totaled 20 points on 6 of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 43 minutes and also totaled 8 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 35.3% from the field and distributed 7 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Missouri State enters this one with a win-loss mark of 10-8 on the year. They average 75.9 pts per game (211th in the country) while going 44.7% from the field. The Bears are connecting on 31.2% on shots from beyond the arc (136 of 436) and 67.4% from the free throw line. As a team, Missouri State is pulling down 35.6 boards per game and has racked up 261 assists so far this year, which ranks 198th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 11.4 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.5 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Bears have forced 12.2 turnovers per game and they draw 19.1 fouls. They are conceding 34.2% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 159th in college in PPG allowed (72.8). The Bears defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.2% (456 of 1,031) and they relinquish 34.4 rebounds per contest as a team. They are 157th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 239 relinquished on the campaign.

In their last game, the New Mexico State Aggies took home the win by a final score of 97-68 against Delaware. Concerning how they attacked the glass, New Mexico State allowed Delaware to collect 22 overall (5 on the offensive glass). They shot 40.9% from three-point range by connecting on 9 out of 22 and finished the contest at 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). The Aggies allowed Delaware to make 23 out of their 52 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.2% for the matchup. When all was said and done, the Aggies ended up shooting 36 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 57.1%. With regard to 3-pointers, New Mexico State made 14 of their 28 attempts (50.0%). They were able to knock down 11 of the free throws for a clip of 100.0%. Delaware earned 10 personal fouls in this game which got the Aggies to the charity stripe for 11 shots. They coughed up the ball 4 times, while recording 5 steals in this game. The Aggies recorded 24 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards totaling 31 in this matchup.

Jemel Jones was important for the Aggies in the matchup. He tallied 19 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 5 dimes in the matchup. He knocked down 7 of 15 for the matchup for a rate of 46.7%, and had 4 rebounds.

New Mexico State has a mark of 10-7 for the year. The Aggies commit 20.2 personal fouls every game and they connect on 72.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 13.8 times per contest (221st in college) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.9 times per contest. New Mexico State has earned 1,312 pts on the season (77.2 per game) and they grab 37.7 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Aggies are hitting on 44.9% from the floor, which is ranked 217th in D-1.

The New Mexico State defense concedes 30.4% on shots from beyond the arc (119 of 391) and their opponents are converting on 74.3% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 10.8 dimes and 33.2 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 21st and 107th in college hoops. The Aggies on the defensive side of the court are 58th in college in points allowed per game with 68.4. They are forcing 12.5 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 39.6% from the field (25th in college hoops).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Missouri State

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.