Missouri State Bears vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Missouri State Bears vs UTEP Miners

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN+

Don Haskins Center is the location where the UTEP Miners (7-12) will play the Missouri State Bears (11-8) on Saturday.

The Missouri State Bears faced New Mexico State and took home the win by a score of 84-75 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Bears walked away with 19 and New Mexico State finished the game with 22 fouls. They knocked down 6 of 23 tries from long range. New Mexico State finished 75.0% when shooting free throws by burying 15 of 20 attempts. On top of that, New Mexico State pulled down 25 rebounds (9 offensive, 16 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. New Mexico State recorded 10 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. When it comes to defending, Missouri State allowed the other team to go 43.5% from the field on 27 of 62 shooting. They also dished out 12 assists for this contest as well as forcing the other team into 5 turnovers and earning 2 steals. When talking about hauling in boards, they compiled 33 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Bears buried 22 of 27 attempts for a percentage of 81.5%. Missouri State walked away from the contest having earned a 50.9% field goal percentage (27 of 53) and made 8 of their 23 3-point attempts.

Keith Palek III is one guy who was a contributor in this contest. He ended up shooting 54.5% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes. He played 33 minutes played and snagged 6 rebounds. He racked up 26 points on 6 out of 11 shooting.

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Missouri State heads into this matchup with a record of 11-8 on the season. They turn it over 11.4 times per contest and as a squad they commit 17.6 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Missouri State is pulling down 35.8 boards per contest and has 273 dimes this year, which ranks 204th in the nation in terms of passing. The Bears are shooting 31.4% on 3-point shots (144 of 459) and 68.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 76.3 points per outing (192nd in college hoops) while connecting on 45.0% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bears are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 19.2 fouls. They rank 138th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 249 surrendered this season. The Bears defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 44.2% (483 of 1,093) and they surrender 34.1 boards per contest as a group. They are giving up 33.8% on three-point shots and they are 163rd in college in points per game allowed (72.9).

When they last stepped on the court, the UTEP Miners went home victorious with a score of 83-77 when they played FIU. In the matter of attacking the glass, UTEP allowed FIU to pull down 30 in total (8 offensive). They finished the game shooting 46.2% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 6 out of 13 and ended up shooting 17 of 27 at the free throw line (63.0%). The Miners permitted FIU to knock down 27 out of their 54 tries from the field which had them sitting at 50.0% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Miners finished 31 out of 60 from the field which had them at 51.7%. When it comes to three-point attempts, UTEP buried 11 out of their 25 attempts (44.0%). They were able to convert 10 of them for a rate of 71.4%. FIU committed 11 fouls for the contest which took the Miners to the charity stripe for a total of 14 tries. They also gave up possession 13 times, while getting 9 steals in the matchup. The Miners were able to snag 19 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 28 for the game.

Jamal West Jr. ended up having an impact for the Miners for the game. He totaled 28 points in his 33 minutes of playing time and accounted for 5 assists in this game. He converted 11 of 14 in the game giving him a rate of 78.6%, and accounted for 7 rebounds.

UTEP has a win-loss record of 7-12 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Miners are hitting on 43.9% from the field, which is ranked 264th in college. UTEP has 1,339 points this season (70.5 per game) and they pull in 32.6 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 12.7 times per game (283rd in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.4 times per contest. The Miners commit 19.1 fouls per game and they hit 67.3% from the charity stripe.

The Miners on defense are ranked 167th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 73.0. They are forcing their opponents into 13.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.9% from the floor (290th in D-1). The UTEP defense surrenders 35.6% on shots from 3-point land (134 of 376) and their opponents are knocking down 69.2% of their free throw shots. They have given up 13.1 assists and 35.1 boards every game, which ranks 162nd and 217th in D-1.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Missouri State

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