MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: MTSU Blue Raiders vs UTEP Miners

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

TV: ESPN+

The UTEP Miners (4-10) are hosting the MTSU Blue Raiders (9-5) at Don Haskins Center on Thursday.

The MTSU Blue Raiders took the court against Sam Houston State and walked away with a win by a score of 68-67 in their last game. MTSU finished with a 38.7% field goal percentage (24 of 62) and knocked down 11 out of their 29 shots from distance. From the free throw line, the Blue Raiders knocked down 9 of their 10 attempts for a rate of 90.0%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they collected 28 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 10 assists in the game while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and getting 11 steals. In terms of defending, MTSU allowed their opponent to shoot 48.2% from the floor on 27 out of 56 shooting. Sam Houston State doled out 14 dimes and had 7 steals for the contest. Furthermore, Sam Houston State had 38 rebounds (9 offensive, 29 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Sam Houston State ended up shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of their 12 attempts. They also converted 5 of their 11 attempts from beyond the arc. When talking about personal fouls, the Blue Raiders finished with 11 and Sam Houston State totaled 13 personal fouls.

Jahvin Carter is one player who came through for this contest. He accumulated 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting. He played 33 minutes and pulled down 4 rebounds. He shot 55.6% from the field and recorded 4 assists.

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MTSU steps onto the hardwood with a record of 9-5 for the season. They average 76.7 points per contest (202nd in college hoops) while shooting 44.4% from the floor. The Blue Raiders are shooting 35.3% on shots beyond the perimeter (144 of 408) and 69.1% from the charity stripe. As a team, MTSU is collecting 37.1 boards per game and is sitting with 202 dimes so far this year, which is 258th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 11.3 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.1 personal fouls per game.

When they are on defense, the Blue Raiders are forcing 12.4 turnovers per game and they draw 14.4 fouls. They are currently ranked 37th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 164 conceded for the season. The Blue Raiders are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.7% (350 of 820) and they relinquish 36.0 rebounds per game as a team. They surrender 27.9% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 92nd in college hoops in PPG from their opponents (69.4).

In their last game, the UTEP Miners took a loss by a score of 76-64 when they faced FIU. Regarding cleaning up the glass, UTEP allowed FIU to get 38 overall (13 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 17.6% from 3-point land by connecting on 3 out of 17 and ended up shooting 17 out of 27 at the free throw line (63.0%). The Miners permitted FIU to knock down 28 of 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 50.9% in this matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Miners finished shooting 22 out of 62 from the floor which had them sitting at 35.5%. In reference to 3-pointers, UTEP converted 10 out of their 27 attempts (37.0%). They were able to make 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 83.3%. FIU committed 15 fouls for the contest which got the Miners to the free throw line for a total of 12 shots. They turned the ball over 10 times, while getting 6 steals in the game. The Miners collected 18 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in the game.

Kaseem Watson ended up being a major contributor for the Miners for the contest. He made 7 out of 15 in this matchup for a rate of 46.7%, and had 4 rebounds. He totaled 25 points in his 35 mins on the court and tallied 1 assist for this contest.

UTEP has a win-loss record of 4-10 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Miners are shooting 43.2% from the field, which ranks 286th in D-1. UTEP has tallied 978 points this season (69.9 per game) and they average 32.9 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 12.3 times per game (311th in D-1) and they turn the ball over 12.8 times per game. The Miners have committed 20.3 personal fouls every game and they connect on 66.3% from the charity stripe.

The Miners on the defensive side of the court are 156th in college in PPG allowed with 72.4. They have forced 14.4 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.5% from the floor (287th in college). The UTEP defense gives up 35.0% on 3-pointers (97 of 277) and their opponents are knocking down 68.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 13.4 assists and 35.4 rebounds per game, which ranks them 190th and 237th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take MTSU

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