New Hampshire Wildcats vs Maine Black Bears Prediction, 1/19/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Hampshire Wildcats vs Maine Black Bears

Date: Monday, January 19, 2026

Location: Skip Chappelle Court in Memorial Gymnasium in Orono, ME

TV: ESPN+

The New Hampshire Wildcats (4-12) are on their way to Skip Chappelle Court in Memorial Gymnasium on Monday where they will meet the Maine Black Bears (3-15).

The New Hampshire Wildcats stepped onto the hardwood against UMBC and went home with a loss by a final score of 75-74 in their last contest. New Hampshire walked away from the game having earned a 52.5% FG percentage (31 of 59) and knocked down 7 of their 19 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Wildcats converted 5 of their 11 shots for a percentage of 45.5%. In the matter of pulling down boards, they compiled 35 with 10 of them being offensive. They also doled out 12 dimes for this contest as well as forcing 3 turnovers and having 2 steals. With respect to defense, New Hampshire allowed the other team to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 27 of 54 shooting. UMBC earned 11 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. In addition, UMBC totaled 22 boards (3 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UMBC finished the contest at 81.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of their 16 attempts. They also converted 8 of 19 shots from distance. In relation to fouls, the Wildcats ended up walking away with 16 and UMBC recorded 12 fouls.

Belal El Shakery is a player who was a major factor for the matchup. He finished the contest at 63.6% from the field and distributed 4 assists. He saw the court for 29 minutes played and also totaled 13 rebounds. He walked away with 18 points on 7 out of 11 shooting.

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New Hampshire heads into this contest with a record of 4-12 on the campaign. They are averaging 69.3 points per game (323rd in Division 1) while shooting 41.4% from the field. The Wildcats are connecting on 31.8% on shots from downtown (127 of 399) and 68.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Hampshire is pulling down 35.9 boards per contest and has earned 174 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 357th in the nation in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.8 times per game and as a group are committing 18.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Wildcats are forcing 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.8 fouls. They are currently ranked 74th in college hoops in allowing assists with 206 conceded on the year. The Wildcats defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 44.3% (412 of 929) and they surrender 37.5 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are relinquishing 33.7% on three-point shots and they are ranked 201st in college in points per game from their opponents (74.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Maine Black Bears took a loss by a final score of 67-62 when they played Vermont. The Black Bears pulled down 23 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 27 in this contest. They turned it over 2 times, while recording 6 steals for the game. Vermont had 16 fouls for this contest which took the Black Bears to the free throw line for a total of 25 tries. They were able to bury 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 72.0%. With respect to 3-point attempts, Maine made 6 of their 22 tries (27.3%). When all was said and done, the Black Bears shot 19 for 53 from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.8%. The Black Bears permitted Vermont to knock down 25 out of their 51 tries from the field which had them shooting 49.0% for the game. They shot 35.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 20 and finished the contest at 10 out of 14 from the free throw line (71.4%). In relation to how they rebounded, Maine permitted Vermont to collect 35 in all (2 on the offensive glass).

Keelan Steele ended up being a major contributor for the Black Bears for this contest. He earned 17 points in his 28 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist. He made 6 out of 9 for the game for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and accumulated 5 rebounds.

Maine has a record of 3-15 this year. As an offensive team, the Black Bears are connecting on 44.4% from the field, which is 239th in college. Maine has totaled 1,108 pts for the year (61.6 per game) and they collect 29.8 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 11.3 times per contest (340th in college) and they are giving up possession 14.4 times per game. The Black Bears commit 17.1 fouls every game while shooting 61.2% from the free throw line.

The Black Bears on defense are ranked 80th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 69.4. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the floor (177th in D-1). The Maine defense allows 30.9% on shots from beyond the arc (116 of 375) and their opponents are converting on 68.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 12.9 assists and 37.1 rebounds per game, which ranks 150th and 300th in college.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Maine

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