Niagara Purple Eagles vs Fairfield Stags Prediction, 1/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Niagara Purple Eagles vs Fairfield Stags

Date: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Location: Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, CT

TV: ESPN+

The Niagara Purple Eagles (5-12) are traveling to Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Thursday where they will attempt to beat the Fairfield Stags (11-8).

The Niagara Purple Eagles took the court against Mount St. Mary's and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 68-58 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Purple Eagles left the arena with 16 and Mount St. Mary's accumulated 15 personal fouls. They made 7 out of their 20 shots from three-point range. Mount St. Mary's finished the game shooting 71.4% when shooting free throws by making 15 of their 21 tries. Moreover, Mount St. Mary's grabbed 32 rebounds (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Mount St. Mary's recorded 10 assists and had 8 steals in this game. With respect to the defense, Niagara allowed the other team to shoot 44.2% from the floor on 23 of 52 shooting. They also recorded 11 assists in the game in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With respect to rebounding, they earned 34 with 14 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Purple Eagles converted 10 of their 15 shots for a rate of 66.7%. Niagara walked away from the game having earned a 33.9% FG percentage (20 out of 59) and converted 8 of their 23 shots from 3-point land.

Will Shortt is someone who had an impact in this game. He racked up 10 points on 5 out of 9 shooting. He was on the court for 31 mins played and grabbed 11 rebounds. He finished the contest at 55.6% from the field and recorded 2 assists.

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Niagara will enter this matchup with a mark of 5-12 this year. They are losing possession via turnover 11.2 times per game and as a squad they commit 15.6 fouls per game. As a team, Niagara is grabbing 27.9 rebounds per game and has accounted for 227 assists for the season, which has them ranked 302nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Purple Eagles are shooting 30.9% on three-point attempts (113 of 366) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. They average 63.2 points per game (359th in the country) while shooting 42.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Purple Eagles have forced 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 15.6 fouls. They give up 35.9% on 3-point attempts while they are 179th in college in points per game from their opponents (73.4). The Purple Eagles are allowing a shooting percentage of 46.4% (426 of 919) and they surrender 35.1 boards per contest as a team. They are 96th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 224 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the Fairfield Stags took a defeat with a final score of 85-77 against Siena. The Stags were able to corral 12 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 19 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 9 steals in this matchup. Siena committed 13 fouls for the contest which got the Stags to the charity stripe for 13 tries. They were able to bury 11 of those for a clip of 84.6%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, Fairfield knocked down 8 of their 26 tries (30.8%). When the final whistle was blown, the Stags ended up shooting 29 out of 58 from the floor which had them shooting 50.0%. The Stags permitted Siena to bury 31 of their 46 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 67.4% in this matchup. They went 50.0% from distance by connecting on 7 out of 14 and walked away from this one shooting 16 of 19 at the free throw line (84.2%). In relation to rebounding, Fairfield permitted Siena to snag 23 overall (4 offensive).

Brandon Benjamin ended up being important for the Stags for the contest. He made 10 out of 11 in the matchup giving him a rate of 90.9%, and earned 6 rebounds. He earned 20 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game.

Fairfield has a win-loss record of 11-8 this season. The Stags have committed 15.7 fouls every game and they connect on 73.0% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 11.8 times per game (326th in college hoops) and they cough up possession 9.6 times per contest. Fairfield has scored 1,475 points for the campaign (77.6 per contest) and they snag 39.8 boards per contest. As an offensive team, the Stags are hitting on 43.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 291st in college.

The Stags on the defensive end are ranked 175th in the nation in PPG given up with 73.4. They are able to force 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.5% from the field (230th in college hoops). The Fairfield defense surrenders 34.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (137 of 398) and their opponents are knocking down 75.2% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 13.8 dimes and 35.0 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 225th and 213th in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Niagara

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