North Alabama Lions vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels Prediction, 1/8/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Alabama Lions vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Baptist Health Arena in Richmond, KY

TV: ESPN+

The North Alabama Lions (5-8) are on their way to Baptist Health Arena on Thursday where they will compete against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-11).

The North Alabama Lions faced Florida Gulf Coast and took a loss by a score of 72-55 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Lions walked away with 11 and Florida Gulf Coast recorded 20 fouls. They converted 9 out of their 25 tries from downtown. Florida Gulf Coast ended up going 77.8% at the charity stripe by knocking down 7 of their 9 tries. On top of that, Florida Gulf Coast grabbed 39 boards (6 offensive, 33 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Florida Gulf Coast earned 14 dimes and had 6 steals in this game. With respect to defending, North Alabama allowed the other team to go 46.7% from the floor on 28 out of 60 shooting. They also doled out 5 dimes for this contest while forcing the opposition into 13 turnovers and having 9 steals. When it comes to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 23 with 3 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Lions made 18 of their 27 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. North Alabama ended having earned a 30.8% FG percentage (16 of 52) and knocked down 5 of their 21 three-point attempts.

Canin Jefferson is someone who came through in this game. He ended up finishing with 14 points on 4 out of 12 shooting. He played 32 mins played and also pulled down 1 rebound. He finished the game at 33.3% from the field and also totaled 1 assist.

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North Alabama will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 5-8 for the year. They lose possession via turnover 10.8 times per game and as a unit are committing 15.2 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, North Alabama is collecting 35.7 rebounds per game and has accounted for 131 dimes on the season, which ranks 362nd in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Lions are hitting 29.4% on three-point attempts (80 of 272) and 68.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 69.2 points per contest (325th in the nation) while shooting 41.3% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Lions are forcing their opponents into 10.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.8 fouls. They rank 199th in college hoops in giving up assists with 205 conceded for the season. Lions are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.6% (341 of 765) and they relinquish 36.8 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 35.3% on shots from distance and they rank 220th in the nation in PPG allowed (74.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Eastern Kentucky Colonels went home defeated by a final of 88-76 against West Georgia. The Colonels were able to pull down 19 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 29 in the game. They gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 7 steals for the contest. West Georgia was called for 12 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Colonels to the free throw line for a total of 10 shots. They were able to make 5 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 50.0%. When it comes to shots from distance, Eastern Kentucky buried 11 of their 36 tries (30.6%). Overall, the Colonels shot 30 for 68 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.1%. The Colonels permitted West Georgia to convert 34 of 63 attempts from the field which had them shooting 54.0% for this contest. They finished 23.1% from downtown by going 3 out of 13 and ended up shooting 17 of 22 at the charity stripe (77.3%). When it comes to cleaning up the glass, Eastern Kentucky permitted West Georgia to get 38 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

Juan Cranford Jr. pitched in for the Colonels for the game. He racked up 20 points in his 27 minutes on the court and accounted for 1 assist for this contest. He converted 7 out of 12 for this game for a field goal rate of 58.3%, and had 2 rebounds.

Eastern Kentucky has a record of 4-11 for the season. As an offense, the Colonels are hitting on 42.1% from the field, which has them ranked 318th in D-1. Eastern Kentucky has totaled 1,193 pts on the campaign (79.5 per game) and they pull down 37.5 rebounds per contest. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.8 times per game (223rd in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.1 times per contest. The Colonels have committed 18.3 personal fouls per game and they connect on 71.8% from the free throw line.

The Colonels defensively are ranked 326th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 80.8. They are able to force 12.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 47.8% from the field (333rd in college hoops). The Eastern Kentucky defense concedes 34.6% on 3-pointers (119 of 344) and opponents are knocking down 70.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 15.2 assists and 37.5 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 292nd and 313th in the nation.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take North Alabama

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