North Carolina Central Eagles vs South Carolina State Bulldogs Prediction, 1/31/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: North Carolina Central Eagles vs South Carolina State Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026

Location: Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center in Orangeburg, SC

TV: ESPN+

The South Carolina State Bulldogs (5-16) will try to defeat the North Carolina Central Eagles (7-12) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on Saturday.

The North Carolina Central Eagles faced off with Howard and went home with a loss by a final score of 83-69 in their last game. North Carolina Central finished having earned a 43.1% FG percentage (25 of 58) and buried 10 out of their 26 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Eagles buried 9 of 15 tries for a rate of 60.0%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they earned 29 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 17 assists in the game while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When discussing defense, North Carolina Central allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 33 out of 66 shooting. Howard distributed 14 assists and had 11 steals in the game. On top of that, Howard collected 37 boards (14 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Howard walked away from this one shooting 73.3% from the free throw line by converting 11 of their 15 attempts. They converted 6 of their 23 shots from beyond the arc. Concerning fouls, the Eagles walked away with 16 while Howard recorded 16 fouls.

Tekao Carpenter is a player who was a major contributor for the contest. He finished shooting 46.2% from the field and also recorded 2 dimes. He played 35 minutes and also grabbed 4 boards. He racked up 21 points on 6 of 13 shooting.

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North Carolina Central comes into this game with a record of 7-12 so far this year. They are averaging 73.6 pts per contest (250th in Division 1) while hitting 43.5% from the floor. The Eagles are shooting 32.2% on 3-pointers (118 of 367) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, North Carolina Central is pulling down 33.0 boards per game and is sitting with 293 assists on the year, which has them ranked 202nd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 12.5 times per game and as a group are committing 18.6 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Eagles have forced 14.9 turnovers every game while drawing 18.6 fouls. They rank 239th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 294 surrendered on the year. The Eagles defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.1% (499 of 1,083) and they surrender 37.8 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 35.0% from beyond the arc while they are 294th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (78.1).

In their last game, the South Carolina State Bulldogs walked away with a victory by a final of 70-64 against Delaware State. The Bulldogs were able to corral 22 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 27 in the game. They gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while recording 5 steals in this matchup. Delaware State committed 21 fouls in this game which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 28 shots. They were able to make 18 of them for a percentage of 64.3%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, South Carolina State buried 8 of their 17 tries (47.1%). When this game wrapped up, the Bulldogs went 22 for 46 from the field which had them sitting at 47.8%. The Bulldogs permitted Delaware State to convert 20 out of 57 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 35.1% in the matchup. They finished 16.7% from distance by connecting on 3 out of 18 and finished the contest at 21 of 26 from the free throw line (80.8%). In reference to attacking the glass, South Carolina State permitted Delaware State to pull down 31 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Owen Bronston, Jr. pitched in for the Bulldogs for the game. He accumulated 15 points in his 24 minutes of playing time, but wrapped up this contest with no dimes. He made 5 of 11 for this contest for a field goal rate of 45.5%, and had 3 rebounds.

South Carolina State has a win-loss record of 5-16 for the season. The Bulldogs are committing 22.1 fouls per game and they connect on 63.6% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 11.7 times per game (328th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 14.9 times per game. South Carolina State has accumulated 1,384 points this year (65.9 per game) and they collect 31.7 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulldogs are hitting on 40.6% from the field, which has them ranked 344th in college hoops.

The Bulldogs on the defensive side of the court are 345th in college hoops in PPG given up with 81.9. They are able to force 12.5 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.1% from the floor (323rd in college). The South Carolina State defense gives up 33.0% on 3-pointers (157 of 476) and opponents are connecting on 72.8% of their foul shots. They allow 16.2 assists and 36.6 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 334th and 297th in those defensive categories.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take South Carolina State

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