Northern Colorado Bears vs Sacramento State Hornets Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Colorado Bears vs Sacramento State Hornets

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Hornet Pavilion in Sacramento, CA

TV: ESPN+

Hornet Pavilion is the location where the Sacramento State Hornets (4-11) will meet the Northern Colorado Bears (11-6) on Saturday.

The Northern Colorado Bears took the court against Weber State and ended up losing by a score of 76-71 in their last game. When discussing fouls, the Bears ended up walking away with 23 while Weber State recorded 20 fouls. They knocked down 3 of their 10 tries from beyond the arc. Weber State ended up shooting 69.7% at the charity stripe by converting 23 of their 33 attempts. On top of that, Weber State grabbed 27 rebounds (8 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Weber State earned 4 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. With respect to defense, Northern Colorado let their opponent shoot 47.2% from the floor on 25 out of 53 shooting. They also distributed 10 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. When it comes to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 30 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Bears made 16 of 20 tries for a rate of 80.0%. Northern Colorado finished the game with a 45.8% FG percentage (27 of 59) and made 1 out of their 14 three-point shots.

Brock Wisne is one guy who was important in the matchup. He finished the contest at 46.2% from the field and distributed 2 assists. He played 35 mins played and also collected 7 rebounds. He recorded 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting.

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Northern Colorado comes into this matchup with a mark of 11-6 so far this season. They lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.8 fouls per contest. As a team, Northern Colorado is pulling in 37.2 rebounds per game and has totaled 292 assists for the year, which is 61st in the country in terms of passing. The Bears are connecting on 37.1% on shots from downtown (176 of 475) and 76.0% from the free throw line. They are averaging 84.6 points per outing (52nd in the nation) while shooting 49.1% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bears are able to force 9.9 turnovers every game and they draw 15.7 personal fouls. They are surrendering 28.7% on 3-point attempts and they are 284th in college in opponents PPG (77.4). The Bears defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 45.6% (473 of 1,037) and they surrender 31.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 6th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 162 conceded this season.

The last time they took the court, the Sacramento State Hornets walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 96-69 when they faced Portland State. In the matter of how they rebounded, Sacramento State permitted Portland State to pull down 43 in total (10 on the offensive side). They finished 40.0% from three-point range by connecting on 10 out of 25 and finished the contest at 16 out of 20 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Hornets allowed Portland State to convert 35 of their 64 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 54.7% in the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Hornets shot 22 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.5%. Regarding shooting from distance, Sacramento State made 3 out of 21 tries (14.3%). They were able to bury 22 of them for a rate of 78.6%. Portland State was called for 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Hornets to the free throw line for a total of 28 shots. They also coughed up the ball 5 times, while getting 8 steals for the game. The Hornets recorded 16 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 23 in this contest.

Mikey Williams pitched in for the Hornets for this game. He had 29 points in his 30 mins on the court and totaled 1 assist in this game. He buried 9 of 20 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 45.0%, and had 3 rebounds.

Sacramento State has a win-loss record of 4-11 for the campaign. As an offense, the Hornets are hitting on 40.4% from the field, which is 348th in D-1. Sacramento State has totaled 1,154 pts for the campaign (76.9 per game) and they grab 37.3 rebounds per contest. They are dishing out assists 12.5 times per contest (295th in Division 1) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per game. The Hornets have committed 19.5 fouls every game and they shoot 75.6% from the charity stripe.

The Sacramento State defense surrenders 33.5% on three-point shots (130 of 388) and opponents are converting on 72.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 17.4 assists and 40.8 boards per contest, which has them ranked 356th and 359th in college. The Hornets are ranked 346th in college hoops in PPG surrendered with 82.8. They are forcing 12.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.2% from the field (268th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Northern Colorado

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