Northern Kentucky Norse vs Milwaukee Panthers Prediction, 1/9/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Northern Kentucky Norse vs Milwaukee Panthers

Date: Friday, January 9, 2026

Location: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, WI

TV: ESPN+

UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena is where the Milwaukee Panthers (7-9) will play the Northern Kentucky Norse (12-5) on Friday.

The Northern Kentucky Norse played Youngstown State and went home with a win by a final score of 94-79 in their last contest. Northern Kentucky ended with a 51.7% field goal percentage (30 of 58) and made 9 of their 20 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Norse converted 25 of 32 shots for a percentage of 78.1%. In regard to rebounding, they compiled 37 with 6 of them being offensive. They also recorded 19 dimes for this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to defense, Northern Kentucky let their opponent shoot 40.0% from the floor on 28 out of 70 shooting. Youngstown State doled out 13 assists and had 7 steals in the game. Additionally, Youngstown State had 26 boards (8 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Youngstown State walked away from this one shooting 56.5% from the charity stripe by making 13 of 23 attempts. They converted 10 of their 34 shots from distance. In relation to personal fouls, the Norse ended up finishing with 19 while Youngstown State racked up 24 personal fouls.

Dan Gherezgher Jr. is a guy who was important for this game. He scored 26 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He played 33 mins and totaled 5 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 53.8% from the floor and also totaled 5 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

Northern Kentucky will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 12-5 this season. They have an average of 84.4 points per game (64th in the country) while going 48.0% from the field. The Norse are shooting 35.0% on 3-pointers (157 of 448) and 72.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, Northern Kentucky is grabbing 35.8 boards per contest and is sitting with 267 dimes on the campaign, which is 45th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.8 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Norse have forced 15.7 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. They are surrendering 34.7% on 3-pointers while they are 236th in college in points per game from their opponents (75.3). The Norse defense is allowing a FG percentage of 44.6% (447 of 1,002) and they surrender 33.6 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 308th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 241 surrendered so far this year.

In their last game, the Milwaukee Panthers took a loss by a final score of 79-76 when they faced Green Bay. The Panthers collected 17 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 24 for this contest. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 1 steal in the game. Green Bay committed 18 personal fouls for the contest which took the Panthers to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They were able to convert 12 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 70.6%. In reference to 3-point shots, Milwaukee made 10 of 22 attempts (45.5%). Overall, the Panthers finished the game shooting 27 out of 54 from the floor which had them shooting 50.0%. The Panthers permitted Green Bay to knock down 28 of their 45 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 62.2% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 33.3% from downtown by hitting 3 of 9 and finished the contest at 20 of 29 from the free throw line (69.0%). In relation to how they attacked the glass, Milwaukee permitted Green Bay to snag 23 overall (3 on the offensive side).

Danilo Jovanovich was important for the Panthers in this game. He buried 8 out of 10 for the matchup for a rate of 80.0%, and totaled 5 rebounds. He had 19 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in this contest.

Milwaukee has a win-loss mark of 7-9 so far this year. The Panthers commit 19.6 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 69.1% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 13.9 times per contest (219th in Division 1) and they turn it over 10.1 times per game. Milwaukee has scored 1,249 points so far this season (78.1 per game) and they snag 38.2 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Panthers are shooting 43.8% from the field, which ranks 266th in Division 1.

The Milwaukee defense concedes 35.8% on three-point shots (131 of 366) and opponents are knocking down 71.6% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 15.3 dimes and 34.4 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 292nd and 176th in the nation. The Panthers are ranked 310th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 79.1. They are forcing 11.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 47.4% from the floor (325th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Northern Kentucky

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.