Rhode Island Rams vs George Mason Patriots Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rhode Island Rams vs George Mason Patriots

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Rhode Island Rams (9-5) are on their way to EagleBank Arena on Saturday where they will go up against the George Mason Patriots (13-1).

The Rhode Island Rams stepped onto the hardwood against Loyola and took a loss by a score of 61-57 in their last game. Rhode Island finished the game having earned a 34.5% FG percentage (20 of 58) and knocked down 5 of their 26 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Rams knocked down 12 of 17 shots for a percentage of 70.6%. Pertaining to rebounding, they collected a total of 26 with 13 of them being offensive. They also doled out 7 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 22 turnovers and getting 13 steals. In regard to defense, Rhode Island let their opponent shoot 45.8% from the floor on 22 out of 48 shooting. Loyola recorded 9 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. Moreover, Loyola collected 29 boards (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Loyola finished the game at 90.0% from the free throw line by burying 9 of their 10 shots. They buried 8 of their 20 tries from distance. Concerning fouls, the Rams finished with 13 and Loyola recorded 18 fouls.

Jonah Hinton is someone who had an impact for this game. He recorded 15 points on 3 of 16 shooting. He played 35 mins and also pulled down 4 rebounds. He finished the game at 18.8% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists.

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Rhode Island will enter this contest with a mark of 9-5 on the year. They lose possession via turnover 12.9 times per contest and as a squad are committing 17.1 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Rhode Island is grabbing 33.8 rebounds per game and has totaled 157 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 339th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Rams are shooting 30.5% on three-point shots (100 of 328) and 74.2% from the free throw line. They have an average of 73.9 points per outing (269th in Division 1) while shooting 45.9% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Rams are forcing their opponents into 15.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 124th in D-1 in giving up assists with 169 conceded on the year. The Rams defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.2% (315 of 746) and they concede 32.6 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 34.4% on shots from downtown and they rank 54th in college in points per game allowed (66.9).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the George Mason Patriots took home the win by a final score of 80-75 when they played La Salle. In relation to cleaning up the glass, George Mason allowed La Salle to pull down 34 in total (11 offensive). They went 32.0% from three-point range by going 8 out of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 27 at the free throw line (70.4%). The Patriots permitted La Salle to convert 24 out of 62 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 38.7% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Patriots finished shooting 27 for 56 from the floor which had them at 48.2%. In terms of three-point attempts, George Mason knocked down 5 out of their 16 attempts (31.3%). They were able to make 21 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. La Salle earned 22 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Patriots to the charity stripe for a total of 28 tries. They gave up possession of the ball 0 times, while getting 3 steals in the game. The Patriots pulled down 25 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for this contest.

Kory Mincy ended up having an impact for the Patriots for the game. He made 5 out of 11 for the contest for a field goal rate of 45.5%, and accounted for 2 rebounds. He recorded 21 points in his 33 mins of playing time and had 4 dimes in this matchup.

George Mason has a win-loss record of 13-1 so far this season. As an offense, the Patriots are shooting 48.7% from the field, which is 58th in the nation. George Mason has accounted for 1,123 points this season (80.2 per game) and they collect 37.1 boards per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.2 times per contest (279th in Division 1) and they are turning it over 10.6 times per contest. The Patriots commit 14.9 fouls per game and they go 73.9% from the charity stripe.

The Patriots are ranked 61st in the nation in points given up per game with 67.6. They are forcing 11.6 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 41.1% from the field (79th in college hoops). The George Mason defense allows 32.9% on shots from behind the 3-point line (116 of 353) and opponents are knocking down 73.9% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.5 dimes and 30.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 116th and 24th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take George Mason

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