Sam Houston State Bearkats vs FIU Panthers Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sam Houston State Bearkats vs FIU Panthers

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FL

TV: ESPN+

The FIU Panthers (9-8) are hosting the Sam Houston State Bearkats (10-7) at Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday.

The Sam Houston State Bearkats faced off with Jacksonville State and walked away with a win by a score of 77-62 in their last game. When it comes to personal fouls, the Bearkats ended up with 15 and Jacksonville State finished the game with 11 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 20 attempts from downtown. Jacksonville State went 63.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 12 of their 19 attempts. Moreover, Jacksonville State grabbed 22 rebounds (8 offensive, 14 defensive), but didn't have a block. Jacksonville State earned 7 dimes and had 9 steals in the matchup. In relation to defending, Sam Houston State allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the floor on 22 out of 55 shooting. They also doled out 17 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and earning 7 steals. Concerning grabbing rebounds, they compiled 33 with 7 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Bearkats buried 5 of their 7 tries for a percentage of 71.4%. Sam Houston State ended with a 57.4% FG percentage (31 out of 54) and converted 10 out of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Kashie Natt is one player who was important in the game. He accounted for 20 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He played for 30 mins played and also snagged 8 rebounds. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and also dished out 1 assist.

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Sam Houston State will enter this game with a win-loss mark of 10-7 on the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest and as a team they commit 18.7 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Sam Houston State is collecting 43.1 boards per game and has totaled 261 assists on the campaign, which ranks 144th in college in terms of passing. The Bearkats are connecting on 35.6% from downtown (154 of 433) and 75.6% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 84.6 points per game (53rd in Division 1) on 46.2% from the floor.

On defense, the Bearkats are able to force 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 16.4 personal fouls. They relinquish 30.1% on shots from distance and they are 222nd in D-1 in PPG allowed (74.8). The Bearkats defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 41.2% (433 of 1,051) and they surrender 33.8 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 109th in college in giving up assists with 216 conceded this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the FIU Panthers took a loss by a score of 89-86 when they played Kennesaw State. The Panthers pulled down 25 defensive boards and 16 offensive rebounds for a total of 41 in the game. They turned it over 10 times, while getting 10 steals in the game. Kennesaw State committed 19 personal fouls in the game which took the Panthers to the charity stripe for 25 shots. They were able to bury 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 72.0%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, FIU knocked down 10 of their 22 tries (45.5%). At the conclusion of this game, the Panthers went 29 out of 71 from the floor which had them shooting 40.8%. The Panthers allowed Kennesaw State to make 28 of 65 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.1% in this contest. They finished the game shooting 45.7% from downtown by shooting 16 of 35 and finished the game at 17 out of 29 from the charity stripe (58.6%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, FIU permitted Kennesaw State to get 37 in total (16 offensive).

Julian Mackey pitched in for the Panthers for this contest. He knocked down 6 of 10 for this game giving him a rate of 60.0%, and had 4 rebounds. He had 18 points in his 27 mins on the court and added 2 dimes for the game.

FIU has a win-loss record of 9-8 on the campaign. The Panthers commit 18.5 fouls per contest and they shoot 68.0% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.2 times per game (48th in college) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.6 times per contest. FIU has totaled 1,443 pts for the season (84.9 per contest) and they pull in 39.1 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Panthers are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which ranks them 112th in the nation.

The FIU defense allows 34.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter (164 of 477) and their opponents are connecting on 72.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 17.0 assists and 37.1 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks 348th and 302nd in those defensive categories. The Panthers on the defensive side of the court are 305th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 78.4. They have forced 15.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (132nd in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Sam Houston State

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