Toledo Rockets vs Central Michigan Chippewas Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toledo Rockets vs Central Michigan Chippewas

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Central Michigan Chippewas (4-10) are welcoming the Toledo Rockets (7-6) at McGuirk Arena on Saturday.

The Toledo Rockets faced off with Western Michigan and went home with a win by a final score of 84-79 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Rockets ended up finishing with 17 and Western Michigan totaled 27 fouls. They converted 9 of 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. Western Michigan finished 71.4% at the free throw line by converting 10 of their 14 tries. Furthermore, Western Michigan grabbed 36 rebounds (15 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Western Michigan distributed 14 assists and had 6 steals for this contest. In relation to defense, Toledo allowed the other team to go 43.5% from the field on 30 of 69 shooting. They also recorded 10 assists in the matchup while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 6 steals. With regard to grabbing boards, they collected 41 with 19 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Rockets made 24 of 36 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Toledo finished the game having earned a 43.1% field goal percentage (28 out of 65) and converted 4 of their 25 3-pointers.

Leroy Blyden Jr. is one player who was a contributor in the game. He finished shooting 52.2% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He was on the court for 34 minutes and also collected 5 boards. He totaled 36 points on 12 of 23 shooting.

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Toledo comes into this one with a mark of 7-6 for the season. They average 83.0 pts per contest (84th in the nation) while connecting on 47.5% from the floor. The Rockets are connecting on 32.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (91 of 280) and 77.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Toledo is pulling down 36.0 rebounds per contest and has racked up 218 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 104th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They cough up possession 10.9 times per game and as a squad they are committing 14.7 fouls every game.

On defense, the Rockets have forced 13.8 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 fouls. They are ranked 315th in college hoops in allowing assists with 216 conceded for the season. The Rockets defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 47.8% (391 of 818) and they surrender 35.5 boards per game as a squad. They relinquish 34.2% on 3-point attempts and they are 293rd in college hoops in points per game allowed (78.0).

The last time they took the court, the Central Michigan Chippewas took a loss by a score of 80-64 when they faced Ohio. The Chippewas pulled down 29 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 37 for this game. They coughed it up 14 times, while recording 8 steals for this game. Ohio was called for 19 fouls in the matchup which got the Chippewas to the free throw line for a total of 23 shots. They were able to convert 16 of them for a percentage of 69.6%. When talking about shots from 3-point land, Central Michigan made 0 of their 13 tries (0.0%). When the game finished, the Chippewas walked away from this one shooting 24 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 41.4%. The Chippewas allowed Ohio to make 27 of 60 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.0% in the game. They finished the game shooting 20.0% from distance by connecting on 4 of 20 and ended up going 22 of 34 from the free throw line (64.7%). Concerning rebounding, Central Michigan allowed Ohio to grab 36 overall (8 on the offensive side).

Tamario Adley ended up being a major contributor for the Chippewas in this game. He knocked down 7 of 14 for this game giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 5 rebounds. He totaled 19 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and added 3 dimes in this matchup.

Central Michigan has a win-loss mark of 4-10 this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Chippewas are shooting 45.1% from the floor, which is 211th in D-1. Central Michigan has scored 1,006 pts on the campaign (71.9 per contest) and they average 34.4 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 15.9 times per game (107th in college) and they turn the ball over 12.8 times per game. The Chippewas are responsible for committing 18.4 fouls per contest and they go 71.4% from the free throw line.

The Central Michigan defense allows 33.0% on three-point shots (113 of 342) and opponents are converting on 65.5% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 16.8 dimes and 36.6 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 342nd and 278th in those defensive categories. The Chippewas are ranked 295th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 78.1. They have forced 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 46.3% from the floor (307th in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Toledo

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