UMass Minutemen vs Ohio Bobcats Prediction, 1/6/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMass Minutemen vs Ohio Bobcats

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Location: Convocation Center in Athens, OH

TV: ESPN+

Convocation Center is the site where the Ohio Bobcats (8-7) will go up against the UMass Minutemen (9-6) on Tuesday.

The UMass Minutemen faced Bowling Green and ended up losing by a score of 101-100 in their last contest. UMass walked away from the game with a 56.1% field goal percentage (32 out of 57) and converted 11 of 22 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Minutemen buried 25 of their 35 tries for a rate of 71.4%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they collected 35 with 6 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 27 dimes in this matchup while forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In regard to defense, UMass allowed the other team to go 51.6% from the floor on 32 of 62 shooting. Bowling Green earned 19 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Bowling Green had 27 boards (4 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Bowling Green finished the game shooting 66.7% at the charity stripe by making 30 of 45 attempts. They made 7 of their 17 tries from distance. In regard to personal fouls, the Minutemen ended up finishing with 32 while Bowling Green had 25 personal fouls.

Leonardo Bettiol is a player who was a factor in this game. He ended up with 32 points on 11 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 44 mins and collected 14 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 84.6% from the field and totaled 2 dimes.

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UMass will enter this matchup with a mark of 9-6 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 80.5 pts per contest (119th in the country) on 46.3% from the field. The Minutemen are connecting on 33.9% on three-point shots (109 of 322) and 65.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, UMass is collecting 39.1 boards per contest and has tallied 276 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 19th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 14.0 times per game and as a team they commit 21.5 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end, the Minutemen are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per game and they draw 20.5 personal fouls. They give up 26.5% on 3-pointers and they rank 182nd in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (73.3). The Minutemen are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 43.1% (365 of 847) and they relinquish 31.9 rebounds per game as a group. They are 216th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 204 conceded for the campaign.

In their last game, the Ohio Bobcats walked away with a victory by a final of 68-67 against Eastern Michigan. With respect to how they attacked the glass, Ohio permitted Eastern Michigan to get 32 in total (9 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 43.8% from behind the 3-point line via 7 of 16 and finished the contest at 18 of 27 at the charity stripe (66.7%). The Bobcats permitted Eastern Michigan to convert 21 of their 52 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 40.4% in this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Bobcats went 25 out of 58 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.1%. In reference to 3-point shots, Ohio made 7 of 27 attempts (25.9%). They were able to make 11 of those for a rate of 73.3%. Eastern Michigan had 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Bobcats to the charity stripe for a total of 15 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 7 steals in this contest. The Bobcats earned 23 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 31 for this game.

Javan Simmons ended up having an impact for the Bobcats in the matchup. He racked up 15 points in his 28 mins of playing time and added 1 assist in the matchup. He made 5 of 11 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and totaled 6 rebounds.

Ohio has a win-loss mark of 8-7 so far this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Bobcats are hitting on 46.4% from the field, which ranks them 133rd in the country. Ohio has earned 1,150 pts on the campaign (76.7 per game) and they average 35.0 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 13.9 times per game (217th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 12.1 times per game. The Bobcats are committing 16.8 fouls per game and they go 67.1% from the free throw line.

The Ohio defense gives up 34.4% from downtown (116 of 337) and their opposition makes 72.5% of their foul shots. They surrender 13.6 assists and 36.4 boards every game, which has them ranked 212th and 277th in college hoops. The Bobcats on the defensive end are ranked 228th in the country in points given up per game with 75.1. They are forcing 13.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the field (220th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Ohio

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