UMKC Kangaroos vs South Dakota Coyotes Prediction, 1/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMKC Kangaroos vs South Dakota Coyotes

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, SD

TV: ESPN+

The UMKC Kangaroos (4-14) are hitting the road to Sanford Coyote Sports Center on Thursday where they will meet the South Dakota Coyotes (9-9).

The UMKC Kangaroos faced North Dakota and went home with a loss by a final score of 81-79 in their last game. UMKC walked away from the contest having earned a 54.0% field goal percentage (27 out of 50) and knocked down 12 of 19 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Kangaroos knocked down 13 of 14 attempts for a rate of 92.9%. In regard to getting rebounds, they earned 33 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 13 assists for this contest as well as creating 5 turnovers and having 1 steal. In reference to defense, UMKC allowed 46.8% from the floor on 29 of 62 shooting. North Dakota dished out 10 assists and had 9 steals for this contest. In addition, North Dakota grabbed 23 boards (10 offensive, 13 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. North Dakota finished the game at 58.3% at the charity stripe by making 14 of 24 shots. They also converted 9 of 22 attempts from distance. Regarding fouls, the Kangaroos ended up finishing with 15 while North Dakota finished the game with 17 fouls.

U'Riyah Evans is one guy who came through for this game. He notched 24 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 34 minutes and grabbed 3 boards. He finished 60.0% from the floor and distributed 7 assists.

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UMKC comes into this contest with a mark of 4-14 this season. They turn the ball over 14.3 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 16.8 fouls per game. As a unit, UMKC is collecting 34.8 boards per game and is sitting with 224 assists for the campaign, which ranks 255th in the country in terms of passing. The Kangaroos are shooting 32.5% on shots from downtown (121 of 372) and 72.1% from the free throw line. They average 72.2 points per outing (286th in the country) while hitting 42.8% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Kangaroos are forcing 12.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.6 personal fouls. They are ranked 332nd in college in allowing assists with 283 surrendered this year. The Kangaroos defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 48.0% (549 of 1,144) and they concede 38.0 rebounds per game as a group. They surrender 33.8% on 3-point attempts and they rank 342nd in D-1 in points per game allowed (82.2).

When they last played, the South Dakota Coyotes took home the win by a final score of 82-72 against Denver. The Coyotes corralled 25 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 31 for the game. They turned it over 8 times, while getting 8 steals in the matchup. Denver had 15 personal fouls in this game which got the Coyotes to the charity stripe for a total of 22 shots. They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 72.7%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, South Dakota knocked down 8 out of their 21 tries (38.1%). When the game finished, the Coyotes walked away from this one shooting 29 for 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.9%. The Coyotes permitted Denver to convert 28 of their 65 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.1% for the contest. They finished 21.7% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 5 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 11 out of 13 from the free throw line (84.6%). In relation to rebounding, South Dakota allowed Denver to snag 35 in total (10 on the offensive side).

Cameron Fens pitched in for the Coyotes for the matchup. He made 10 of 12 for the matchup for a rate of 83.3%, and added 12 rebounds. He earned 23 points in his 31 mins of playing time and totaled 1 assist for this contest.

South Dakota has a mark of 9-9 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Coyotes are connecting on 45.9% from the floor, which ranks 154th in college. South Dakota has accounted for 1,482 points on the year (82.3 per game) and they pull down 36.1 boards per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 11.8 times per game (326th in the nation) and they are turning it over 13.1 times per contest. The Coyotes are committing 16.0 fouls every game and they shoot 73.2% from the charity stripe.

The South Dakota defense surrenders 32.5% on shots from behind the 3-point line (111 of 342) and their opponents are making 74.0% of their free throw attempts. They concede 15.2 assists and 33.3 boards on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 292nd and 109th in D-1. The Coyotes on defense are ranked 343rd in the country in PPG given up with 82.6. They have forced 12.8 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 50.7% from the floor (362nd in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UMKC

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