UMKC Kangaroos vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UMKC Kangaroos vs South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: First Bank & Trust Arena in Brookings, SD

TV: ESPN+

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits (9-10) welcome the UMKC Kangaroos (4-14) at First Bank & Trust Arena on Saturday.

The UMKC Kangaroos took the court against North Dakota and went home with a loss by a final score of 81-79 in their last contest. When talking about personal fouls, the Kangaroos ended up finishing with 15 and North Dakota recorded 17 personal fouls. They converted 9 out of their 22 attempts from distance. North Dakota ended up going 58.3% from the charity stripe by converting 14 of their 24 tries. Furthermore, North Dakota pulled down 23 boards (10 offensive, 13 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. North Dakota earned 10 assists and had 9 steals for this contest. When discussing defending, UMKC allowed 46.8% from the floor on 29 out of 62 shooting. They also distributed 13 assists for the contest while forcing the other team into 5 turnovers and getting 1 steal. When it comes to grabbing boards, they earned a total of 33 with 8 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Kangaroos converted 13 of 14 tries for a percentage of 92.9%. UMKC walked away from the contest with a 54.0% FG percentage (27 out of 50) and converted 12 out of their 19 3-pointers.

U'Riyah Evans is one guy who was important for this contest. He finished 60.0% from the floor and recorded 7 assists. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins played and also snagged 3 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting.

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UMKC comes into this contest with a record of 4-14 on the year. They are turning it over 14.3 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.8 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UMKC is pulling down 34.8 boards per game and has accounted for 224 dimes this year, which has them ranked 269th in the country in terms of passing. The Kangaroos are shooting 32.5% on three-point shots (121 of 372) and 72.1% from the free throw line. They average 72.2 points per contest (287th in college) while shooting 42.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Kangaroos are forcing 12.2 turnovers per game and they draw 19.6 fouls. They relinquish 33.8% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 342nd in college in PPG allowed (82.2). The Kangaroos defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 48.0% (549 of 1,144) and they relinquish 38.0 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 327th in the nation in giving up assists with 283 surrendered on the season.

The last time they took the court, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 76-65 when they played North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits snagged 23 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 in this game. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 7 steals in the game. North Dakota State committed 13 personal fouls for the contest which took the Jackrabbits to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to knock down 8 of those for a percentage of 66.7%. Concerning shooting from downtown, South Dakota State knocked down 9 of 26 tries (34.6%). Overall, the Jackrabbits ended up going 24 out of 55 from the field which gave them a percentage of 43.6%. The Jackrabbits permitted North Dakota State to convert 26 of their 56 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 46.4% for this game. They finished 45.2% from beyond the arc via 14 out of 31 and ended up shooting 10 of 12 from the free throw line (83.3%). Regarding cleaning the glass, South Dakota State permitted North Dakota State to collect 30 overall (5 offensive).

Damon Wilkinson was important for the Jackrabbits for the game. He buried 8 out of 11 for this game for a field goal percentage of 72.7%, and accumulated 9 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 29 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist for the matchup.

South Dakota State has a record of 9-10 so far this season. The Jackrabbits are responsible for committing 16.5 personal fouls every game and they connect on 69.9% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 14.5 times per contest (171st in college hoops) and they are giving up possession 11.7 times per game. South Dakota State has scored 1,444 pts on the year (76.0 per contest) and they snag 37.3 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jackrabbits are shooting 45.8% from the field, which ranks them 160th in Division 1.

The Jackrabbits on the defensive side of the court are 157th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 72.6. They have forced 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.6% from the floor (132nd in D-1). The South Dakota State defense gives up 33.2% on three-point shots (173 of 521) and opponents are connecting on 72.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 13.8 assists and 33.3 rebounds per game, which is ranked 223rd and 106th in Division 1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UMKC

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