UNC Greensboro Spartans vs Mercer Bears Prediction, 1/29/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNC Greensboro Spartans vs Mercer Bears

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026

Location: Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA

TV: ESPN+

The Mercer Bears (13-8) are hosting the UNC Greensboro Spartans (8-13) at Hawkins Arena on Thursday.

The UNC Greensboro Spartans took the court against Furman and went home with a loss by a final score of 89-66 in their last game. UNC Greensboro wrapped up the contest having earned a 43.4% FG percentage (23 of 53) and knocked down 7 out of their 26 3-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Spartans knocked down 13 of 18 shots for a rate of 72.2%. When discussing getting rebounds, they earned a total of 25 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 12 assists in this game as well as forcing the other team into 4 turnovers and getting 3 steals. In regard to defense, UNC Greensboro allowed their opponent to shoot 55.2% from the floor on 32 out of 58 shooting. Furman doled out 23 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. In addition, Furman snagged 28 boards (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Furman finished the game shooting 91.7% at the charity stripe by burying 11 of their 12 tries. They buried 14 of 27 attempts from 3-point land. When discussing personal fouls, the Spartans ended up with 17 while Furman had 17 personal fouls.

Justin Neely is a guy who played a role in the matchup. He finished the game shooting 75.0% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists. He played for 35 mins played and grabbed 9 boards. He totaled 20 points on 6 out of 8 shooting.

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UNC Greensboro will enter this game with a mark of 8-13 on the season. They are giving up possession 10.5 times per contest and as a group are committing 15.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UNC Greensboro is pulling in 36.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 266 assists so far this year, which is 261st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Spartans are shooting 35.7% on shots from downtown (168 of 471) and 69.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 78.2 points per outing (145th in college hoops) while shooting 45.5% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Spartans are forcing 9.2 turnovers per game while drawing 19.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 296th in college in giving up assists with 308 relinquished so far this season. The Spartans are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.1% (606 of 1,315) and they concede 35.4 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 36.9% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 334th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (81.0).

In their last game, the Mercer Bears took a loss by a score of 80-77 when they faced Wofford. Concerning how they cleaned up the glass, Mercer allowed Wofford to pull down 36 in all (12 offensive). They went 44.4% from 3-point land by going 8 of 18 and finished the contest at 12 out of 15 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Bears permitted Wofford to make 30 of their 64 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 46.9% for the contest. At the conclusion of this game, the Bears finished 25 for 59 from the field which gave them a rate of 42.4%. With respect to shooting from beyond the arc, Mercer made 8 of 24 tries (33.3%). They were able to make 19 of them for a percentage of 86.4%. Wofford earned 17 fouls in the game which got the Bears to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They also turned it over 9 times, while recording 9 steals for this game. The Bears were able to snag 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 26 for the matchup.

Baraka Okojie was important for the Bears for this contest. He converted 7 of 14 in the game giving him a rate of 50.0%, but wasn't able to snag a board. He earned 27 points in his 38 mins on the court and had 8 dimes in this game.

Mercer has a win-loss mark of 13-8 for the campaign. The Bears have committed 15.4 fouls every game and they go 73.4% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.9 times per game (138th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 11.0 times per contest. Mercer has totaled 1,785 pts on the campaign (85.0 per contest) and they pull in 39.0 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bears are hitting on 46.6% from the floor, which ranks 114th in college hoops.

The Bears on the defensive end are ranked 225th in college in points allowed per contest with 75.3. They are able to force 13.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 42.5% from the field (110th in Division 1). The Mercer defense concedes 33.8% on shots from 3-point land (184 of 544) and opponents are connecting on 72.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 12.6 assists and 37.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which has them ranked 117th and 325th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UNC Greensboro

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