USC Upstate Spartans vs Gardner-Webb Bulldogs Prediction, 1/24/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: USC Upstate Spartans vs Gardner-Webb Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026

Location: Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, NC

TV: ESPN+

The USC Upstate Spartans (9-12) are on their way to Paul Porter Arena on Saturday where they will meet the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (2-19).

The USC Upstate Spartans stepped onto the hardwood against UNC Asheville and went home with a loss by a final score of 83-69 in their last game. USC Upstate finished having earned a 44.3% FG percentage (27 out of 61) and knocked down 7 of their 21 shots from 3-point land. At the charity stripe, the Spartans converted 8 of their 15 attempts for a percentage of 53.3%. Concerning hauling in boards, they collected 25 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 13 assists in this game while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and having 7 steals. With regard to defending, USC Upstate allowed the other team to go 51.8% from the floor on 29 of 56 shooting. UNC Asheville earned 13 dimes and had 6 steals in the matchup. Additionally, UNC Asheville snagged 32 rebounds (6 offensive, 26 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. UNC Asheville finished the contest at 77.3% from the free throw line by making 17 of 22 shots. They also converted 8 of their 15 tries from three-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Spartans ended up finishing with 17 while UNC Asheville racked up 16 fouls.

Mason Bendinger is one guy who came through for the game. He accounted for 28 points on 12 of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 31 minutes played and also grabbed 2 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 80.0% from the floor and earned 2 dimes.

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USC Upstate heads into this one with a mark of 9-12 this season. They are giving up possession 11.9 times per game and as a group they are committing 18.4 fouls per contest. As a team, USC Upstate is grabbing 37.5 rebounds per game and has accumulated 270 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 212th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Spartans are hitting 34.3% on shots from distance (157 of 458) and 68.3% from the free throw line. They average 76.2 points per game (197th in the country) while hitting 44.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Spartans have forced 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.9 fouls. They surrender 32.9% on 3-point attempts while they are 185th in D-1 in points per game allowed (73.5). The Spartans are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.5% (534 of 1,255) and they concede 37.5 boards per game as a squad. They are ranked 119th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 245 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs went home defeated by a final of 91-56 against Longwood. When it comes to cleaning the glass, Gardner-Webb permitted Longwood to pull down 40 in all (14 offensive). They shot 29.2% from 3-point land by hitting 7 out of 24 and ended up going 12 of 15 from the charity stripe (80.0%). The Bulldogs allowed Longwood to make 36 of their 65 tries from the floor which had them sitting at 55.4% in this game. When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs ended up shooting 22 for 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.6%. When discussing shooting from downtown, Gardner-Webb knocked down 5 out of 19 tries (26.3%). They were able to bury 7 of them for a percentage of 58.3%. Longwood had 13 fouls for the matchup which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for 12 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 21 times, while earning 9 steals in this game. The Bulldogs snagged 15 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards totaling 25 in this game.

Colin Hawkins ended up being a major contributor for the Bulldogs for this contest. He made 6 out of 14 for the game for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and totaled 2 rebounds. He earned 14 points in his 30 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game.

Gardner-Webb has a win-loss mark of 2-19 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs are connecting on 41.6% from the field, which is ranked 333rd in the nation. Gardner-Webb has accounted for 1,439 points for the year (68.5 per game) and they pull in 31.1 boards per game. They are dishing out assists 10.4 times per game (361st in D-1) and they turn it over 14.3 times per game. The Bulldogs are committing 17.6 fouls per game and they shoot 70.4% from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs on the defensive end are ranked 363rd in college in PPG allowed with 88.9. They are able to force 10.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 50.7% from the field (363rd in college). The Gardner-Webb defense surrenders 36.4% on shots from 3-point land (198 of 544) and their opponents are converting on 72.5% of their free throw shots. They allow 18.1 assists and 39.8 rebounds every game, ranking them 359th and 356th in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Gardner-Webb

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